What does an order taking answering service cost? Compare per-order pricing for phone sales and order processing, then get free quotes from providers near you.
Order taking answering services typically cost $1 to $5 per order, and most small businesses pay $150 to $700 per month. Simple orders run about $1–$2.50 each, standard catalog orders $2–$4, and complex orders with product questions or upsells $3–$8. Per-minute plans cost about $1.00–$2.00 per minute, and dedicated order-entry agents run about $1,000–$7,000 per month depending on location.
Customers who call to buy are some of your most motivated buyers, and phone orders often carry bigger tickets than online checkouts. When the line is busy or nobody answers, that sale often goes elsewhere. An order taking answering service gives you trained agents who answer product questions, enter orders, take secure payments and suggest add-ons, any hour you need. This guide breaks down order taking answering service cost, order processing pricing, rates and plans. For restaurant takeout orders, see our restaurant answering service cost guide.
Order Taking Answering Service Pricing at a Glance (2026)
| Service | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Per order (simple) | $1.00–$2.50 per order | Repeat buyers, short orders, a few items |
| Per order (standard catalog) | $2.00–$4.00 per order | Product questions, shipping options, address checks |
| Per order (complex / upsell) | $3.00–$8.00 per order | Configured products, bundles, subscriptions, upsells |
| Per-minute plans | $1.00–$2.00 per minute | Variable order lengths and mixed calls |
| Monthly order line | $150–$700/mo | Small and growing businesses |
| Dedicated order-entry agents | $1,000–$7,000/mo per agent | High volume, large catalogs, deep product knowledge |
| Setup & catalog programming (one-time) | $0–$500 | Scripts, product lists, payment and store integration |
Order Taking Service Plans by Business Size
Order Taking Cost by Orders per Month
Estimates assume a typical order call of about 4 minutes, including product questions, address and payment:
| Orders per month | Approx. billable minutes | Estimated monthly cost | Cost per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | ~200 | $100–$250 | $2.00–$5.00 |
| 135 | ~540 | $265–$600 | $1.95–$4.45 |
| 300 | ~1,200 | $550–$1,250 | $1.85–$4.15 |
| 750 | ~3,000 | $1,300–$3,000 | $1.75–$4.00 |
| 1,500 | ~6,000 | $2,500–$5,700 | $1.65–$3.80 |
Order Taking Cost by Order Complexity
The biggest price driver after volume is how much the agent has to do on each call:
| Order type | Typical call length | Typical cost per order | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple order | 1–3 min | $1.00–$2.50 | Reorders, single items, known customers |
| Standard catalog order | 3–5 min | $2.00–$4.00 | Several items, shipping choice, address verification |
| Complex or consultative | 5–10 min | $3.00–$8.00 | Sizing, configurations, bundles, product advice |
| Order + upsell script | 4–7 min | $3.00–$6.00 | Add-ons, upgrades, warranties, subscriptions |
| Order status or return call | 1–3 min | $1.00–$2.50 | Tracking, exchanges, cancellations |
Upsells can pay for the service. If agents add a $15 accessory to just one order in ten, that’s $1.50 more revenue per order, often enough to cover the cost of answering the call.
Order Taking Answering Service Pricing Models
Example: an online store takes 200 phone orders a month averaging 4 minutes, or 800 minutes. At $1.25 per minute that’s $1,000 a month, or $5 per order. If the average phone order is $120, the service costs about 4% of phone sales.
Order Taking Answering Service Cost by Type of Business
Restaurants should also see our restaurant answering service cost guide. Need appointments booked instead of orders? See call center scheduling cost.
