The last three months, cold callers only
One table per month. Each row is one VA on one number: what their client pays today on the unlimited plan, and what the same month would have cost on Timed X and on Timed MAX. Calls and SMS are shown separately in every case, because SMS is the part that changes shape when we move.
How to read the money
- On unlimited now. Calls are included, so the only call charge is the plan and the number itself. SMS is the exception: 100 outbound texts a month are free, anything above that is 5c a part.
- Timed X is $10.90 a seat. Calls are metered: 6.9c a minute to Australian mobiles, 1.55c to landlines, 25c a call to 13/1300. Cheap to hold, dear to use.
- Timed MAX is $30.90 a seat and includes $20 of calls. Above that, 2.65c a minute to mobiles, 1.45c to landlines, 20c to 13/1300. Dear to hold, cheap to use.
- SMS on both timed plans has no free allowance. Every outbound part is 5c from the first one. Inbound stays free.
- The number keeps its own rental either way: $9.95 a month for an 04xx mobile, $2.00 for a landline. It is inside the "Plan + number" column.
- All prices are the VoIPline Call centre rate card, GST included. VoIPline bills Australian calls by the second, so minutes here are real talk time, not rounded up.
What to put each cold caller on for September
September is not billed yet: the VoIPline export we have runs to midday on 1 September, so there is no September usage to price. This table is the recommendation to act on, built from August 2026, the last complete month. August is the fairest basis because four of these ten only started dialling part way through the window, so their earlier months understate them.
| VA | Put them on in September |
Expected September bill |
What they pay on unlimited | Change | Plan + number | Calls | SMS | On Timed X | On Timed MAX | Aug calls out | Months of real calling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dianne 61485901400 | Timed MAX | $88.31 | $67.05 | +$21.26 | $40.85 | $16.26 | $31.20 | $143.63 | $88.31 | 1,776 | 2 of 3 |
| Nekie 61468231519 | Timed MAX | $71.40 | $66.40 | +$5.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $30.55 | $82.18 | $71.40 | 783 | 3 of 3 |
| Richie 61480045681 | Timed MAX | $54.59 | $40.85 | +$13.74 | $40.85 | $13.74 | $0.00 | $108.41 | $54.59 | 3,088 | 3 of 3 |
| Jiselle 61468189917 | Timed MAX | $46.59 | $40.85 | +$5.74 | $40.85 | $5.59 | $0.15 | $86.15 | $46.59 | 1,946 | 2 of 3 |
| Michelle Bermejo 61480809114 | Timed MAX | $42.25 | $40.85 | +$1.40 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $1.40 | $60.73 | $42.25 | 1,599 | 3 of 3 |
| Saied 61489948996 | Timed MAX | $40.90 | $40.85 | +$0.05 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $47.95 | $40.90 | 624 | 3 of 3 |
| Racquel 61480830087 | Timed X | $35.59 | $40.85 | -$5.26 | $20.85 | $14.59 | $0.15 | $35.59 | $41.00 | 1,054 | 1 of 3 |
| Ham 61721425739 | Timed MAX | $32.90 | $22.90 | +$10.00 | $32.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $38.96 | $32.90 | 450 | 3 of 3 |
| Bevan 61480813372 | Timed X | $25.53 | $40.85 | -$15.32 | $20.85 | $4.68 | $0.00 | $25.53 | $40.85 | 311 | 3 of 3 |
| Kervin 61420138598 | Timed X | $25.36 | $40.85 | -$15.49 | $20.85 | $4.46 | $0.05 | $25.36 | $40.98 | 199 | 1 of 3 |
Why each plan wins where it does
- Timed MAX at $30.90 a seat includes $20 of Australian calls. Anyone talking enough to use that $20 gets the calls for nothing on top of a seat fee they were already paying. Every one of the seven above lands here.
- Timed X at $10.90 a seat includes nothing, but it is $20 a month cheaper to hold. It wins for anyone whose metered calls come to less than that $20 gap. The three above are all in that group.
