Cost · ROI · Staffing
Small Practice Costs
Lean teams balancing growth, service levels, and cash flow.
Coverage gaps and agency markups quietly erode cash flow; small leaks compound fast.
Define the cost problem
- •Phones unanswered at peaks/lunch
- •Staff multitask and miss details
- •Owners step in, pulling from revenue work
Hidden costs
- •Rework and callbacks
- •Call abandonment (often 8–15% when short-staffed)
- •Morale risk; one exit resets the team
Rough ranges
- •Hiring + onboarding: 4–8 weeks of reduced productivity
- •Agency markups often add 25–40% per hour (plus minimums)
- •Answering services: per-minute + transfer fees + QA overhead
- •AI: predictable platform fee offset by recovered calls and staff time
Compare options
- •Keep hiring locally; absorb churn
- •Use temps/agency to plug gaps
- •Forward to services off-hours
- •Adopt AI to cover peaks, lunches, and after-hours without OT
AI reception advantage
- •Instant pickup; no holds
- •Handles overflow so staff stay in control
- •Preserves small-practice feel while reducing burnout
What to do next
- •Estimate current leakage (missed calls, OT, agency)
- •Compare AI vs. staffing on monthly cash basis
- •Keep humans for VIPs/escalations