This is a cost comparison, not a pitch to replace anyone. It is more useful when it shows its assumptions and counts the part most comparisons leave out: your own time.
What a follow-up hire costs, with the assumptions shown
Two published figures anchor it, and one number is an example you should replace with your own.
- Salary is an example. This article uses a $45,000 base salary for an office or dispatch role that handles follow-up and the CRM. That is an illustrative figure, not a market rate. Pay varies by area and by the hours you actually need, so use what you would really pay.
- The loaded cost. The U.S. Small Business Administration's guidance gives a rule of thumb that an employee typically costs 1.25 to 1.4 times their salary, depending on certain variables (SBA, "How Much Does an Employee Cost You?", August 2019). On the example salary that is $56,250 to $63,000 a year, or roughly $4,700 to $5,250 a month for a full-time role.
- Recruiting. SHRM's 2025 benchmarking reports an average cost per hire of $5,475 for non-executive roles, from a survey of 2,371 members (SHRM, October 2025). It is an average across industries and organizations, not a figure for a roofing company.
What the 30-day service costs, and what it is not
Vayna's 30-Day Revenue Recovery Pilot is $2,500, one time, for a founder-led, 30-day engagement on one location. The scope is on the pilot page: the founder works your missed calls, unanswered forms, stale estimates and old leads by phone under rules you approve, reports on it, and delivers a final report at day 30.
It is not a cheaper version of a hire. It is a different thing, and the comparison is only fair when that is said plainly.
| Compared on | A follow-up hire | The 30-day pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Term | Ongoing | 30 days, then a decision |
| Cost shape | Salary and loading every month, plus a one-time cost to recruit | $2,500 once |
| Time to start | Recruit, hire, train | Within 3 business days of payment and required access |
| Your time | Training and supervision as a standing job | Approving rules and messages, reading reports |
| Good at | Judgment, relationships, work that grows with the business | A concentrated push on follow-up that has already stalled |
| Limits | One person's hours | One location, 30 days, phone follow-up |
The oversight time, which is real either way
A new hire needs training, supervision and feedback, and their mistakes land on your customers until you catch them. The pilot needs your approval of the message library and the escalation rules before it starts, and your attention to the reports while it runs. Neither is free. Both are time you should count before comparing the dollar figures.
When each one makes sense
If follow-up is a standing job that will grow, hiring is the answer, and the figures above are a fair starting point for the budget. If the follow-up is already behind and you do not yet know how much is recoverable, a bounded service is a cheaper way to find out, and its final report is useful evidence if you then decide to hire. A Lead Leak Check is the free first step in either case: it says where follow-up is most likely slipping before you decide how to staff it.
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Sources: SBA, "How Much Does an Employee Cost You?" (August 22, 2019), rule of thumb of 1.25 to 1.4 times salary. SHRM, 2025 Benchmarking Reports press release (October 15, 2025), average non-executive cost per hire $5,475. The $45,000 salary is an example chosen for the arithmetic. Pilot price and scope are Vayna's published offer. Nothing here is a claim about any particular employer's costs or a promise of results.