- The seat fee is the whole decision. The two plans differ by exactly $20 a month, and Timed MAX hands $20 of calls back. So the question for each person is only: do they spend more than $20 a month on calls?
The three month tables below are the workings behind this: they show how each person's cost moved across June, July and August on all three plans.
Can we just average the past and predict September?
Short answer: no. We tested it rather than argued about it, and averaging every past month is the worst of the four methods at the only thing that matters here, which is picking the right plan: it gets that right just 3 times out of 8. The good news is that it does not change anything, because the plan each person should be on comes out the same either way.
The test
We pretended it was 1 August and we did not know what August held. We predicted August four different ways using only March to July, then compared each prediction to what August actually cost. That is the only honest way to judge a forecasting method: make it forecast something we already know the answer to.
| Method | Average error per VA per month | Typical error (median) |
Worst miss | Picked the right plan | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months they were actually calling | $5.09 | $4.66 | $13.45 | 6 of 8 | Best overall |
| The most recent month | $5.40 | $3.44 | $18.00 | 6 of 8 | Best typical error |
| Every month averaged | $15.22 | $13.02 | $44.07 | 3 of 8 | Worst for the decision |
| Carry the trend forward | $16.78 | $12.90 | $58.13 | 6 of 8 | Worst on cost |
Why the average fails here
An average assumes the past looks like the future. Ours does not: this operation has been scaling hard all year, and half these people had not started yet.
| Month | Outbound calls, ten cold callers | Change on the month |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | 150 | |
| April 2026 | 151 | +1% |
| May 2026 | 2,744 | +1,717% |
| June 2026 | 3,339 | +22% |
| July 2026 | 10,270 | +208% |
| August 2026 | 11,830 | +15% |
March and April together were fewer calls than a single day in August. Any average that includes them drags the forecast down to a number the business left behind months ago.
| VA | March | April | May | June | July | August | Months actually calling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richie | — | 1 | 1,897 | 1,860 | 3,180 | 3,088 | 5 of 6 |
| Dianne | — | — | — | — | 1,943 | 1,776 | 2 of 6 |
| Michelle | — | — | — | 58 | 1,454 | 1,599 | 3 of 6 |
| Jiselle | — | — | — | — | 1,103 | 1,946 | 2 of 6 |
| Nekie | — | 99 | 486 | 460 | 1,064 | 783 | 5 of 6 |
| Ham | 18 | 35 | 289 | 577 | 347 | 450 | 6 of 6 |
| Bevan | 132 | 16 | 72 | 126 | 881 | 311 | 6 of 6 |
| Saied | — | — | — | 258 | 298 | 624 | 3 of 6 |
| Racquel | — | — | — | — | — | 1,054 | 1 of 6 |
| Kervin | — | — | — | — | — | 199 | 1 of 6 |
Four of the ten had not made a single call before July. Averaging their empty months in halves their forecast for no reason other than that they were hired later.
So what would September plausibly cost?
Rather than one number pretending to be certain, here is a range for each person: a quiet month, a month like August, and a busy month that carries their recent growth forward. Then the honest question: does the plan we pick change anywhere inside that range?
