Your business is growing. That’s great. But with more customers comes a bigger problem—more calls, more questions, and more time wasted on repetitive conversations.

At this point, most businesses ask themselves:

❌ Do we hire more staff to handle the calls?

✅ Or do we automate with AI and reduce overhead costs?

The answer isn’t as obvious as you might think. Hiring more employees is expensive. Salaries, benefits, training—it all adds up. AI call assistants, on the other hand, handle calls instantly, without increasing payroll.

Let’s break down the real cost difference between hiring staff vs. automating your business phone system.

The Hidden Costs of Hiring More Staff

Many businesses underestimate how much it actually costs to hire, train, and manage new employees. It’s not just about their salary—it’s all the additional costs that come with it.

📌 Average salary for a receptionist or customer service rep: $35,000 - $50,000 per year.

📌 Benefits, insurance, and taxes: Add 25-30% more to base salary.

📌 Training and onboarding: Costs time and money before they’re fully productive.

📌 Turnover and rehiring: If they quit, you start the process (and costs) all over again.

For small and mid-sized businesses, hiring just one full-time staff member to handle calls could cost $50,000+ per year.

And that’s assuming they answer every call, don’t take breaks, and never get sick or go on vacation.

How AI Call Assistants Save Thousands Per Year

An AI call assistant doesn’t need a salary, benefits, or time off. It simply works 24/7, handling calls instantly, no matter how busy your business gets.

Here’s how businesses are saving money with AI:

✅ No salaries or overhead costs – A single AI assistant costs a fraction of what a human employee does.

✅ Works 24/7 – Never takes breaks, never calls in sick, and never goes on vacation.

✅ Handles unlimited calls – Whether you get 10 or 1,000 calls per day, AI scales instantly.

✅ No training or turnover costs – No need to rehire, retrain, or deal with staff quitting.

Example Cost Breakdown:

SolutionCost Per YearHours Worked

Hiring a Full-Time Employee

$50,000+

~2,000 hours

AI Call Assistant

$1,200 - $5,000

Unlimited

That’s over $40,000 in savings per year—while handling more calls, booking more meetings, and responding to leads instantly.

Real Businesses Choosing AI Over Hiring

📌 A real estate brokerage was losing deals because agents were too busy to answer calls. Instead of hiring a full-time receptionist, they set up an AI assistant that now handles 100% of inbound calls, books meetings, and qualifies leads. Cost savings: $45,000 per year.

📌 A law firm used to have a team member dedicated to answering phone inquiries. After switching to AI call handling, they freed up 15+ hours per week and saved over $30,000 in staffing costs.

📌 A home services business had to decide between hiring another office assistant or automating phone calls. The AI assistant now books jobs, answers customer questions, and sends reminders—saving them $50,000 annually.

When Does It Make Sense to Hire Instead of Automate?

While AI call assistants can handle the majority of business calls, there are cases where human employees are still necessary:

🔹 Complex customer service – If your business requires long, detailed customer conversations, a human rep might still be needed.

🔹 High-ticket sales – Some businesses require personal sales reps to build trust with clients before closing deals.

🔹 Specialized industries – If your calls require deep industry knowledge beyond FAQs, human reps may be better suited.

The best approach? Use AI to handle the routine calls, and let humans focus on high-value interactions.

Set Up AI Call Handling in 3 Minutes (No Hiring Required)

Hiring takes weeks. Setting up an AI call assistant? Three minutes.

1️⃣ Create your AI assistant – No IT skills needed.

2️⃣ Customize responses – Set up call handling for FAQs, bookings, and follow-ups.

3️⃣ Start saving time and money immediately.

No HR headaches. No salary costs. Just smarter call handling that works 24/7.

Stop Overpaying for Call Handling—Let AI Do It for You

Hiring more staff isn’t always the answer. AI call assistants provide the same (or better) service for a fraction of the cost—without the overhead.

Try Callberry today and start saving money while improving call handling.