Call centre outsourcing: when you need it, how to choose a vendor, and the pricing models
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Call centre outsourcing means another company’s operators take or make your calls. It helps when you have no time to build your own team, for night cover or for a seasonal surge. You usually pay per minute, per operator hour, per seat or per result. Before choosing, ask about languages, night shifts, access to recordings, control over the script, reports and personal data protection. Start with a trial period and listen to calls yourself every week.
When outsourcing fits
- You have no time or people to hire and train your own operators.
- Calls are seasonal: for example, admissions, holiday sales, an ad campaign.
- You need answers at night and at weekends, but a full night shift is too costly.
- A one-off large outbound campaign: for example, a survey of past customers.
When it doesn’t fit: the product is complex, and each call is a big sale or needs deep knowledge. Customers may leave while an outside operator learns the product. Compared with your own team: in-house vs outsourced.
Pricing models
| Model | What you pay for | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Per minute | Minutes the operator talks | Longer calls may pay off for the vendor: listen to recordings |
| Per operator hour | Hours the operator is on the line, calls or not | You pay for quiet hours too |
| Per seat, monthly | A fixed monthly sum for a dedicated operator or seat | The sum stays the same when volume drops |
| Per result | Per request, booking or sale | Low-quality requests may multiply: define a “result” precisely |
Models are often mixed, such as a monthly fee plus a per-minute rate. Compare offers on the same volume: for example, 3,000 calls a month at 3 minutes each, with every vendor quoting the total for that volume. The numbers are only an example.
10 questions for a vendor
- Do your operators speak Uzbek and Russian fluently? Can I hear them on a test call?
- Will my project have dedicated operators, or do they work for several clients?
- Who answers at night and at weekends?
- Will I have access to every call recording?
- Do I approve the script and answers, and how fast are changes made?
- What reports do you give, and how often: answer rate, wait time, outcomes?
- How do requests get into my CRM?
- Where is my customers’ data stored, who sees it, and what happens to it when the contract ends?
- Is there a trial period, and how can the contract be ended?
- Does my number change, or do customers keep calling the same one?
How to launch
- Write a brief: call types, hours, languages, expected volume, the goal (request, sale or answer).
- Hand over a knowledge sheet: prices, addresses, common questions, what not to promise.
- Write the script together and test it on a few role-play calls.
- A 1–2 week trial: listen to 10–15 calls yourself every day.
- Put KPIs in the contract: answer rate, wait time and what happens when mistakes occur.
- Meet monthly: numbers, repeated mistakes, script changes.
Which numbers to ask for: call centre KPIs. How to score calls: call quality control.
An AI operator instead of outsourcing
Another route is to give calls not to outside people but to an AI operator. Sado speaks in your company’s name and script, answers from your facts, and works round the clock with no queue. Your number stays: the operator connects to your current number over SIP. Each call’s recording, transcript and outcome are in the portal and go straight into Bitrix24.
You pay only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m, with no monthly or setup fee. Complex calls are transferred to your staff by the rule you set. Comparison: call centre vs AI operator; prices: Sado pricing. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
How much does an outsourced call centre cost?
It depends on the model and volume: per minute, hour, seat or result. Ask several vendors for a total price on the same volume and compare.
Will customers notice they’re talking to an outside operator?
Usually not, if the operator speaks in your company’s name and knows the script well. If they don’t know the product, customers notice at once, so listen to calls yourself during the trial.
What should I watch on personal data?
Uzbekistan has a law on personal data. Write into the contract where data is stored, who can see it, and that it is deleted when the contract ends. If in doubt, ask a lawyer.