| VA | Put them on | Plausible September bill | Worst it can cost to guess wrong | Does the plan change in the range? | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet month | Like August | Busy month | If we pick Timed MAX | If we pick Timed X | |||
| Dianne | Timed MAX | $68.80 | $88.31 | $98.43 | $0.00 | $63.62 | No, same plan throughout |
| Nekie | Timed MAX | $48.78 | $71.40 | $75.98 | $1.92 | $15.40 | Only if the month is quiet |
| Richie | Timed MAX | $40.85 | $54.59 | $59.65 | $0.00 | $61.89 | No, same plan throughout |
| Jiselle | Timed MAX | $40.93 | $46.59 | $66.26 | $0.00 | $69.80 | No, same plan throughout |
| Michelle | Timed MAX | $22.18 | $42.25 | $42.46 | $18.67 | $24.25 | Only if the month is quiet |
| Saied | Timed MAX | $33.22 | $40.90 | $41.74 | $7.63 | $33.32 | Only if the month is quiet |
| Racquel | Timed X | $35.59 | $35.59 | $39.28 | $5.41 | $0.00 | No, same plan throughout |
| Ham | Timed MAX | $29.14 | $32.90 | $32.90 | $3.76 | $13.80 | Only if the month is quiet |
| Bevan | Timed X | $22.77 | $25.53 | $26.23 | $18.08 | $0.00 | No, same plan throughout |
| Kervin | Timed X | $25.36 | $25.36 | $26.49 | $15.63 | $0.00 | No, same plan throughout |
The one piece of September we do have
The export ends at 12:16 on Tuesday 1 September, which gives us a single morning: 198 outbound calls between 8am and 12:17. Across the 21 August weekdays the same window ran 82 to 225 calls, median 150. So September opened around the 81st percentile of a normal August day: busy, but comfortably inside the usual spread.
What to do instead of forecasting
- Use the most recent complete month, per person. It beat every other method in the test above, and it is the easiest to re-run each month.
- Never average anyone's pre-start months in. It is the single biggest source of error in the flat average.
- When a person sits near the line, take Timed MAX. Being wrong that way costs a few dollars; being wrong the other way costs tens.
- Re-check after the first invoice, then monthly for two months. Moving between Timed X and Timed MAX is a setting change, not a migration, so a wrong call is cheap to undo.
June 2026
Dianne, Jiselle, Racquel, Kervin made no outbound calls in this month, so their row is just the line rental. Do not read it as a cheap month.
| VA | Cheaper this month |
What the client pays that month | Where the money goes | Usage that month | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On unlimited now | On Timed X | vs now | On Timed MAX | vs now | Now: plan + number | Now: SMS | X: plan + number | X: calls | X: SMS | MAX: plan + number | MAX: calls | MAX: SMS | Calls out | Mobile min | Landline min | SMS parts | ||
| Richie 61480045681 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $57.05 | +$16.20 | $41.35 | +$0.50 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $35.70 | $0.50 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.50 | 1,860 | 510 | 33 | 10 |
| Dianne 61485901400 |
not calling yet | $40.85 | $20.85 | -$20.00 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michelle Bermejo 61480809114 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $22.18 | -$18.67 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $1.33 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 58 | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Jiselle 61468189917 |
not calling yet | $40.85 | $20.85 | -$20.00 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nekie 61468231519 |
Timed X | $45.70 | $48.94 | +$3.24 | $50.70 | +$5.00 | $40.85 | $4.85 | $20.85 | $18.24 | $9.85 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $9.85 | 460 | 262 | 12 | 197 |
| Ham 61721425739 |
Timed MAX | $22.90 | $36.02 | +$13.12 | $33.24 | +$10.34 | $22.90 | $0.00 | $12.90 | $23.12 | $0.00 | $32.90 | $0.34 | $0.00 | 577 | 326 | 1 | 0 |
| Bevan 61480813372 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $22.77 | -$18.08 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $1.92 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 126 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Saied 61489948996 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $33.24 | -$7.61 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $12.39 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 258 | 179 | 2 | 0 |
| Racquel 61480830087 |
not calling yet | $40.85 | $20.85 | -$20.00 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kervin 61420138598 |
not calling yet | $40.85 | $20.85 | -$20.00 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
July 2026
Racquel, Kervin made no outbound calls in this month, so their row is just the line rental. Do not read it as a cheap month.
