Covering your closed hours with an employee would cost over €83,000 a year

The question comes up as soon as you notice enquiries arriving in the evening or at weekends: do you need someone to answer them? A minimum-wage calculation gives an order of magnitude.

Four scenarios at the minimum wage

These amounts are floors. They include neither employer contributions, nor the night or Sunday premiums set by your collective agreement, nor holidays and cover.

The comparison that matters

Comparing an employee with a chat agent like for like makes no sense: an adviser understands a case, reassures, sells. A chat agent answers common questions, points people in the right direction and collects contact details.

The better question is: what do your visitors need out of hours? Often, a quick answer to a simple question and the certainty of being called back. That need does not justify a job, but it deserves an answer.

A two-step approach

• Out of hours, a chat agent answers immediately and records the request.
• During opening hours, your team calls back the previous evening’s and the weekend’s leads first.