Before: the estimate
The assistant editor shows an estimated cost per minute as you pick models, split by language model, voice and transcription. Change a model and the figure moves. Use it to compare before you build, not after you’ve run a thousand calls.After: the real figure
Every call carries its actual cost, broken down the same way. The Analytics tab charts it — cost grouped by assistant tells you which line is expensive, and cost per minute over time tells you whether a change helped.The levers, roughly in order
1. The language model
Usually the biggest line, and the easiest to overspend on. A smaller model often makes a better phone assistant — on a call, a fast adequate answer beats a slow excellent one. Try the cheapest model that holds the conversation, then move up only where it fails.2. Your own provider keys
Add your own keys under Integrations and Qall doesn’t bill you for that provider’s usage — you pay them directly. If you already have volume pricing with OpenAI or ElevenLabs, this is usually the single biggest saving available. You can do it per provider. Your own ElevenLabs key with Qall’s language model is a normal setup.3. How long calls run
Minutes are charged, so anything that ends a call sooner saves money across the board.- Keep replies short. “One or two sentences” in the prompt. Long answers cost model output, voice characters and minutes at once.
- Set an idle timeout, so an abandoned call doesn’t hold the line.
- Let the assistant end the call when the conversation is finished — give it an end-call tool.