A common job: you emailed 20 distributors, and now someone has to phone each one to confirm stock, minimum order and the right contact. Each call takes about 4 minutes with time on hold. Here is what that costs, and what you get, each way.
Selectic
$12.00 for 20 callsPrice$0.15 per minute, prepaid. No subscription, no minimum.
SetupNone. Ask ChatGPT or Claude: “call this distributor and ask about stock”.
Who talksAn AI voice agent. It waits on hold and gets through phone menus for you.
Rules on the callHard rules (e.g. never agree to a price, never share bank details) are checked during the call; a broken rule ends it.
Number the business seesSelectic's number, your own verified number, or a number of your own for $2 a month. Businesses that call back are handled for you.
What you get afterFull transcript of every call, plus a do-not-call list kept for you.
Making the calls yourself
About 3 hours of your dayPriceNo fee, but your time: dialing, phone menus, hold music, notes.
SetupNone.
Who talksYou.
Rules on the callYours to keep.
Number the business seesYour number.
What you get afterWhatever notes you take.
Virtual assistant
$25–50 offshore, $80–150 US-based, plus hiringPriceAbout $7–15 an hour offshore, $25–45 an hour in the US, paid for hold time too.
SetupFind, hire, brief and check a person; time zones to work around.
Who talksA person reading your script.
Rules on the callTraining and trust; nothing stops a mistake mid-call.
Number the business seesUsually theirs or a shared line.
What you get afterTheir notes, unless you add call recording.
Outsourced call center
Small programs typically $1,500–5,000 a monthPriceAbout $25–40 per agent hour in the US, $5–16 offshore, usually with monthly minimums.
SetupContract, scripts and onboarding; not built for 20 one-off calls.
Who talksCall-center agents.
Rules on the callScripts and supervisors.
Number the business seesThe center's lines.
What you get afterReports, per contract.
Developer voice-AI platforms (e.g. Bland AI)
About $11.20 in minutes, plus building itPriceFrom about $0.14 a minute; bigger plans add a platform fee (e.g. $299 a month).
SetupYou build the agent: prompts, phone numbers, call logic, results handling. Made for developers.
Who talksAn AI voice agent you configured.
Rules on the callWhatever you build.
Number the business seesNumbers you buy and set up.
What you get afterDepends on your build.
Sales-calling software (e.g. Aircall)
From $90 a month (3 seats × $30), plus your team's timePriceFrom $30 per user a month, 3 users minimum.
SetupAccounts, numbers and seats for your team.
Who talksYour team. The software speeds up dialing; a person still makes each call.
Rules on the callYour team's discipline.
Number the business seesNumbers rented through the service.
What you get afterCall recording and logs.
Other options' prices are taken from the providers' public pricing pages and published 2026 rate surveys, checked November 2026. They change; check the provider for a current quote. Product names belong to their owners. Selectic's price is billed per started minute with a one-minute minimum.