A dedicated agent works primarily or exclusively for one company. A shared agent handles interactions for several clients. Utilization usually determines which model is more economical.
Shared service is well suited to low volume, overflow, after-hours and standardized intake. Dedicated teams are stronger for consistent workloads, complex products, customer service, technical support and sales.
A shared agent may have a higher unit rate but the buyer only pays for used capacity. A dedicated employee may have a lower hourly rate but requires a complete shift.
The key metric is cost per productive hour of capacity actually used.
Determine the best staffing model.