Order Taking Features, Integrations and What They Cost
| Feature | Typical added cost | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Secure payment processing (PCI DSS) | Included to per-transaction fees | Agents take card payments without exposing card data |
| Store / cart integration (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce) | $0–$100/mo or setup fee | Orders go straight into your store |
| Catalog & product scripting | $0–$500 one-time | Agents answer product questions accurately |
| Upsell and cross-sell scripts | Usually included | Raises the average order value |
| Inventory and order-status lookups | Included with integration | Agents can check stock and tracking |
| Address verification | Included or small fee | Fewer failed deliveries |
| Bilingual (Spanish) agents | +10–25% | Serves Spanish-speaking buyers |
| Toll-free number | $5–$20/mo | A dedicated order line for ads and catalogs |
Taking card payments by phone? Choose a provider that is PCI DSS compliant and uses secure payment entry, so card numbers are never written in notes or emailed. Ask who is responsible for compliance and how card data is handled from end to end.
What Order Taking Providers Charge in 2026
Most order processing call centers quote custom pricing. These published or reported starting prices help set expectations:
| Provider | Starting price | Effective cost per order* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer America | $0/mo + $1.47/call (published) | ~$1.47 (as low as $1.14 at volume) | Per-call pricing suits short orders; $50 minimum credit purchase |
| MAP Communications | $49/mo + $1.37/min (published) | ~$5.50 | 24/7 included; pay-as-you-go |
| Specialty Answering Service | $44/mo + $1.54/min (published) | ~$6.15 | Per-second billing; 14-day free trial |
| Stealth Agents | From ~$1,600/mo (reported) | Dedicated agent | Full-time dedicated order-entry support |
| Smith.ai (live) | ~$300/mo for 30 calls | ~$10 | Premium receptionist pricing; costly for order volume |
| Order processing call centers | Custom quote | Typically $1–$5 | Prepaid minute blocks, per-call or dedicated teams |
The takeaway: per-call pricing is usually the cheapest way to pay for short orders, while per-minute plans cost more on long consultative calls. For steady high volume, a dedicated agent can bring the cost per order well below $2. Get local quotes or compare answering service prices.
Seasonal Peaks and Ad-Driven Call Spikes
Order lines rarely ring evenly. Holiday shopping, product launches and TV or radio ads can multiply call volume for a few hours or weeks. Plan for it:
- Ask how many simultaneous calls the provider can answer during a spike, and how quickly they add agents.
- Use overflow plans that only charge when your own staff can’t pick up.
- Check whether overage rates rise during peak periods or holidays.
- Share ad schedules in advance so the provider can staff up before calls arrive.
- Review abandoned-call and hold-time reports after every campaign.
Order Taking Service vs. In-House Order Entry Staff
| Order taking answering service | Offshore order-entry assistant | In-house order entry staff | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $150–$2,500 (by volume) | $1,000–$2,500 per agent | $3,500–$5,000+ per employee |
| Coverage | Business hours to 24/7 | Set shifts | ~40 hours/week |
| Handles spikes | Yes, shared agent pool | Limited to assigned hours | Limited by headcount |
| Product knowledge | Good with scripts | Strong over time | Strongest |
| Best for | Most small and growing businesses | Steady volume, large catalogs | High-touch, complex sales |
Hidden Fees in Order Taking Answering Service Pricing
- Payment and transaction fees — some providers add a per-transaction charge on top of your card processor’s fees.
- Catalog setup and update fees — loading products and changing prices may cost $50–$500.
- Peak and holiday overages — overage rates can rise during busy seasons.
- Integration fees — store or inventory connections may carry setup or monthly charges.
- Minute rounding — rounding each call up to a full minute inflates short reorder calls.
- Monthly minimums — you may pay a floor amount even in slow months.
- Toll-free and number fees — dedicated order lines often cost extra.
Is an Order Taking Answering Service Worth the Cost?
Compare the cost per order with what a lost phone order is worth to you:
Missed order calls per month × share that would have bought × average order valueExample: 60 missed calls × 40% × $90 average order = $2,160 in lost sales each monthCompared with about $100–$300 to answer those 60 calls at $2–$5 per order.
How to Choose an Order Taking Answering Service
- 1Count your order callsTrack phone orders, order-status calls, returns and missed calls, including peaks.
