How much does a receptionist cost? How to work it out and what the alternatives are
How to calculate the real cost of a receptionist in Spain (salary, social security, holidays, sick leave) and compare it with an outsourced answering service or an AI virtual receptionist.
By the DevRoam team ·
Before hiring someone to answer the phone, it's worth calculating the total cost, not just the salary. In this guide we give you the method; the exact amounts depend on your collective agreement, working hours and region of Spain.
The total cost of a front-desk employee
Add up these items:
- Gross annual salary according to the collective agreement and job category (check the agreement for your industry).
- Employer social security contributions: roughly 30–32% of gross salary in many cases (common contingencies, unemployment, FOGASA, training, workplace accidents).
- Cover for absences: holidays (at least 30 calendar days a year), public holidays and possible sick leave. If you need to cover those hours, there's an extra cost.
- Indirect costs: recruitment, training, workstation, payroll and accounting services.
Rule-of-thumb formula: annual cost ≈ gross salary × 1.31 + cost of covering absences + indirect costs.
And even then: opening hours
A full-time job is about 40 hours a week. Your phone is available for 168. If your customers call at lunchtime, in the evening or at weekends, you'll need shifts or have to accept missed calls.
Alternatives
| Alternative | How you pay | Hours | What it handles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee on payroll | Salary + social security | Their working hours | Everything, including in-person service |
| Outsourced answering service | Monthly fee or per call | Depends on plan | Takes messages, some bookings |
| AI virtual receptionist | Monthly fee with minutes included | 24/7 | Bookings, information, messages, transfers |
Example calculation with AI
If your business gets 8 calls a day averaging 2 minutes, 22 days a month, that's about 350 minutes a month. With DevRoam that would fit the Essential plan (300 minutes, €59 + VAT a month) plus 50 extra minutes at €0.18: €68 + VAT in total. At 800 minutes, the Professional plan (1,000 minutes, €119 + VAT). See pricing.
Conclusion
A person brings things an AI can't: in-person service, judgement in complex situations, relationships with regular customers. AI covers what a person can't: every hour of the day and several calls at once. Many businesses combine both. Read the full comparison.