Pros:
The client can maintain a constant 80% in 20 second service level AND only pay for actual usage. Ideal for clients who wish to forward calls when they can’t handle them whether it be after-hours, weekends, holidays, over-flow, or a virtual receptionist. The client can realize savings by maintaining control internally over support issues thereby reducing the number of resulting calls. In addition, since the per minute rates are lower as your call volume increases, the client also benefits from growth with lower costs.

Cons:
The common fear with per minute billing is that the outsource provider will not have any controls over the length of call or first call resolution therefore resulting in higher costs. Advantage Solution – Our agents are provided incentives based on efficient call time, quality of the support provided and overall occupancy standards. We instill a spirit of ownership into each and every call so that our agents feel they are part of your corporate team. Our agents are not advised of pricing and therefore have only dis-incentives for not controlling the length of call or first call resolution.

Pros:
The client can maintain a constant 80% in 20 second service level service AND only pay a maximum flat rate per subscriber regardless of the actual call volume experienced. Ideal for clients who desire to budget their support costs.

Cons:
Outsourcers who provide a flat rate per subscriber have to set their price in a range which allows sufficient recovery of cost on high call volume accounts. Therefore, clients with low to medium call volume do not reap any financial benefit from managing their affairs efficiently. Flat rate’s also do not flex down during periods of slow volume such as the case for July and August for ISP’s. Advantage Solution - Our flat rate pricing comes with an added feature. You can set your monthly budget for the flat rate but we also offer price discounts of up to $.50 per subscriber for providers who maintain call volume within pre-defined monthly parameters. You can have your cake and eat it too.

Pros:
The client can have dedicated agents custom-trained at Advantage’s expense who become an extended arm of your business. No dealing with shared queue’s or learning curves. Ideal for clients that need high end support or large clients that desire a fixed cost and stellar service.

Cons:
How do you know your dedicated agents are going to be worth the investment, and if so, how do you know they are going to be kept efficient? Advantage Solution – Dedicated agents are the highest rewarded agents in our center and are therefore staffed with our brightest and best. Our dedicated queue has the lowest churn and highest customer satisfaction of any queue within our company. Our agents become so in-tune with your company that our client referrals in this queue have been outstanding.

Pros:
Per incident pricing provides a constant 80% in 20 second service level AND you only pay for actual usage. The difference from per minute pricing is that the cost per call is set up-front. Per incident pricing is the normal pricing adopted for chat and email support.

Cons:
Most outsource providers will not provide a per call price without considerable experience in the same industry or a considerable period of probation to arrive at a fair price. Advantage Solution – Advantage provides per call pricing in the ISP industry and in certain generic customer service applications where the client and Advantage can arrive at fair expectations for call time.