How much does an outbound call campaign cost: from the list to the cost of one result
Sado AI team · · 5 min read
In short
The cost of an outbound call campaign comes from three numbers: how many people are on the list, what share pick up, and how long an average conversation lasts. Multiply the talked minutes by the price per minute, then add the time to prepare the list and review the results. The most useful number is the cost per result: campaign cost ÷ people who booked, confirmed or bought. Sado charges only for talked minutes, 800 so‘m a minute; numbers that don’t answer cost nothing.
What a campaign costs you
A campaign means calling one list with one goal: a new-season offer to past customers, a second call to people who enquired but didn’t buy, order confirmations or a survey. The cost has four parts:
- Talk time. With human operators you pay for their working hours; with an AI operator, for talked minutes.
- Preparing the list: removing duplicates, wrong numbers and people who asked not to be called.
- The script: what to say, which questions to ask, how to answer “too expensive”.
- Work after the call: a manager calls interested customers back and processes the order.
The calculation in five steps
Example: a furniture store wants to call 2,000 customers who bought last year about a new collection and a discount. The numbers are only an example.
- Clean and count the list: 2,000 numbers without duplicates or refusals.
- Estimate the share who answer. For example, 55%: 2,000 × 0.55 = 1,100 conversations. You won’t know this number on your first campaign, so test 100–200 numbers first.
- Set an average call length: an offer and 2–3 questions take, for example, 1.5 minutes. 1,100 × 1.5 = 1,650 minutes.
- Multiply by the price per minute: 1,650 × 800 = 1,320,000 so‘m.
- Find the cost per result: 90 people booked a visit to the store, so 1,320,000 ÷ 90 ≈ 14,700 so‘m per booking. Compare it with what one customer from advertising costs you.
Compared with human operators
A human operator costs hours, not minutes. They also dial numbers that don’t answer, wait, redial and take notes after every call. For example, if one operator works through 150 numbers a day, 2,000 numbers take about 13–14 working days. On a salary of 6 million so‘m a month, that is more than half a month’s pay, before taxes and a desk. These numbers are only an example; use your own.
| Question | Human operator | AI operator |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Working hours: salary, taxes, a desk | Only talked minutes |
| Number didn’t answer | The operator’s time is spent | No charge |
| Evenings and Saturdays | Extra pay or an extra shift | Same price |
| Recording the result | The operator types it up | Recording, transcript and answers in the portal |
| A large list | More people or more days | Within the hours and limit you set |
What lowers the cost per result
- A clean list. Wrong and old numbers give no conversations, only lost time.
- People you may call. Call only those who enquired, gave consent or are your customers: they listen to the end.
- The right time. For example, people who work answer better in the evening, 18:00–20:00. Avoid Friday prayers and iftar time.
- One offer and 2–3 questions. Reading out a long list makes the call longer and tires the customer.
- A clear next step: “Shall I book you into the showroom on Saturday?” That question gets fewer “I’ll think about it” answers.
- A small test first: 100–200 numbers, then fix the script and call the rest.
How a campaign runs in Sado
With Sado’s AI outbound calls you upload the list as an Excel file in the portal’s Auto-calls section or send it from your CRM. One auto-call holds up to 10,000 people. You set the goal, the calling hours and a daily limit, and you can stop it with one button.
The operator, Malika or Shohruh, talks with each person live in Uzbek or Russian, answers questions and records the answers. A number that says “don’t call me” isn’t called again. The length, cost and outcome of every call are in the portal, and you can download the results to Excel. The price is 800 so‘m a minute, with no monthly fee. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Do we pay for numbers that don’t answer?
No. Sado charges only for talked minutes, so unanswered and busy numbers add nothing to the campaign cost. When you work out the cost per result, still count the whole list.
How do we stay within the campaign budget?
Work it out in advance: list × share who answer × average minutes × 800. Then set a daily limit and check the first day’s spending in the portal.
Isn’t a recorded-message dialer cheaper?
A recorded message can’t answer questions or book the customer, so someone still has to call back afterwards. The difference: autodialer vs AI operator.