If you get it right, your call center can be a source of profit rather than an expense. This may seem alien to some business owners, but with the right mindset and planning, it’s more than possible.
Some fundamentals come into play when planning for the cost of a call center, including hiring, training, software, and implementation.
You should be aware of hidden costs and optimizations that affect your bottom line.
In this guide, we’ll walk through each element, with an associated call center cost, to help you reach a ballpark figure and start to plan for a profitable call center operation.
Typical Costs When Running a Call Center
These first seven call center costs help shape your basic budget. They’re table stakes for most call center teams.
Personnel
People cost money, and they need to be paid well to stay with your company in one of the most stressful roles. To maintain high employee retention, you must invest in your staff on day one and on an ongoing basis.
Inadequate compensation can lead to poor employee engagement and high staff turnover.
Estimated costs include:
- Average call center agent salary: $31,200 (this includes entry-level to experienced)
- Annual training: $1,000
- Recruiting costs: $2,500
You may also offer benefits like dental, life insurance, and subsidized lunch or gym memberships.
If you plan on running a remote or hybrid contact center, contributing to home internet costs and electricity bills is a nice touch. You’d be doing the same in your own office, after all.
This may sound expensive on the face of it, but terminating a call center agent costs $31,416. It’s easy for a vicious circle to start if you don’t look after your staff.