Tomás Reyes sells espresso gear online. In September he came back from a trade show to 212 unanswered support tickets, and by Friday he had three pitches in his inbox for customer service outsourcing. All three sounded fine. None of them said what it would cost.

Tomás is made up, but that week isn't. This guide ranks ten companies for customer service outsourcing in 2026, and it explains the other route he didn't know about: hiring your own support person instead. We're Globaltize, and yes, we put ourselves first. We also don't run a call center or outsource anything. We recruit and place dedicated people who work for you. More on that in a minute.

What Customer Service Outsourcing Means

Customer service outsourcing means handing some or all of your support work to an outside company. It hires and trains the agents, schedules them and manages them, and you pay the company. Its agents answer your customers, often alongside agents working for other brands. Ever been on hold with someone who clearly didn't know the product? That's the downside.

There's a second way to get the same help: hire the people yourself. They work only for you, they learn your products, and you manage them directly. Providers advertise loudest, but for many small and mid-size businesses the quieter option fits better. 

The Top 10 Customer Service Outsourcing Companies in 2026

1. Globaltize: Best for Hiring Your Own Support Team

Globaltize isn't an outsourcer, and that's the whole difference. We recruit, vet and place remote support people who join your business as your own team members. You choose them, you train them, you manage them. We don't sit between you and your customers, and that's on purpose.

The process is short. We scope the role with you, recruiters and AI go find candidates, and we screen and interview before shortlisting. You meet the shortlist, we finalize the offer, and you pay only once you've hired. Our recruitment page walks through it. Vetting mixes AI and human screening: personality assessments, proctored tests, trial tasks, identity checks, and background and reference checks. One sample search on our homepage starts with 820 applicants and ends with 3 names (a lot of reading, and it's the job), and our customer support page lists 3 to 5 vetted specialists per search, with a first shortlist in 7 to 14 days.

On the support side we place a customer support specialist, a live chat support agent, a help desk technician, a customer success manager, an onboarding specialist or a community manager. We can also find people who already know your help desk, like a Zendesk expert.

We recruit in Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and the United States and Canada, and our regions guide explains the trade-offs. Our contractor payments and EOR service handles paying your hire.

2. Teleperformance: Best for Global Enterprise Programs

Teleperformance is the giant. It describes itself as a global digital business services company with nearly five decades of experience, says it's in nearly 100 countries, and calls its approach "Human+AI." It also says 62% of Kantar BrandZ's top 50 brands are clients. The homepage doesn't publish pricing. If you're running one support inbox, this probably isn't built for you.

3. Influx: Best for Nearshore Teams Without Long Contracts

Influx keeps its pitch short: "Customer Support, Done." It runs a 24/7 follow-the-sun model with nearshore teams, and its site says "No shared agents. No locked-in contracts," with month-to-month plans. It reports 750+ brands since 2013 and 95%+ CSAT, which are its own numbers. Prices sit behind a pricing page, so ask for a quote early. The no-contract line is the draw. Before you sign, ask what leaving actually looks like.

4. Hugo: Best for Dedicated Teams With Security Credentials

Hugo builds a dedicated team for you and calls it an extension of your own. It covers call, chat, email and omnichannel support plus sales outsourcing and trust and safety, and says launch can take as little as two weeks. The footer lists ISO/IEC 27001, HIPAA and AICPA SOC certifications, and the company says it has 150+ customers. We couldn't find prices or contract terms, so those are your first two questions. The certifications are the strongest part of the pitch, but a footer logo isn't proof. Ask to see it.

5. Liveops: Best for Flexible Remote Coverage

Liveops has been at this a while: more than 25 years, it says, with a remote-first agent model covering voice, chat, email and SMS. It can schedule agents in 30-minute increments, which helps if your volume jumps around. It advertises 25%+ cost savings without saying savings against what, and we found no pricing. The body text names the U.S., Mexico and the Philippines while the navigation lists more countries, so ask where your agents would actually sit. Worth a call if your volume swings by season, and not much use if it doesn't.

6. EverHelp: Best for Mixing Human and AI Support

EverHelp mixes people and AI. Its AI platform claims to automate up to 85% of work, its co-pilot model lets agents lead with AI assisting, and staffing runs from dedicated to shared teams for SaaS, eCommerce, fintech and gaming brands. The site claims 40% cost savings, 30+ languages and a 28-day setup, plus ISO 27001, GDPR and PCI DSS compliance. We found no prices, and the CSAT guarantee comes with no explanation. An AI-heavy setup suits ticket-heavy brands. Just make sure a real person owns the hard cases.

