What does an answering service cost?
Answering services charge in a few different ways, which makes them hard to compare. Put in how many calls you get and how long they last, and see what each option would cost you each month.
Updated by Ramy Khuffash
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How answering services charge
- Per minute: you pay for every minute your callers spend on the phone
- Per call: a fee for each call answered, often on top of a monthly base
- Flat monthly: a set number of calls or minutes, then a rate for extra
- A receptionist: an hourly wage, plus taxes and benefits, for the hours they work
Answering service cost calculator
Your calls a month and their average length, against the rates you’ve been quoted.
Cost a month
- Per-minute answering service$675
450 minutes at $1.50 a minute
- Part-time receptionist$1,560
20 hours a week at $18 an hour, before taxes and benefits
- Memobell Solo$119
75 calls included, plus call packs for 75 more
Memobell doesn’t count robocalls, hang-ups or your test calls, and answers around the clock. Calls over 10 minutes count as two.
What drives the cost up
Long calls on per-minute plans, after-hours and weekend surcharges, setup fees, and paying for minutes spent on robocalls and wrong numbers. Ask any service whether spam and hang-ups are billed.
How Memobell prices it
Plans count calls, not minutes, starting at $49 a month for 75 calls. Robocalls, blocked numbers, hang-ups and your own test calls are never counted, and there’s no extra charge for nights or weekends.
Questions
How much does an answering service cost per month?
It depends on your call volume and how the service bills. Use the calculator above with the rates you’ve been quoted. Memobell starts at $49 a month for 75 calls.
Is an answering service cheaper than a receptionist?
For most small businesses, yes. A receptionist costs their wage for every hour they work, whether the phone rings or not, and can’t answer at night.
Are there hidden costs?
Look for setup fees, minimum contracts, after-hours surcharges and charges for spam calls. Memobell has no setup fee or contract, and doesn’t count spam.
Related
- Phone answering serviceA phone and call answering service that picks up every business call, day and night. Answers questions, takes messages, books appointments. From $49 a month.
- Virtual receptionistA virtual receptionist for your business that answers right away, day and night, and costs a fraction of a staffed service. Priced per call, not per minute.
- AI receptionistAn AI receptionist that answers your business phone, website chat and texts, learns from your Google listing, takes messages and books appointments. 7 days free.