**A New Era of Phone-Based Customer Service ** Research shows that the telephone remains a key contact channel for customers — over 80% of Poles prefer live conversation, especially when they need to solve a problem. At the same time, the number of calls is growing, and maintaining a 24/7 helpline generates high costs that many small and medium-sized businesses cannot afford. The market now offers **voice bots **— virtual agents equipped with speech recognition and synthesis mechanisms that can hold natural conversations, guide customers through service processes, and integrate with booking systems or online stores.

The goal of this article is to compare the costs and service quality of traditional call centers with AI voice agent solutions. We will look at both large helplines and small businesses (e-shops, clinics, restaurants) that do not have their own call centers.

How Much Does a Traditional Call Center Cost in Poland? Investment and Fixed Costs

Setting up a call center is a significant investment. According to experts from Systell, equipping a 10-person team with a PBX, headsets, computers, and a CRM system costs 19,000–23,000 PLN upfront. On top of that come fixed monthly costs:

Salaries – the main cost factor. In 2025, the median salary for a call center consultant is 6,040 PLN gross, with most earning between 5,050 and 7,390 PLN. Receptionists — a common alternative for single-person helplines — also earn relatively high wages: according to RocketJobs, in 2025 the median pay for reception staff is 6,500 PLN gross, rising to 7,000–9,500 PLN in high-end hotels.

Telecom and software subscriptions – around 37,000 PLN/month for a 10-person team (including contact center software licenses, phone numbers, and internet).

Variable call costs – depending on call volume. Systell reports typical variable costs of 5,000–10,000 PLN/month. Clients also pay for premium-rate numbers: calls to 0-801 lines cost 0.20–0.30 PLN/min, and 0-802/803 numbers 0.30–0.40 PLN/min. The operator JNS charges an activation fee of 49 PLN, a monthly fee of 79 PLN, and per-minute rates of 0.15 PLN (landline) and 0.42 PLN (mobile).

Summing up, running an in-house helpline only becomes cost-effective with a high call volume. For smaller firms, outsourcing is usually a better option.

Outsourced Call Centers

Some businesses outsource phone service to external providers. In Poland, the minimum contract value is typically 10,000–20,000 PLN, with an hourly consultant rate (RBH) of 30–35 PLN net. For longer projects or lower SLAs, rates may drop to 25 PLN/h. In outbound telemarketing, prices start at 30 PLN/h, sometimes with sales bonuses. This ensures professional service, but contracts bind the company to a fixed cost — even when call volume is low, you still pay for consultant “availability.”

Voice Bot Costs – What to Expect

A voice bot is AI software capable of holding natural conversations. The investment includes script preparation, system integration, and a minute package. Polish providers offer several pricing models:

CallPage AI Voice Agent – no setup fee, plans from 399 PLN/month.

Apifonica (SMB) – 3,125 PLN/month for 7,000 minutes; extra minutes cost 0.45 PLN (low volume) to 0.19 PLN (high volume). The Professional plan (15,000 min) costs 4,730 PLN/month, and Enterprise Level 1 (30,000 min) costs 7,140 PLN/month. Premium voice is 0.10–0.20 PLN/min, and the ChatGPT function costs 938–946 PLN/month.

Daktela VoiceBot – from 1,780 PLN/month.

XOVoice – one-time implementation fee 3,000–20,000 PLN (conversation scenario, integrations) plus a monthly minute fee.

InteliWISE – marketing materials report that a consultant-handled call costs around 3.5 PLN, while after deploying a voice bot it drops to 1.5 PLN, thanks to simultaneous handling of multiple conversations.

For smaller businesses, where phone traffic is lower, it’s worth choosing packages billed by the hundreds or thousands of minutes per month. Subscriptions starting at just a few hundred PLN can handle thousands of calls — far cheaper than hiring an additional employee.

