| An increasing number of savvy small business owners | | | | Healthcare; $5,722; 11.4% |
| are recognizing that outsourcing their telephone | | | | Pension; $1,572; 3.1% |
| answering services in the form of an off-site | | | | Time Off; $4,470; 8.9% |
| receptionist is an excellent way to control costs and | | | | Total; $50,132; 100% |
| enhance customer service without the headaches of | | | | Source: HR Reported data as of March 2009 |
| hiring an employee. However, before taking this step it | | | | At nearly $50,000 annually, your Receptionist budget |
| is important to assess an accurate value for such a | | | | would need to be in excess of $4,000/month, but even |
| service so you can budget realistically. | | | | if you estimate on the low end it adds up to more than |
| Unlike an old-fashioned telephone answering service, a | | | | you think. Suppose you don't offer a generous benefits |
| modern-day off-site receptionist (sometimes called a | | | | package and can find someone to answer your |
| virtual receptionist or remote receptionist), provides a | | | | phones for $10/hour. Add to that mandatory |
| wide range of services including live telephone | | | | employment tax of about 11% and you're pushing |
| answering, real-time call connections, appointment | | | | $2000/month. That does not even account for the |
| scheduling, order placement, seminar registrations and | | | | estimated 450 square feet they will occupy (at a |
| more. In fact, the core philosophy of these companies | | | | conservative $1/foot), lunch breaks, sick days, and |
| differ from an answering service in that they consider | | | | assorted management headaches. |
| themselves YOUR employee for that phone call, and | | | | Depending on your call volume and the services you |
| not the third-party service associated with after-hours | | | | require, an off-site receptionist can typically perform |
| calls to the doctor's office. | | | | many of the same functions for anywhere from |
| So, what is the true value of an off-site receptionist | | | | 5%-50% of that cost, which in this case could be |
| and how does it compare with hiring a receptionist to | | | | $100-$1,000. If that sounds like a wide range, keep in |
| work at your location? Here are some estimated | | | | mind that pricing is usually designed to scale based |
| costs associated with hiring that employee including | | | | upon the amount of receptionist time you require. If you |
| some not so obvious ones you will want to consider. | | | | are simply looking to have your calls screened, |
| According to Salary.com, the median cost of hiring a | | | | announced and connected in real-time your costs will |
| receptionist is as follows: | | | | be lower than if you are using appointment scheduling |
| Benefit Median Amount % of Total | | | | or a more time intensive process. Either way, when |
| Base Salary; $33,787; 67.4% | | | | you factor the many associated costs and the time |
| Bonuses; $394; 0.8% | | | | involved with hiring, training and retaining good |
| Social Security; $2,615; 5.2% | | | | employees, most will agree that an off-site receptionist |
| 401k / 403b; $1,231; 2.5% | | | | is a tremendous value. |
| Disability; $342; 0.7% | | | | |