Business phone system for temporary help services in Tennessee

Temporary help services in Tennessee by the numbers

The Census Bureau counted 1,026 temporary help services in Tennessee in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 561320). They employed 106,334 people in mid-March and reported $3.7 billion in annual payroll. That is the 13th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Temporary help services make up 0.68% of the 150,129 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Tennessee has 14.2 temporary help services, 26.2% above the national rate of 11.2. The average establishment has 103.6 employees against 95.3 nationally. Payroll per employee is $35,039, 28.0% below the U.S. figure of $48,635.

Tennessee's largest markets for temporary help services

Census published temporary staffing agency counts for 24 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Tennessee. The largest is Nashville, TN, with 365 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 63% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at temporary help services in Tennessee

25.6% of Tennessee's temporary help services with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 37.2% nationally. 33.1% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Why the phone matters for temporary help services in Tennessee

Staffing agencies fill shifts on short notice, so the phone is constantly in use with workers and clients. Early-morning call-outs require quick action. That holds for temporary help services in Tennessee as much as anywhere.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for temporary help services in Tennessee:

• A worker calls about a paycheck.
• A worker calls out sick before a shift.
• A client calls about a timesheet.

Texting workers and clients

Agencies text shift offers and confirmations to workers who opted in.

Texting from a local number in Tennessee requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

What a phone system costs a temporary staffing agency in Tennessee

Temporary help services in Tennessee average 103.6 employees, so the comparison uses a 104-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 104 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $3,120.00 a month and 104 on Ooma Office Pro cost $2,594.80. Callata comes to $2,079.00 a month for 104 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $12,492 less than RingCentral for a temporary staffing agency in Tennessee of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Tennessee

Tennessee has 8 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a temporary staffing agency can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for temporary help services in Tennessee

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Tennessee is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.