// roi · plug in your numbers
What Handled saves you. In dollars.
Put your own numbers in and hit recalculate. You get a link you can send to anyone. Every figure we compare against is public and listed at the bottom of this page.
vs hiring a receptionist
$28,212
saved per year · $2,351/mo
A receptionist: $2,900/mo, wages plus payroll tax and benefits · Handled Pro: $549/mo
vs an answering service
$15,012
saved per year · $1,251/mo
Service: 1,200 min × $1.50/min = $1,800/mo · Handled Pro: $549/mo
calls you stop missing
$216,000
per year · at 30% of your calls
400 calls × 30% = 120 calls a month you'd otherwise miss × $150 average job × 12 months. This only counts if you miss calls today.
// the plan that fits · 1,200 min/mo
Handled Pro — $549/mo, includes 1,500 minutes. Set up in minutes, answering as soon as you forward your line.
// where the numbers come from
- Hiring a receptionist
- $2,900/mo — US government wage data (job code 43-4171) puts the middle wage at $16.42/hr, over 40 hours a week and 4.33 weeks a month. Payroll tax and benefits push the real cost to about $4,100/mo. We use the lower number.
- Answering service
- $1.50 a minute — the middle of the published prices at Ruby, Smith.ai and AnswerConnect ($1.25–$1.85 a minute, 2026).
- Average call length
- 3 minutes — typical for calls coming in to a service business.
- Calls you stop missing
- You set the percentage, and it applies to ALL your monthly calls — the share that goes unanswered today AND would have booked. 30% is a careful number for people who call ready to buy.
- Which plan we picked
- Chosen by minutes: 500 or under is Starter, 1,500 or under is Pro, anything above that is Industry.
- What's not in these numbers
- The $500 setup, any minutes past your plan, and the time you get back. None of them are counted here.