**Service Quality – Can Bots Match Humans?

Capabilities of Voice Bots**

Modern voice bots can handle dozens to hundreds of calls simultaneously and operate 24/7, eliminating queues and missed calls. Apifonica’s research shows that bots resolve 80% of repetitive issues automatically on the first contact, with customer satisfaction (CSAT) reaching 75%. InteliWISE claims their bots automate 30–100% of phone inquiries, cutting call costs by 30–50%, with 96–99% speech recognition accuracy. Customers are connected in seconds, not minutes.

Key advantages include:

24/7 availability – no more missed calls; bots operate nights, weekends, and holidays.

Error-free and consistent – bots follow scripts and CRM data precisely.

System integration – check order status, appointment availability, account balance, trigger ERP actions (e.g., add orders), and send SMS/email confirmations.

Multilingual and personalized – modern systems support 150+ languages; voice synthesis (e.g., ElevenLabs) provides a natural tone.

Automatic analytics – logs of call duration and content help identify customer issues and optimize operations.

Challenges

Despite their strengths, bots cannot fully replace humans. Key challenges include:

Scenario design – complex services require more setup time and cost (e.g., 3,000–20,000 PLN at XOVoice).

Lack of empathy – in crisis situations, customers expect human contact, so easy escalation to a consultant is essential.

Integration costs – connecting to booking, ERP, or CRM systems takes time (e.g., Apifonica’s higher-tier plans include 2–3 days of integration work).

**Small Business Perspective – Restaurants, E-commerce, Clinics

Restaurants and Service Venues**

Small restaurants, salons, dental or hair studios often lack round-the-clock reception. Every missed call means lost revenue. According to OrdiQR, a reservation bot can ask for the date, time, and number of guests, then send a confirmation SMS — handling bookings after hours and reducing errors. Bizblog cites owners from MojStolik.pl and Seafood Station, who report that automation increased bookings, shortened service time, and reduced mistakes, while guests responded positively.

Similarly, virtual receptionists can eliminate missed calls, propose appointment times, send confirmations and reminders — reducing no-shows and freeing staff time. In small firms where one person “does it all,” the bot takes over repetitive calls, allowing the owner to focus on customer service.

E-commerce

In e-commerce, speed and availability matter most. Voice bots can answer questions about order status, product availability, returns, and payments. InteliWISE reports that bots can automate 30–100% of inquiries, provide delivery or invoice details, and integrate with store systems.

Medical and Dental Clinics

According to Medidesk, the cost of deploying a voice bot in a clinic depends on script complexity, with billing either per minute of bot activity or per active line, invoiced monthly based on actual usage. Bots can automatically register patients, send reminders, and route them to live staff if needed. Apifonica’s data shows that registration bots can handle 5,000 calls per minute, completing up to 80% of reception tasks.

Is It Worth It? – Summary and Recommendations

For large firms and call centers: Running an in-house helpline costs hundreds of thousands per year but ensures full control. With high call volumes (tens of thousands per month), a hybrid model — bots handle simple tasks, humans complex ones — cuts call cost from 3.5 PLN to 1.5 PLN. Enterprise-grade bots (e.g., Apifonica) pay off in months.

For small businesses: Hiring a receptionist for 6,000–7,000 PLN gross/month is often unrealistic. Outsourcing requires 10,000–20,000 PLN contracts and per-hour fees. Meanwhile, a bot costing 400–2,000 PLN/month can handle 24/7 calls, bookings, and notifications — a fraction of the human cost.

Service quality: Modern bots recognize speech with 96–99% accuracy, converse naturally, and transfer calls when needed. Apifonica reports 75% customer satisfaction. Since bots don’t tire or make data entry errors, they improve booking rates and reduce missed calls.

Drawbacks: For highly complex cases, bots can frustrate customers; good script design takes time and money (e.g., up to 20,000 PLN at XOVoice). In niche sectors with few calls (e.g., law firms), manual service or voicemail may still be better.

Conclusion: The cost analysis clearly shows that voice bots are a profitable solution for most small and medium-sized businesses. With a few thousand minutes per month, they can save tens of thousands of PLN annually compared to hiring staff or outsourcing. They also improve availability and service quality, and their capabilities will only expand with AI progress. In large call centers, the hybrid human–AI model remains the optimal path forward.