Operations
Call Center Setup Cost in India: Complete 2026 Breakdown
How much does it cost to set up a call center in India 2026 — software, numbers, agents, infra, and the realistic monthly burn for 5/20/50/100-seat operations.
Setting up a call center in India in 2026 costs a fraction of what it did five years ago. Cloud CCaaS replaced the PBX-and-PRI era; agent-from-home replaced expensive seat leases. Here's the complete cost breakdown for 5-seat, 20-seat, 50-seat and 100-seat operations.
The cost categories
- Software — CCaaS license, AI Receptionist, WhatsApp
- Numbers + telephony — DIDs, per-minute usage, DLT registration
- Agents — salary, training, attrition replacement
- Hardware — laptops, headsets
- Real estate — office space, electricity, internet (or work-from-home stipends)
- Compliance — DLT setup, recording storage, audit prep
5-seat call center — the realistic baseline
| Line item | Monthly (INR) |
|---|---|
| CCaaS license · 5 seats × ₹2,000 | ₹10,000 |
| DID + telephony usage · ~20,000 minutes | ₹6,000 |
| Agents · 5 × ₹22,000 average | ₹1,10,000 |
| Hardware amortised (laptop + headset) | ₹3,000 |
| WFH stipend OR shared workspace | ₹10,000 |
| Compliance + storage | ₹2,000 |
| Total | ~₹1,41,000 |
One-time setup: ~₹15,000 (DLT + onboarding). Total to launch: ₹1.5-1.6 lakh in month 1, ~₹1.4 lakh / month onwards.
20-seat call center
| Line item | Monthly (INR) |
|---|---|
| CCaaS license · 20 × ₹1,800 (volume) | ₹36,000 |
| Telephony usage · ~80,000 minutes | ₹24,000 |
| Agents · 20 × ₹24,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| Supervisor · 1 × ₹50,000 | ₹50,000 |
| Hardware amortised | ₹12,000 |
| Office space · 600 sqft Mumbai/Delhi | ₹70,000 |
| Compliance + storage | ₹6,000 |
| Total | ~₹6,78,000 |
50-seat operation
| Line item | Monthly (INR) |
|---|---|
| CCaaS license · 50 × ₹1,600 | ₹80,000 |
| Telephony usage · ~2 lakh minutes | ₹50,000 |
| Agents · 50 × ₹25,000 | ₹12,50,000 |
| Supervisors · 3 × ₹50,000 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Operations manager · 1 × ₹85,000 | ₹85,000 |
| Hardware + facility | ₹3,00,000 |
| Compliance + storage | ₹15,000 |
| Total | ~₹19,30,000 |
100-seat operation
| Line item | Monthly (INR) |
|---|---|
| CCaaS license · 100 × ₹1,400 | ₹1,40,000 |
| Telephony usage · ~4 lakh minutes | ₹90,000 |
| Agents · 100 × ₹26,000 | ₹26,00,000 |
| Team leads · 7 × ₹50,000 | ₹3,50,000 |
| Ops + QA + WFM | ₹3,50,000 |
| Facility + power | ₹6,00,000 |
| Compliance + storage | ₹30,000 |
| Total | ~₹41,60,000 |
Where most teams overspend
- Real estate — leasing premium space when WFH covers 60-80% of seats fine
- Per-minute telephony — picking platforms that bill per-minute on outbound (use bundled minutes)
- Enterprise CCaaS for SMB needs — paying ₹4,000+/seat for features you won't use
- Attrition — Indian call-center attrition runs 30-60% annually, hidden re-training cost
How Kedeyo simplifies the cost math
Kedeyo's per-seat pricing bundles AI Receptionist, IVR, recording, WhatsApp and reporting in INR with monthly billing. No telephony per-minute gotchas, no annual commits. Compare to enterprise CCaaS in cloud call center pricing.
Bottom line
5-seat call centers in India are achievable for ~₹1.4 lakh/month all-in; 100-seat operations are ~₹40 lakh/month. Software is the smallest line item; agent salary always dominates. Reference: Gartner CCaaS for industry pricing context.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest way to start a call center in India?+
Do I need to buy hardware?+
How long until break-even?+
What about real estate / office space?+
Are there hidden costs?+
Kedeyo Editorial
Reviewed by the Kedeyo product team
Last updated
4 May 2026
