How much does AI COD confirmation calling cost?
AI COD confirmation calls cost a few rupees per order. On Outpero a 1-minute confirmation on the ₹5 Standard voice costs ₹5, so confirming 3,000 COD orders a month at a 70% connect rate costs about ₹10,500. Set against the shipping cost of a returned parcel, the call is usually inexpensive insurance against RTO. Prices exclude 18% GST.
What the confirmation call does
The agent calls the buyer soon after a cash-on-delivery order, confirms the product, amount and address, checks that someone will be available to pay, and records whether the order should ship, be held or be cancelled. The result goes to your webhook or spreadsheet, so the warehouse ships only confirmed orders.
Monthly cost by order volume (70% connect, 1 minute)
| COD orders a month | Connected calls | Standard ₹5 | Premium ₹6.8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 700 | ₹3,500 | ₹4,760 |
| 3,000 | 2,100 | ₹10,500 | ₹14,280 |
| 10,000 | 7,000 | ₹35,000 | ₹47,600 |
Add ₹649 a month for a dedicated number. Unanswered calls cost nothing; retries are billed only if they connect.
Weighing it against RTO
Every refused COD parcel costs forward and return freight, plus packaging and the stock locked up in transit. Suppose that comes to ₹150 per returned parcel on your courier rates. At 3,000 orders, the ₹7,999 monthly cost including the number is covered if the calls stop about 53 orders from going out and coming back. Use your own RTO cost and refusal rate to check.
Getting the most from each rupee
- —Call within minutes of the order, while the buyer remembers it.
- —Use the Standard voice; the call is short and scripted.
- —Ask the agent to capture a landmark and alternate number to cut NDRs as well.
- —Send a WhatsApp message after the call with the order summary or a prepaid payment link.
- —Call in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada or Malayalam to suit the delivery pin code.
Voice broadcast, at a lower rate than AI conversation minutes, can announce dispatch, but it cannot confirm intent, which is the point of a COD check. For confirmation, use an AI conversation.
Track RTO rate on confirmed versus unconfirmed orders for a month. The gap between the two, multiplied by your cost per returned parcel, is the real value of each confirmation call, and tells you whether to extend calls to all COD orders or only to high-value or high-risk pin codes.
Want to hear an AI voice agent handle this on a real call?
Follow-up questions
Does a confirmation call delay dispatch?
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Not if it is triggered by the order itself. Orders can reach Outpero through a webhook or tools like Zapier and Make, and new entries are dialled within 30 seconds. Most buyers are reached long before the next warehouse pick, and orders not confirmed can be retried within your calling window.