Ask three Kenyan vendors what their call center software costs and you will get three numbers that cannot be compared. One is a monthly seat fee. One is a one-off project price. One is “from” a figure that assumes a volume you do not have.
This is not a conspiracy. The industry genuinely sells in different shapes. But it makes buying hard, so here is how to take the quotes apart.
The four things you are actually paying for
Every quote, however it is written, is some combination of these.
Seats. How many people can be on the phone at once. Almost all cloud software charges by this, monthly. It is the only number most vendors lead with.
The number. A Kenyan line for customers to dial. Sometimes included, sometimes a monthly rental, occasionally a purchase.
Call time. Minutes you spend calling out. Incoming calls should cost you nothing — the caller’s network bills the caller. If a quote charges you for inbound minutes, ask why.
Set-up. Configuration, menu recording, number porting, training. This is where quotes diverge most, and where an attractive monthly fee can hide a six-figure start.
What the market charges
Two broad models exist in Kenya, and the gap between them is enormous.
That model made sense when a call centre meant a PBX in a cupboard. You were buying equipment and somebody to install it. Some vendors still sell it this way because the margin is good and the customer only haggles once.
Model two: rent the seats. A monthly fee per agent, nothing to install. Published rates for Kenyan businesses typically sit between KSh 3,500 and KSh 7,500 per agent per month for local platforms. International platforms billed in dollars often land near KSh 10,000 to 18,000 per agent once converted. Our own plans start at KSh 1,780 a month for three agents, which is roughly KSh 593 each, and we publish the whole rate card rather than quoting on request.
Treat all of those as indicative. Exchange rates move, offers expire, and most published figures come from vendors describing their own market.
Turning any quote into one number
Work out the twelve-month cost for the desk you will actually run.
- Seats you need, times the monthly seat fee, times twelve.
- Plus the monthly number rental, times twelve.
- Plus outbound minutes you expect, times the per-minute rate, times twelve.
- Plus any one-off set-up, licence or hardware cost.
- Plus anything the quote calls “optional” that you will obviously need.
Now divide by twelve. That is the real monthly cost, and it is the only figure worth comparing between vendors.
A KSh 350,000 set-up with no monthly fee is about KSh 29,000 a month in its first year. A KSh 1,780 monthly plan with no set-up is KSh 1,780 a month in its first year and every year after. The second number does not get worse in year two; the first one gets better. Work out which side of that crossover you are on, and how confident you are about being there in three years.
The questions that change the answer
Are incoming calls free? For a support desk this is most of your traffic. Paying per inbound minute can double your bill.
Is the number included? One line is enough for most businesses starting out. Extra numbers should be a stated monthly price, not a negotiation.
What happens when you add a person? Mid-month, mid-contract. A good answer is “it is available immediately and billed monthly”.
What happens when you leave? Your contacts, call history and recordings are yours. If a vendor is vague about exporting them, that is the answer.
Is VAT in the number? Kenyan quotes are often exclusive. Ask, and compare like with like.
What is usually missing from the price list
Three costs are real and rarely quoted.
Recording storage. Recording is cheap; keeping recordings is not. Ask what the retention period is and what it costs beyond it. Our own rate card prices this openly because the alternative is a surprise.
Your own time. Deciding who answers what takes longer than configuring it. Budget a week of somebody’s attention, not a day.
The second number. Sales and support on one line works until it does not.
A sensible way to decide
Do not start from the feature list. Every vendor’s list is the same list, and most of it you will never switch on.
Start from the desk you are running in six months: how many people answering, how many calls, what they are about. Price that desk at every vendor on a twelve-month basis. Then ask each one the five questions above and see who answers plainly.
The one who publishes their prices has already answered the most important one.
Our full rate card is on the pricing page — plans, call charges, storage and numbers, with nothing held back for a sales call.