OVERVIEW
Shared call centers enable companies to pay on actual agent usage, which means lower fixed and predictable costs—best suited for SMEs and businesses with fluctuating or seasonal call volumes.
Dedicated call centers where agents handle just one brand charge higher fixed fees but provide greater product knowledge, improved brand consistency, and premium CX—best suited for enterprises and high-touch industries.
The blog provides a side-by-side cost comparison, addresses important trade-offs, and provides expert advice for choosing the most profitable configuration in 2025.
Introduction
Every CEO, CFO, and CX leader eventually faces the call center equation:
Should we go with a shared call center or invest in a dedicated one?
The choice isn’t merely about saving money—it’s about balancing cost, customer experience, and business scalability.
Here’s the catch: the wrong decision can drain your budget or reduce service quality. The right decision can turn your inbound call center from a cost burden into a driver of growth.
In Deloitte’s 2024 Global Contact Center Survey, 61% of companies understate the overall cost of operating a call center in-house, while 49% indicate that outsourcing has specifically enhanced their profitability.
In today’s market, where Customer Expectations for instant, empathetic, and round-the-clock support are sky-high, choosing between shared vs dedicated models is no longer just an operational call—it’s a strategic business decision.
This blog dives deep into the cost lens, with no fluff, so you can make an informed choice for your inbound & call center services in 2025.
Shared vs Dedicated Call Centers: Quick Refresher
● Shared Call Center: A group of agents is shared by many different businesses, and they only pay for the hours or usage they require.
● Dedicated Call Center: A group of agents exclusively works for one business, and the cost is associated with full staffing, infrastructure, and management.
Cost Drivers in Call Centers
When shared vs dedicated is compared, costs are generally derived from:
1. Staffing & Salaries
○ Recruiting, training, and salaries of agents.
○ Shared = pay-as-you-go.
○ Dedicated = fixed monthly headcount cost.
2. Infrastructure
○ Cloud telephony, CRM integration, compliance systems.
○ Shared = cost spread across multiple clients.
○ Dedicated = 100% on your books.
3. Scalability
○ Shared = scale up/down quickly.
○ Dedicated = flexible but higher sunk costs.
4. Management & Supervision
○ Shared = handled by vendor.
○ Dedicated = need internal oversight (or pay vendor more).
5. CX Customization
○ Shared = standardized.
○ Dedicated = tailored to your brand.
Cost Comparison Table
(Sources: Deloitte Global Contact Center Survey 2024, Everest Group CX Outsourcing Report 2024)
Expert-Level Insights
● Shared call centers are too often shunned as “cheap,” but they’re gold for companies with variable call volumes—consider e-commerce, D2C, startups.
● Dedicated Call Center excel where brand voice, in-depth product acumen, and high-value customers are important—consider BFSI, healthcare, or high-end tech.
● Hidden cost: Most businesses don’t factor in agent idle time. In dedicated environments, you pay for downtime. In shared environments, you don’t.
Thoughts to Ponder
● Are you optimizing for cost per call or customer lifetime value?
● Can your business accept templated responses, or do you require brand-embedded CX?
● Would a hybrid model (shared for L1 support + dedicated for escalations) provide you with the best ROI?
Wrap Up
The cost comparison between the Shared Call Center and the Dedicated Call Center isn’t regarding which one is more affordable—it’s regarding which one offers the proper balance of cost, quality, and scalability for your business model.
● Shared = efficiency + affordability (best for SMEs and seasonal businesses).
● Dedicated = exclusivity + brand alignment (best for enterprises and high-touch industries).
Stat to Note: Companies that optimize their inbound & call center operations both for cost and CX enjoy 30–40% higher customer retention (PwC Future of CX, 2023).
Key Takeaways
● Shared call centers reduce initial investment and provide scalable, on-demand CX.
● Dedicated call centers are more expensive but provide exclusive brand-centric CX.
● Decision based on business size, industry, and customer expectations.
● Hybrid models are becoming the wisest cost + CX approach in 2025.
Conclusion
The shared vs. dedicated call center cost equation isn’t a blanket solution. It’s a matter of aligning business objectives with customer experience priorities.
If you’re a speed-scaling company, shared services will be cheaper and less hassle. If you’re in a high-end market, dedication is worth the splurge. And if you’re clever, you’ll be looking for a hybrid solution—taking the best of both worlds.
At DialDesk, we assist companies in cracking the shared vs dedicated puzzle with customized inbound & call center solutions. Be it scalable shared offerings, completely dedicated resources, or a mix of both, our Customer Service Excellence as a service guarantees the optimal ROI without sacrificing customer experience.
Ready to capture the highest ROI for your inbound call center in 2025?
Call DialDesk today for a complimentary shared vs dedicated cost analysis and learn how which model fuels growth for your company.