How Much Does It Cost to Hire an Appointment Setter in the US?

Hiring a US-based appointment setter typically costs about $25 to $45 an hour, or $50,000 to $70,000 a year fully loaded, according to VA Masters. Offshore setters run about $8.50 to $14.50 an hour, agencies quote about $2,000 to $8,000 a month on retainer, and pay per appointment agencies charge roughly $75 to $500 per appointment. These are vendor figures, so use them as ranges.

What are your options?

Most of these figures come from B2B appointment setting, where setters cold call other businesses. Home improvement and dealer appointment setting is different: it's mostly following up consumers who already asked.

What does an in-house setter need to succeed?

• Steady lead volume so they're busy all day.
• Evening and weekend cover, because homeowners and car shoppers reply after work.
• A manager and a script that's coached weekly.
• A CRM with clean lead data and clear stages.
• A plan for turnover, because setter roles often turn over quickly.

When is outsourcing better?

When your lead flow is uneven, you can't cover evenings, or you don't have someone to manage the role. Ask any provider about lead source, scripts, who reads the conversations, how appointments are counted and what happens with no-shows.

Where does AI fit?

AI is best at the repetitive part: responding fast, following up persistently and offering times. People are best at the call itself and the relationship. For a backlog of old leads nobody has time to work, an AI appointment setter run as a service is often the cheapest option per appointment.

Setterly does this on the leads you already have, by two-way text, and books into your calendar. You pay per booked appointment. There is no setup fee and no retainer. CRM integration is optional for a one-off fee. See appointment setting services and AI appointment setter.

Our published results are UK campaigns, for example a single-branch UK window and door installer: 22 appointments in its first 30 days. Past results, not a forecast.

What's the takeaway?

Price the whole job, not the hourly rate: wages, management, cover, turnover and the appointments you actually get. Then compare it with paying per booked appointment. Our cost per booked job calculator helps you see what each appointment is worth to you.