How Much Does an Answering Service Cost?

Find Out What it Cost to Hire a Live Answering Service

If I had to answer the question “how much do answering services cost” with no information I’d probably say around $1.10 a call, but to give any information beyond that would not only be difficult, but impossible. If you’re trying to learn how much it will cost for telephone answering services then this article should answer that question, at least as much as possible with the limited information we have about your business requirements. It’s important to first understand that the best way to give an exact quote is to learn more about what your true usage would be like, and that’s best done with a trial. More information on that later.

If you called and asked a plumber “how much to fix a leaky sink”, or if you asked an attorney “what is the cost for a personal injury case” both might give you an approximate figure but neither could quote accurately without fully knowing your entire situation. The same scenario applies with a phone answering service. Many companies will post their prices on their website but I’d caution you to beware as these quotes will not be an accurate representation of what you can actually expect to pay.

Answering Services Just $19.99 a Month: One of the most common quotes that get plastered on the home page is a message like “answering services $19.99 a month” but what they’re not telling you is that is just the base amount, and does not include any billing for actual calls.

$2.00 Per Call Answering Service: Another commonly published price is the pay per call programs such as the “$2.00 per call answering service products”. The problem with this type of program is there are usually other hidden fees that apply. For example there may be a cost of $0.50 for each message sent to you (which would be every call), and then there is a separate and even larger fee for any calls that are transferred to you directly. And it gets worse….. everyone receives calls from salesmen, wrong numbers, or people that chose not to leave a message and these calls have a duration of less than 20 seconds, but you still pay full price of $2.00 per call.

Pay By The Minute: This is by far the best option in terms of how you should pay for an answering service. In this scenario you’ll pay for what you use, and the big difference with this type of plan is most products like this bill in 20-30 second increments and thus when wrong numbers are dialed or no message is left you only pay for a partial minute, which over the course of a month adds up to serious savings.

It is best to understand that no matter how the supplier packages their program you won’t really know what the cost for service will be until you use it for a week or so. Additionally, all receptionist services are not alike, and mom and pop call centers will not be able to offer certain features or message handling tools that you’ll get from the larger providers. What’s my recommendation? I say talk is cheap, so try it before you buy it! We’d like the opportunity to prove the value of MAP answering services by offering you a one week trial with no obligation. You can make your decisions later.