Choosing the right outsourcing pricing model is less about “cheapest” and more about predictable outcomes: SLA performance, customer satisfaction, and quality. The right structure depends on how stable your volumes are, how seasonal your business is, and how much flexibility you need.
Elevate Holding positions delivery around performance and analytics, which should translate into contracts that tie price to measurable output.
The 3 most common models
1) Per Seat (Dedicated Agent/Seat)
You pay a fixed monthly cost for a dedicated team.
Best for: stable ticket volumes, consistent operating hours, long-term programs.
2) Per Hour (Time & Materials)
You pay for hours consumed.
Best for: seasonal peaks, overflow coverage, pilot programs, variable volumes.
3) Per Contact (Per Ticket/Interaction)
You pay per interaction (ticket, chat, call, email).
Best for: mature measurement, clear contact definitions, strong QA controls.
How to choose quickly
- If your volumes are stable → Per Seat
- If your volumes are volatile → Per Hour
- If your contact tracking is clean and consistent → Per Contact
Contract clauses you should not skip
- Channel SLAs (voice/chat/email/social/in-app)
- QA score targets + critical error definitions
- Reporting cadence (weekly/monthly dashboards)
- Security requirements (PCI DSS / ISO 27001 if relevant) (pcisecuritystandards.org, iso.org)