What business telephony costs: what the bill is made of and how to work out the monthly total
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Telephony costs have four parts: one-off (phones, headsets, a PBX or gateway, setup), monthly (number rental, channels or a cloud PBX, internet), per call (outgoing minutes by destination) and the people who answer. People are usually the biggest part: working day and night takes three shifts. To get the monthly total, divide one-off costs by 12, add monthly fees, minutes and salaries, and estimate the sales lost on missed calls.
The list of costs
| Cost | When you pay | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| IP phones, headsets, a PBX or gateway | Once | Number of staff, type of equipment |
| Connection and setup | Once | Provider’s and installer’s prices |
| Number rental | Monthly | Type of number: city, mobile, easy to remember |
| Channels or cloud PBX users | Monthly | Calls at the same time, number of staff |
| Internet | Monthly | Speed, a backup line |
| Minutes | Per call | Destination: city, mobile, regions, abroad |
| People who answer | Monthly | Hours, shifts, headcount |
Ask the provider before signing whether incoming calls are charged and how minutes are rounded (per second or per full minute).
The biggest cost is usually people
Telephony budgets often count only the number and the minutes. But someone has to answer every call. For example, if an operator’s salary is 5 million so‘m, working around the clock needs at least three shifts: 3 × 5 = 15 million so‘m a month, before taxes, holidays and sick days. Even one daytime operator goes to lunch and can’t take a second call while busy. These numbers are only an example. Work it out with your own figures in the calculator.
Hidden costs
- Missed calls: the customer calls someone else and the sale is gone.
- Time spent calling back: a manager works through the missed calls every day.
- Downtime: when the internet or equipment stops, calls in that time are lost.
- Training new staff: explaining the script, prices and answers again each time.
- A number that leaves with an employee: you have to spread a new number all over again.
Working out the monthly total
- Divide one-off costs by 12 and add them to the monthly total.
- Add monthly fees: number, channels or PBX, internet.
- Count minutes: outgoing minutes a month × tariff, each destination separately.
- Add people: salary × number of shifts, with taxes.
- Estimate missed calls: missed calls a month × share that would have bought × average sale.
For example: 120 missed calls a month, 20% of which would have bought, with an average sale of 300,000 so‘m. 120 × 0.2 × 300,000 = 7.2 million so‘m in lost sales. These numbers are only an example.
The last line often gives a surprisingly big number. More: what missed calls cost and what a call centre costs.
Where an AI operator fits in
Sado charges only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute for any call length. There is no monthly fee and no setup fee. For example, 100 calls a day × 2 minutes = 200 minutes × 800 = 160,000 so‘m a day, about 4.8 million so‘m a month.
The operator works day and night and takes more than ten calls at once, so there are no shifts or queues to plan. It connects to your current number, and you don’t have to buy new equipment. More: pricing and AI operator for incoming calls. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Do we pay for incoming calls?
That depends on your provider’s tariff. Before signing, ask for incoming and outgoing prices separately.
Which is cheaper: a cloud PBX or an office PBX?
A cloud PBX has no equipment but a monthly fee. An office PBX needs a large one-off payment, and repairs and setup are then yours. Compare over two or three years.
How can we lower telephony costs?
Do the calculation above first and see where most of the money goes. It often helps to drop unused numbers and channels, and to cover night and peak-hour calls without an extra operator shift.
What does Sado’s price include?
Only talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute. No connection, setup or monthly fee, and numbers that don’t answer cost nothing. More answers: questions about Sado.