| VA | Cheaper this month |
What the client pays that month | Where the money goes | Usage that month | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On unlimited now | On Timed X | vs now | On Timed MAX | vs now | Now: plan + number | Now: SMS | X: plan + number | X: calls | X: SMS | MAX: plan + number | MAX: calls | MAX: SMS | Calls out | Mobile min | Landline min | SMS parts | ||
| Richie 61480045681 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $114.68 | +$73.83 | $57.50 | +$16.65 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $93.23 | $0.60 | $40.85 | $16.05 | $0.60 | 3,180 | 1,345 | 28 | 12 |
| Dianne 61485901400 |
Timed MAX | $52.35 | $142.78 | +$90.43 | $90.39 | +$38.04 | $40.85 | $11.50 | $20.85 | $105.43 | $16.50 | $40.85 | $33.04 | $16.50 | 1,943 | 1,113 | 257 | 330 |
| Michelle Bermejo 61480809114 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $67.49 | +$26.64 | $43.03 | +$2.18 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $44.54 | $2.10 | $40.85 | $0.08 | $2.10 | 1,454 | 639 | 22 | 42 |
| Jiselle 61468189917 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $71.09 | +$30.24 | $40.93 | +$0.08 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $50.24 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.08 | $0.00 | 1,103 | 716 | 50 | 0 |
| Nekie 61468231519 |
Timed MAX | $84.40 | $106.13 | +$21.73 | $89.40 | +$5.00 | $40.85 | $43.55 | $20.85 | $36.73 | $48.55 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $48.55 | 1,064 | 528 | 19 | 971 |
| Ham 61721425739 |
Timed X | $22.90 | $29.27 | +$6.37 | $32.98 | +$10.08 | $22.90 | $0.00 | $12.90 | $16.37 | $0.00 | $32.90 | $0.08 | $0.00 | 347 | 235 | 4 | 0 |
| Bevan 61480813372 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $32.41 | -$8.44 | $41.10 | +$0.25 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $11.56 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.25 | $0.00 | 881 | 157 | 31 | 0 |
| Saied 61489948996 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $37.65 | -$3.20 | $41.15 | +$0.30 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $16.50 | $0.30 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.30 | 298 | 239 | 0 | 6 |
| Racquel 61480830087 |
not calling yet | $40.85 | $20.85 | -$20.00 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kervin 61420138598 |
not calling yet | $40.85 | $20.85 | -$20.00 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
August 2026
| VA | Cheaper this month |
What the client pays that month | Where the money goes | Usage that month | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On unlimited now | On Timed X | vs now | On Timed MAX | vs now | Now: plan + number | Now: SMS | X: plan + number | X: calls | X: SMS | MAX: plan + number | MAX: calls | MAX: SMS | Calls out | Mobile min | Landline min | SMS parts | ||
| Richie 61480045681 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $108.41 | +$67.56 | $54.59 | +$13.74 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $87.56 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $13.74 | $0.00 | 3,088 | 1,266 | 13 | 0 |
| Dianne 61485901400 |
Timed MAX | $67.05 | $143.63 | +$76.58 | $88.31 | +$21.26 | $40.85 | $26.20 | $20.85 | $91.58 | $31.20 | $40.85 | $16.26 | $31.20 | 1,776 | 1,294 | 24 | 624 |
| Michelle Bermejo 61480809114 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $60.73 | +$19.88 | $42.25 | +$1.40 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $38.48 | $1.40 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $1.40 | 1,599 | 554 | 16 | 28 |
| Jiselle 61468189917 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $86.15 | +$45.30 | $46.59 | +$5.74 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $65.15 | $0.15 | $40.85 | $5.59 | $0.15 | 1,946 | 929 | 60 | 3 |
| Nekie 61468231519 |
Timed MAX | $66.40 | $82.18 | +$15.78 | $71.40 | +$5.00 | $40.85 | $25.55 | $20.85 | $30.78 | $30.55 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $30.55 | 783 | 442 | 2 | 611 |
| Ham 61721425739 |
Timed MAX | $22.90 | $38.96 | +$16.06 | $32.90 | +$10.00 | $22.90 | $0.00 | $12.90 | $26.06 | $0.00 | $32.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 450 | 365 | 22 | 0 |
| Bevan 61480813372 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $25.53 | -$15.32 | $40.85 | same | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $4.68 | $0.00 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 311 | 67 | 6 | 0 |
| Saied 61489948996 |
Timed MAX | $40.85 | $47.95 | +$7.10 | $40.90 | +$0.05 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $27.05 | $0.05 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.05 | 624 | 392 | 1 | 1 |
| Racquel 61480830087 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $35.59 | -$5.26 | $41.00 | +$0.15 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $14.59 | $0.15 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $0.15 | 1,054 | 211 | 1 | 3 |
| Kervin 61420138598 |
Timed X | $40.85 | $25.36 | -$15.49 | $40.98 | +$0.13 | $40.85 | $0.00 | $20.85 | $4.46 | $0.05 | $40.85 | $0.08 | $0.05 | 199 | 63 | 0 | 1 |
Putting the three months together
The plain June to August average, which is what the rest of this pack uses, and then August on its own because it is the most recent full month and the truest read for anyone who started part way through.
