Per-call vs per-minute answering service: price the same calls

Establish that the work is comparable

ReceptionHQ's pricing presents call-based and minute-based service families. Their tasks are not automatically identical. Before using a formula, confirm that both quotes include your required intake, transfer or scheduling outcome and the same coverage period.

Revo's current plans publish included minutes. This guide does not create a Revo per-call plan or invent its additional-usage rate. Use the rate and rules in your actual offer.

Copy this ledger and apply both contracts

The following calls and prices are deliberately hypothetical, not provider quotes. Every call counts under both example offers. The minute offer rounds each individual call up to a whole minute.

Example call offer: $20 base, two included calls, $3 per additional call. Its total for this ledger is $20 + (4 − 2) × $3 = $26.

Example minute offer: $20 base, five included minutes, $2 per additional minute. Its total for the identical ledger is $20 + (9 − 5) × $2 = $28.

This example establishes arithmetic only. Different real rates, longer calls or different rounding can reverse the result. Do not extrapolate four fictional calls into an expected saving.

Replace every example rule with the written offer

For each quote, compute base + max(0, billable units − included units) × additional-unit rate, then add applicable required charges. If the offer has tiers or other pricing logic, use that logic instead.

Record whether spam, repeated callers, unanswered transfers, hold time, outbound follow-up and test calls are billed. Check whether rounding occurs per call or across the whole period. A provider that counts unique customers requires a third model, not relabeling its allowance as calls.

Use one representative real period, remove unnecessary personal information, and retain both original durations and contract-adjusted units. Ask the supplier to confirm your calculation. Keep service quality and task eligibility as separate decision columns; a cheaper calculation cannot prove the required outcome works.

Frequently asked questions

Is per-call always better for long conversations?

Not necessarily. Allowances, rates, exclusions and service scope matter. Price the same ledger under both actual contracts.

Should I round the month's total minutes once?

Only if that is the provider's rule. Per-call rounding can produce a different bill, as the example shows.

Review Revo's current minute plans and request the billing rules needed to complete your own ledger.