Same vendor, same floor, very different economics. The model you pick decides how much product knowledge you get and how much you pay for idle time.
Below roughly 400–600 contacts a month, a shared pool is the rational choice. Above it, dedicated agents win on knowledge, quality and cost per resolved contact.
| Dedicated seats | Shared pool | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per seat, per month or hour | Per minute, contact or ticket |
| Indicative price | $7–$15 / hour | $1.50–$4 / contact |
| Product knowledge | Deep — your account only | Shallow — script-led, several accounts |
| Idle time | You pay for it | Vendor absorbs it |
| Best volume range | 600+ contacts / month | Under ~500 contacts / month |
| QA visibility | Named agents, full recordings | Sampled, pooled reporting |
| Escalation handling | Strong | Weak — usually routed back to you |
| Peak handling | Needs forecasting | Absorbed by the pool |
A dedicated agent handles roughly 800–1,200 contacts a month depending on complexity. If your total volume is 300 contacts, a dedicated seat means paying for two-thirds idle time — a shared pool at a per-contact rate is simply cheaper.
Cross about 600 contacts a month and dedicated flips ahead: better first-contact resolution shrinks repeat contacts, and per-resolved-contact cost drops below pooled pricing.
A pooled agent may cover four to eight clients in a shift. They will follow your script competently and will not develop judgement about your product. Anything off-script gets escalated back to your team.
That is fine for order status and password resets. It is not fine for anything where a wrong answer costs you a customer.
Two dedicated agents covering your core hours, with a shared pool absorbing overflow and nights. You keep product depth where volume is predictable and pay per contact only for the unpredictable tail.
Ask vendors to price all three models on the same forecast. The comparison is often not close, and it rarely favours the model they lead with.
For shared: how many accounts per agent, how are contacts billed and rounded, what counts as a contact, and what happens on escalation. For dedicated: what is the minimum seat count, is QA and a team lead included, and how is attrition backfilled.
Dedicated agents work only on your account and are billed per seat. Shared agents handle several clients from a pool and are billed per contact, minute or ticket.
Shared is cheaper below roughly 500 contacts a month. Above about 600, dedicated usually costs less per resolved contact because resolution rates are higher.
Yes, and it is often the best answer: dedicated agents for core hours, a shared pool for overflow and nights.
Roughly 800–1,200 a month for straightforward voice or chat work, less for technical or long-handle-time contacts.
Tell us your volume, hours and quality bar. We come back within 48 hours with vendors that fit — free, and you contract directly with whoever you pick.