Decision check
“We Can Find a Cheaper Option” — What’s Usually Being Compared
Almost every practice looks for the lowest-cost way to handle calls. The challenge is that not all “cheaper” options reduce the same costs.
What “cheaper” usually means
- •Answering services priced per minute
- •Offshore call centers
- •Temp or agency staff
- •Basic IVR or voicemail systems
Each looks cheaper — on paper.
Where low-cost options add cost elsewhere
- •Per-minute pricing scales with chaos
- •Transfers increase staff callbacks
- •Quality issues create rework
- •Inconsistent scripts frustrate patients
- •Staff still handle the hardest calls
The line item is lower — the total cost often isn’t.
Cost vs. value (the real comparison)
- •Lower-cost options typically handle fewer calls end-to-end
- •Work gets pushed back to staff
- •Peaks and after-hours still fail
- •AI reception is not the cheapest — it prevents downstream loss
Why price alone is misleading
- •If a solution misses calls or delays follow-up, it burns revenue
- •More callbacks = more staff time
- •Burned out staff = turnover and rehiring
If it shifts cost instead of removing it, it isn’t cheaper.
Bottom line
The goal isn’t to spend less on call handling. It’s to lose less revenue and staff time overall.