How to plan call costs when volume changes with the seasons: a month-by-month plan
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Call volume isn’t the same all year: holidays, admissions, wedding season, heat and cold, and promotions can multiply it several times. To plan the cost, count the last 12 months of calls month by month, separate ordinary months from busy ones, add the known dates of the coming year and work out the minutes for each month. A team sized for the busiest month overpays in quiet months; a team sized for the quietest leaves calls unanswered at peaks. With per-minute billing, cost moves with volume.
Which months are busy
- Holidays: Navruz, 8 March and New Year, for beauty salons, restaurants, flower and gift shops.
- Ramadan and Eid: calling hours change, people answer less at iftar, and many businesses close during Eid.
- Study season: summer admissions and early September, for education centres and universities.
- Wedding season: spring and autumn, for wedding halls, photographers, decor and clothing.
- Weather: summer heat brings air-conditioner installs and repairs, winter brings heating and boilers.
- Promotions and advertising: the day a new ad starts, calls jump.
These are only examples. Your own report shows which months are busy in your business.
A month-by-month plan in six steps
- Count the last 12 months of calls month by month, from the PBX report or itemised bill. Include missed calls: they are demand too.
- Pick an ordinary month and write every month relative to it: for example, August = ordinary month × 3.
- Add the coming year’s known dates: holidays, your own promotions, ad launches, a new branch.
- Work out each month’s minutes: calls a day × average length × number of days.
- Price each month: with people, the shifts and temporary staff you need; with per-minute billing, minutes × price.
- Every week, compare the actual numbers with the plan and adjust the next month.
Example: an education centre’s plan
| Month | Calls a day (example) | Minutes a month (2 min each) | AI operator at 800 so‘m |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40 | 2,400 | 1,920,000 so‘m |
| June | 60 | 3,600 | 2,880,000 so‘m |
| July | 120 | 7,200 | 5,760,000 so‘m |
| August | 150 | 9,000 | 7,200,000 so‘m |
| September | 90 | 5,400 | 4,320,000 so‘m |
| October | 50 | 3,000 | 2,400,000 so‘m |
All numbers are examples, with 30-day months. August has almost four times January’s calls, and the cost follows. With people, August would need an extra operator: finding them, training them and deciding what to do after the season.
Three ways to handle the peaks
- Size the team for the busiest month: no calls are lost, but full salaries are paid in quiet months too.
- Temporary staff: they must be found and trained before the season, and they don’t know the prices and script well yet.
- Per-minute billing: cost rises and falls with calls. Your permanent team is sized for quiet months, and the AI operator takes the overflow.
Keeping costs under control
- Set a daily limit and calling hours for outbound calls, and leave out iftar time during Ramadan.
- Check spending weekly in the portal: it shows the length and cost of every call.
- Before an ad starts, decide who answers the calls, so ad money doesn’t end in unanswered calls.
- Keep the numbers after the season: next year’s plan is built from them.
The season with Sado
Sado has no monthly fee: you pay for fewer minutes in a quiet month and more in a busy one, at 800 so‘m a minute. The AI operator for incoming calls holds more than ten conversations at once, so there’s no queue even on the day an ad starts. Before the season you can make an offer to past customers with auto-calls: upload the list in Excel, set the hours and the limit yourself, and stop it with one button. Check the numbers with your own figures in the calculator, or try it live.
Questions
Does the AI operator work on holidays?
Yes. It answers day and night, weekends and holidays included, at the same price: 800 so‘m a minute.
How do we keep a busy month within budget?
Set a daily limit for outbound calls and check spending in the portal every week. Incoming calls are customer demand: not answering them saves nothing and loses the customer.
What if we don’t have last year’s numbers?
Start with the last 2–3 months and mark holidays and promotions separately. After a year you’ll have a full plan.