| VA | Now, 3-month avg | Timed X | Timed MAX | Put them on | New bill | Change | August alone, now | August alone, new plan | August change | Months of real calling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kervin 61420138598 | $40.85 | $22.35 | $40.89 | Timed X | $22.35 | -$18.50 | $40.85 | $25.36 | -$15.49 | 1 of 3 |
| Racquel 61480830087 | $40.85 | $25.76 | $40.90 | Timed X | $25.76 | -$15.09 | $40.85 | $35.59 | -$5.26 | 1 of 3 |
| Bevan 61480813372 | $40.85 | $26.90 | $40.93 | Timed X | $26.90 | -$13.95 | $40.85 | $25.53 | -$15.32 | 3 of 3 |
| Saied 61489948996 | $40.85 | $39.62 | $40.97 | Timed X | $39.62 | -$1.23 | $40.85 | $47.95 | +$7.10 | 3 of 3 |
| Michelle Bermejo 61480809114 | $40.85 | $50.13 | $42.04 | Timed MAX | $42.04 | +$1.19 | $40.85 | $42.25 | +$1.40 | 3 of 3 |
| Jiselle 61468189917 | $40.85 | $59.36 | $42.79 | Timed MAX | $42.79 | +$1.94 | $40.85 | $46.59 | +$5.74 | 2 of 3 |
| Nekie 61468231519 | $65.50 | $79.08 | $70.50 | Timed MAX | $70.50 | +$5.00 | $66.40 | $71.40 | +$5.00 | 3 of 3 |
| Ham 61721425739 | $22.90 | $34.75 | $33.04 | Timed MAX | $33.04 | +$10.14 | $22.90 | $32.90 | +$10.00 | 3 of 3 |
| Richie 61480045681 | $40.85 | $93.38 | $51.15 | Timed MAX | $51.15 | +$10.30 | $40.85 | $54.59 | +$13.74 | 3 of 3 |
| Dianne 61485901400 | $53.42 | $102.42 | $73.18 | Timed MAX | $73.18 | +$19.76 | $67.05 | $88.31 | +$21.26 | 2 of 3 |
The SMS part on its own
Texting is the one place the move clearly costs money rather than saving it. On the unlimited plan each VA gets 100 free outbound parts a month. On Timed X and Timed MAX there is no allowance, so every part is 5c from the first.
| VA | Jun parts | Jul parts | Aug parts | SMS now, avg | SMS on timed, avg | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nekie | 197 | 971 | 611 | $24.65 | $29.65 | +$5.00 |
| Dianne | 0 | 330 | 624 | $12.57 | $15.90 | +$3.33 |
| Michelle Bermejo | 0 | 42 | 28 | $0.00 | $1.17 | +$1.17 |
| Richie | 10 | 12 | 0 | $0.00 | $0.37 | +$0.37 |
| Saied | 0 | 6 | 1 | $0.00 | $0.12 | +$0.12 |
| Racquel | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0.00 | $0.05 | +$0.05 |
| Jiselle | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0.00 | $0.05 | +$0.05 |
| Kervin | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0.00 | $0.02 | +$0.02 |
| Ham | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0.00 | $0.00 | same |
| Bevan | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0.00 | $0.00 | same |
Only two lines carry real SMS volume. For everyone else the extra is cents a month.