Cost Per Call

What does cost per call mean? 

Cost per call is the total cost of handling a single call, including all associated expenses such as agent salaries, technology, infrastructure and overheads. It is an essential contact center metric used to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of a contact center's operations. To compute the cost per call in your contact center, first evaluate its component costs: 

• Agent salaries and benefits: Usually the largest component and includes the wages, bonus and overtime given to contact center agents. 
• Technology costs: The cost of purchasing, maintaining and upgrading technology used in the call center, such as call management software, CRM systems and telephony infrastructure. 
• Overhead costs: Expenditure incurred on account of rent, utilities, office supplies, electricity, calling equipment, administrative and managerial salaries. 
• Training and development cost: The cost of training materials, trainers' salaries and any certification programs. 
• Quality assurance cost: Costs related to monitoring and ensuring the quality of calls, such as employing quality assurance staff and implementing quality control systems. 

How to calculate cost per call Formula: 

Example: 

If a contact center has total operating costs of $100,000 in a month and handles 10,000 calls during that period, the cost per call would be:  

Cost per Call = 100,000 / 10,000 = $10