Cost per connect is what a calling block cost, the list and the caller hours together, divided by the dials that reached a live person. Carry it one step further, to the owner on the line, and one more, to the appointment, and you have the number a calling floor actually pays for. This calculator puts two lists next to each other on that number.
The pre-filled numbers are an illustration, not a benchmark, a promise or a quote. Put in your own: the invoice for each list and the rates from your dialer’s dispositions.
| Your list today | A list you are testing | |
|---|---|---|
| Total spend, list and callers | $6,500 | $7,500 |
| Share spent on caller hours | 92% | 80% |
| Connects | 1,200 | 2,250 |
| Appointments | 60 | 180 |
| Cost per connect | $5.42 | $3.33 |
| Cost per owner conversation | $11 | $4.17 |
| Cost per appointment | $108 | $42 |
How the calculator works
- Dials = homes × dials per home. Caller hours = dials ÷ dials per caller hour.
- Total spend = what the list cost + caller hours × caller cost per hour. Every dial costs caller time, connected or not.
- Connects = dials × connect rate. Owner conversations = connects × the share of connects that are the owner. Appointments = owner conversations × your set rate.
- Cost per connect, per owner conversation and per appointment = total spend divided by each of those counts.
Why the list is the small line
In the example as it loads, caller hours are 92% of the spend on the first list and 80% on the second. The first list costs less to buy, yet each appointment from it costs $108 against $42, because the same caller hours reach fewer people and fewer of them are the owner. Change the numbers and watch which line moves the result: on most floors it is the connect rate and the owner share, not the invoice.
Where to get the three rates
- Connect rate: live answers ÷ dials, from your dialer’s disposition report for the list. What counts as “good” is in what is a good contact rate.
- Owner on the line: right-party dispositions ÷ live answers. If your callers do not log “not the owner” separately from “not interested”, add that disposition before the test; without it the two lists look alike.
- Appointments: sets ÷ owner conversations. To carry it on to held appointments, see how many dials per appointment.
Measure both lists in the same block: the same callers, the same hours, the same script and the same area. The full test, step by step, is in how call centers buy homeowner data, and keeping either list dialable over time is in list hygiene for call centers.
For a floor that dials every week, the full-service data page shows how a new batch is cut from what your dialer says worked. Buying skip tracing on top of a list you already own is covered on skip tracing for teams that dial.
Frequently asked questions
What is cost per connect?
Everything a calling block cost, the list and the caller hours, divided by the dials that reached a live person. It counts the hours spent on dials that rang out, hit voicemail or reached a dead number, because you paid for those too.
What is a good cost per connect?
There is no honest industry number to quote: it moves with your caller pay, your dialer mode, your market and the hour you dial. The useful comparison is your own cost per connect on two lists, dialed by the same callers in the same hours. The source with the lower cost per appointment wins, whatever its invoice says.
What is the difference between a connect and a contact?
A connect is any live person on the line. A contact, or right-party contact, is the person you meant to reach: here, the owner of the home. A list full of tenants and relatives can connect well and still set few appointments, which is why the calculator asks for both rates.
Should caller wages go into the cost?
Yes. On most calling floors caller hours are the larger part of the spend, and a list with dead or wrong numbers spends them without producing a conversation. Leaving wages out makes the cheapest list look like the best one.