- 2Define the order processProducts, pricing, shipping options, upsells, and what agents should ask on every order.
- 3Confirm payments and integrationRequire PCI-compliant payment handling and check that orders can go straight into your store.
- 4Compare 3+ quotesConvert each to a cost per order, then compare setup, catalog-update and overage fees.
- 5Test the experiencePlace test orders, including a complicated one, and check accuracy in your system.
Questions to ask every provider:
- Do you charge per order, per call or per minute?
- Are you PCI DSS compliant, and how do agents take card payments?
- Can you enter orders directly into Shopify, WooCommerce or our order system?
- How many calls can you answer at once during a sale or ad campaign?
- Do you charge to load or update our catalog and prices?
- Can agents upsell, and how do you report on it?
- Is there a setup fee, monthly minimum or contract?
Related guides: 24 hour answering service pricing, virtual receptionist pricing and small business answering service cost.
Get Free Order Taking Service Quotes
Tell us about your products and order volume once. Order taking and order processing services that fit your business send pricing so you can compare per-order rates, plans and fees side by side — free and with no obligation.
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Order Taking Answering Service Cost FAQs
How much does an order taking answering service cost?
Order taking answering services typically cost $1 to $5 per order, and most small businesses pay $150 to $700 per month. Simple orders run about $1 to $2.50, standard catalog orders $2 to $4, and complex orders with product questions or upsells $3 to $8.
How much does order processing cost per call?
Order processing calls usually cost $1 to $5 each with a live answering service. Per-call providers publish rates around $1.14 to $1.47 per call for short calls, while per-minute plans at $1 to $2 per minute work out to about $4 to $8 for a 4-minute order.
Is per-call or per-minute pricing better for order taking?
Per-call pricing is usually cheaper for short, simple orders. Per-minute pricing can cost more for long, consultative orders, but may be cheaper if many calls are quick order-status questions. Compare both using your average call length.
Can an answering service take credit card payments?
Yes. Many order taking services take card payments over the phone. Choose a PCI DSS compliant provider that uses secure payment entry, so card numbers are never stored in notes or sent by email.
Can an order taking service enter orders into Shopify?
Many can. Order taking services often enter orders directly into Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce or your order system, sometimes for a setup fee or about $0 to $100 per month.
How much does a dedicated order-entry agent cost?
Offshore dedicated order-entry assistants typically cost about $1,000 to $2,500 per month, with some services starting around $1,600. U.S.-based dedicated agents cost more, often $3,500 to $7,000 per month.
How do order taking services handle holiday or ad-driven call spikes?
Shared-agent answering services can add agents quickly when calls spike after a sale, holiday or TV ad. Ask how many simultaneous calls they can handle, whether overage rates rise at peak times, and give them your ad schedule in advance.
Is an order taking service cheaper than hiring order entry staff?
For most small and growing businesses, yes. An in-house order entry employee costs about $3,500 to $5,000 or more per month and covers about 40 hours a week, while most order taking plans cost $150 to $700 per month.
What hidden fees do order taking services charge?
Watch for per-transaction payment fees, catalog setup and update charges, integration fees, peak-season overage rates, minute rounding, monthly minimums and toll-free number fees.
Can order taking agents upsell?
Yes. Many services use upsell and cross-sell scripts to suggest add-ons, upgrades or subscriptions. Even a small upsell rate can raise the average order value enough to cover the cost of answering the call.
How do I get order taking answering service quotes?
Submit a free request on AnsweringServiceCost.com with your type of business, monthly order volume, average order complexity and payment needs. Order taking services that fit your needs respond with pricing so you can compare side by side with no obligation.
How we research pricing: AnsweringServiceCost.com is an independent buying guide that has tracked answering service and call center pricing since 2017. Order taking pricing on this page combines published provider rate cards, quotes submitted through our request form, and pricing reported by U.S. answering services and order processing call centers in 2026. Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Actual prices vary by provider, order complexity and the services you choose. About us