7. SupportYourApp: Best for Certification-Minded Teams

SupportYourApp says it's been around since 2010, has served 250+ companies, and works in 30 countries and 60+ languages. Its AI handles routine questions while people take the sensitive ones, and it says AI automates up to 80% of inquiries. The footer lists PCI DSS, CCPA, GDPR and ISO 27001:2022, and there's no pricing. Short version: a sensible shortlist pick if payment data is involved.

8. ShyftOff: Best for Volume That Spikes

ShyftOff runs on what it calls GigCX: 1099 contractor agents, and you pay only for productive hours. It claims 25% to 55% cost savings. One oddity is that the site gives 200,000 agents as a headline figure and 17,000+ credentialed agents elsewhere, so check the count. Interesting for spiky volume. The catch with contractors is continuity, so ask how it keeps the same agents on your account.

9. HelpSquad: Best for a Low Entry Price

HelpSquad started in healthcare but also does customer service outsourcing for other businesses, and it's the rare one that publishes prices. Full-time rates run $8 to $13 per hour across tiers, with a custom-priced managed team for three or more assistants. The FAQ gives a 20-hour-a-week minimum and a three-month initial agreement, and there's a free 30-minute discovery call. Open pricing earns it some trust. Just check that the hours and languages fit your customers.

10. Ringly: Best for AI Phone Support on Shopify

Ringly isn't a staffing company at all. It sells an AI phone agent for Shopify stores that handles order status, returns and product questions and passes harder calls to you. It costs $99 a month for the first 50 phone conversations, then $1.99 each, and if it resolves under 65% of calls in a month, Ringly says you don't pay for that month. The homepage says up to 90% of calls, while the FAQ says the average is 73%, so plan around 73. Our take: great if phone calls are your headache, wrong if your pain is email.

Outsourcing or Hiring Your Own Team

Neither route wins every time. It comes down to what you're trying to protect.

Pick a provider for huge seasonal swings, around-the-clock phone lines, or compliance programs you don't want to build. Hire when support is part of your product or your volume is steady. If you're comparing locations, our post on offshoring vs. nearshoring covers them, and our broader list of outsourcing companies looks at other kinds of work.

What Customer Service Outsourcing Costs

Quotes usually come in one of three shapes: an hourly rate, a monthly per-agent seat, or a fee per ticket or resolution. Our offshore support cost guide estimates 2026 hourly rates at $8 to $15 in the Philippines, $12 to $20 in Latin America, $12 to $18 in South Africa, and $28 to $45+ in the United States. Those are our own estimates, so read them as ranges, not quotes.

The sticker price is only part of it. Recruitment, onboarding, turnover, software and training all add cost, whichever model you pick. Picture a $9 agent who leaves in four months next to a $14 agent who stays two years. The cheaper rate isn't the cheaper agent.

Questions to Ask Any Provider

Before you sign with anyone, ask:

• What's the full price, and what are the minimums and contract length?

• What service levels go into the contract, and who measures them?

• What happens if I leave, and how do I get my data and knowledge base back?

• Where do the agents actually work, and will they be dedicated to me?

• Can you show me your security certifications today, not next week?

If a provider can't answer the first two in writing, that's your answer. Vague on price now usually means vague on invoices later. We'd also ask to talk to an agent who's working on a program like yours right now.

FAQs

What is customer service outsourcing?

It's when an outside company staffs, trains and manages your support agents, and you pay the company.

Is customer service outsourcing cheaper than hiring?

Sometimes, but not always. Steady, modest volume usually favors hiring one person. Big spikes favor a provider. Compare the full monthly cost, including setup, turnover and training.

Does Globaltize outsource customer service?

No. We recruit and place people, and then they work for you. You make the final offer, you manage the work, and every hire carries a 12-month replacement guarantee.

How long does it take to hire a support agent through Globaltize?

Our customer support page lists a first vetted shortlist in 7 to 14 days, with 3 to 5 candidates per search. It varies by role and region.

Which region is best for customer support?

Depends on your hours. Latin America lines up with U.S. time zones, South Africa has strong English and suits European hours, and Southeast Asia is cost-efficient and flexible. Our Latin America guide has the details.

Can I use my own help desk, like Zendesk?

Yes. Your hire works in your own help desk, and we place people who already know Zendesk, Intercom and Freshdesk.