COMPARISON · AI EMPLOYEE VS HIRING
AI employee vs hiring: what your front office really costs
Part-time admin costs around $30 an hour, a marketing agency $2,000 a month and up, and an answering service only takes messages. Doing it yourself usually means it doesn't get done. Spark, an AI employee that runs your whole front office, is $99 a month. Here's the honest comparison, including where people still win.
How does an AI employee compare with the alternatives?
Every small business owner has the same five options for the front office work: follow-up, bookings, marketing, invoices and the phone. Here they are side by side.
| Option | Typical cost | What it covers | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time admin | Around $30 an hour, plus 12% super | Whatever they can fit into their rostered hours | Only works when they're working |
| Marketing agency | $2,000 a month and up | Campaigns and content | Doesn't answer your phone or chase your quotes |
| Answering service | From about $25 a month for entry plans | Takes messages | Only takes messages |
| Doing it yourself | Your evenings and weekends | Whatever you get to | It isn't getting done |
| Spark AI employee | $99 a month, plus call and SMS credits | Follow-up, bookings, marketing, invoices and the phone | Can't do the in-person work |
What does part-time admin really cost?
Around $30 an hour is a realistic figure for part-time admin help. For context, PayScale reports a median of $25.11 an hour for Australian receptionists, and Seek puts average receptionist salaries at $65,000 a year in Brisbane. Employers also pay the 12% super guarantee on top.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 20 hours a week at $30 an hour | $600 a week |
| Monthly wages (52 weeks ÷ 12) | About $2,600 |
| Plus 12% super | About $312 |
| Total per month, before leave, payroll costs or a desk | About $2,900 |
That buys 20 hours of help a week. Spark is $99 a month and works day and night, including the evenings and weekends when many customers finally reply.
Where is a person still the better choice?
An AI employee isn't the answer to everything, and we'd rather tell you now than after you've signed up. A person is still better when:
- Someone needs to be physically there, greeting visitors, taking payments over the counter or signing for deliveries.
- The work is mostly judgement calls on unusual situations.
- Your business runs on long relationships with a small number of clients who expect the same person every time.
- You need brand strategy and creative work, which is where a good agency earns its fee.
For most small businesses, the answer is a mix: people do the work that needs a person, and Spark does the follow-up, bookings, campaigns and chasing that nobody has time for.
What does Spark do that the other options don't?
Spark works towards a goal you set in one sentence, like "Get last year's customers booking again". It reads your customer list, calendar and inbox, works out what will move that number, and starts on it. It watches the whole business: interested replies, hot leads, diary gaps, reviews, unconfirmed bookings, customers gone quiet, rain putting outdoor jobs at risk, and your monthly numbers.
It writes personal emails from your own address, books into your real calendar, keeps your customer list up to date, raises invoices and chases unpaid ones, runs campaigns and answers the phone. It learns what works for your business, owns its mistakes, and tells you what's blocking it in your own numbers. See everything Spark does.
How do you decide what's right for your business?
Ask three questions. What front office work isn't getting done right now? How much of it needs a person in the room? And what would it be worth if it did get done?
If the answer is follow-up, bookings and marketing that keep slipping, try Spark for 7 days free. There's no setup fee and no lock-in, and setup takes about 10 minutes. If you mostly need someone at a front desk, hire a person. And if you just need your phone answered, our AI receptionist cost guide compares the options.
Frequently asked questions
Is an AI employee cheaper than hiring part-time admin?
Yes. Part-time admin costs around $30 an hour. At 20 hours a week that's about $2,600 a month before 12% super. Spark is $99 a month per AI employee, plus a small top-up credit balance for calls and SMS.
Can an AI employee replace a marketing agency?
For the everyday work, often yes. Spark writes and sends email and SMS campaigns written per person and creates social posts with images. An agency, from around $2,000 a month and up, brings strategy, creative and brand work that Spark doesn't try to replace.
What's the difference between an AI employee and an answering service?
An answering service takes messages. Spark answers the phone, books the job into your real calendar, and then keeps working on the rest of the front office: follow-up, bookings, campaigns and invoices.
What can't an AI employee do that a person can?
It can't greet people at a front desk, and it won't replace a person's judgement on unusual situations or a relationship built over years. That's why every part of Spark's job has an Off, Ask me or On its own setting, and spending money always waits for a person.
Is doing it yourself really that expensive?
It costs your evenings, and for most owners the honest answer is that the follow-up, the campaigns and the chasing just aren't getting done. That's lost work, not saved money.
Can I use Spark alongside staff?
Yes. Your staff handle the work that needs a person, while Spark does the follow-up, bookings and marketing nobody has time for. Every part of Spark's job can be set to Off, Ask me or On its own, so it fits around your team.
GOLD COAST & BRISBANE · AUSTRALIA-WIDE