What Counts as a Billable Live Transfer?
A billable live transfer is a call that meets your vendor's counting rule. That rule decides what you actually pay, so read it before you compare prices. Here is a checklist for P&C agents, with InsureScales' own rules as the example.
What counts as a billable live transfer?
Every live transfer vendor has a rule for when a call counts: when the clock starts, how long the call must last, what happens when nobody answers, and what you can send back. Two vendors can charge the same price and still cost you very different amounts, because their rules count different calls.
Use the checklist below with any vendor. For each item, we show how InsureScales handles it as an example.
The checklist at a glance
- 1When does the clock start?
- 2How long must an answered call last?
- 3What happens when your team misses the call?
- 4What can you send back?
- 5How long do you have to send a return?
- 6Can you hear every call?
- 7What happens when you pause?
- 8How does the vendor handle DNC and calling rules?
- 9Is the transfer yours alone?
The billable live transfer checklist
When does the clock start?
If the clock starts before your phone rings, you could pay for time your team never heard.
At InsureScales: Answered calls are timed from the first ring at your agency. Ringing counts. Our screening before the transfer does not.
How long must an answered call last?
This is the minimum length before a call counts. Some vendors count a transfer only after 120 seconds. We count answered transfers at 75 seconds. A longer threshold means fewer calls count, so weigh it against the price and the returns policy.
- Under 75 seconds
Not billable.
- 75 seconds to under 5 minutes
Billable, unless our quality team approves a valid return.
- 5 minutes or longer
Billable. No ordinary lead-quality returns.
What happens when your team misses the call?
This rule is easy to overlook. If a prospect is transferred and nobody picks up, does it count? At InsureScales, it can. This includes calls that ring through to your agency voicemail. The wait is timed from the first ring.
- Prospect hangs up in under 20 seconds
Not billable.
- Prospect waits 20 seconds or more, then hangs up
Billable while delivery is active and not paused. You get their details so you can call back.
Keep someone on the phones during the hours you set, call back missed transfers fast, and pause delivery when you can't answer. Nothing is billed while you are paused.
What can you send back?
Get the return reasons in writing, by line. At InsureScales, answered calls from 75 seconds to under 5 minutes can be returned for these reasons. Calls of 5 minutes or longer have no ordinary lead-quality returns.
Auto transfers
- No vehicle, or no valid driver's license
- No auto insurance now, or a coverage lapse in the past 6 months
- Already insured with a carrier your campaign agreement excludes
- Lives outside your agreed licensed states
- Has or needs an SR-22
Home transfers
- Does not own or co-own the home
- The home is outside your agreed licensed area
- The home is insured with a carrier your campaign agreement excludes
- Not quoting the prospect is not, by itself, a reason to return a call.
- We deliver interested, qualified prospects. Quotes and sales are not guaranteed.
Each line has its own fit rules. See how auto insurance live transfers work and how home insurance live transfers work.
How long do you have to send a return?
A returns policy only helps if the window is long enough to use. Ask who reviews returns and when they come off your bill.
- Send returns the same day when you can.
- Returns are accepted through the end of that billing week.
- Our quality team reviews every return. Only approved returns come off your bill.
- Billing and approved returns are settled by the end of each week.
Can you hear every call?
You should be able to check any charge against the call it paid for. At InsureScales, every transfer shows up in your portal as it connects, with a recording. Each charge on your balance points to the specific call, so you can listen before you send a return.
What happens when you pause?
Ask whether you can pause, what you pay while paused, and what happens to money you have already paid.
Pause any time
Nothing is billed while you are paused at your request, including missed transfers.
Unused transfers carry forward
Prepaid transfers you have not received stay on your balance for later.
Pauses and closures keep your balance
If you pause or close your account, your unused balance is kept. You are never charged for capacity we did not deliver.
No surprise bills
If your prepaid balance runs low, delivery pauses on its own until you add more.
How does the vendor handle DNC and calling rules?
Ask how the vendor scrubs its calling data against do-not-call lists, what hours it calls, what the script says, and what consent rules apply to the data it calls. Rules vary by state, so get legal guidance for your own campaign.
At InsureScales: calling data is scrubbed against do-not-call lists before we dial, we only call during allowed hours, and every call follows an approved script with the required disclosures. Our callers never quote, bind, or give advice. Your licensed producers handle the insurance conversation.
Is the transfer yours alone?
Ask whether the same prospect is sent to other agencies, and what limits you control. At InsureScales, each live transfer goes to one agency. You pick your states, calling hours, daily cap, and how many calls your team takes at once.
How to use this checklist
Ask every vendor these nine questions and get the answers in writing. Then compare cost per policy, not just price per transfer. Our guide to what live transfer leads cost shows the math, and pay per transfer vs pay per call vs pay per lead covers the other ways to buy. Our full rules are on the InsureScales pricing and billing rules page.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a billable live transfer?
It depends on the vendor. At InsureScales, an answered transfer is billable at 75 seconds or longer, timed from the first ring at your agency. From 75 seconds to under 5 minutes, it comes off your bill if our quality team approves a valid return. At 5 minutes or longer, it is billable with no ordinary lead-quality returns.
When does the clock start on a live transfer?
At InsureScales, the clock starts at the first ring at your agency. Ringing counts. Our screening before the transfer does not. Other vendors may time it differently, so ask.
Do I pay if my team misses a transfer?
At InsureScales, if nobody answers and the prospect waits 20 seconds or more from the first ring, the transfer is billable while delivery is active and not paused. That includes calls that ring through to your agency voicemail. You get the prospect details so you can call back. If the prospect hangs up in under 20 seconds, it is not billable.
What are valid reasons to return an auto transfer?
At InsureScales: no vehicle or no valid driver's license, no auto insurance now or a coverage lapse in the past 6 months, already insured with a carrier your agreement excludes, living outside your agreed licensed states, or having or needing an SR-22. Not quoting the prospect is not, by itself, a reason to return a call.
How long do I have to send a return?
At InsureScales, send returns the same day when you can. Returns are accepted through the end of that billing week. Our quality team reviews every return, and billing and approved returns are settled by the end of each week.