Assemble spend categories
- •Start with gross pay including overtime.
- •Layer benefits, payroll tax, and PTO coverage spend.
- •Allocate recruiting, training, QA, and tooling proportional to headcount.
Finance KPI•Staffing & coverage
Cost to Fully Load 1 FTE Receptionist
Breaks down the true annual cost of keeping a phone FTE, including benefits, coverage, turnover, and management overhead.
Use this KPI whenever decision-makers compare a salary line to AI pricing. It shows the complete bill CFOs pay for one full-time phone seat so automation savings hold up in budget review.
Annual fully loaded cost
$79k–$82k
Varies by market and night coverage requirements.
Monthly equivalent
$6.5k/mo
Use for apples-to-apples budget talks.
Cost breakdown
“Show your work” table
| Line item | Annual spend | Per-unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary + overtime | $54,600 | $26.25/hr | Base wages plus 5 hrs OT/week. |
| Benefits/taxes | $9,828 | $4.72/hr | Healthcare, retirement, payroll tax at 18%. |
| Coverage + turnover | $8,300 | $4.00/hr | Temps, hiring, onboarding, QA time. |
| Management & tooling | $6,400 | $3.08/hr | Supervisor time, VoIP, QA platforms. |
Normalize for utilization
- •Assume 1,820 productive hours after holidays and breaks.
- •Add incremental coverage needed for meetings, call-outs, and shadowing.
Assumptions
What this KPI assumes
Metro wage band
Hourly wage range $22–$27 in major metros.
Hybrid staffing
Clinic still keeps Tier 2 staff after AI launch.
Supporting proofs
Share with finance + ops partners
Need a custom fully-loaded model?
We’ll plug in your payroll, benefits, and coverage costs to produce a CFO-ready breakdown.