Which route fits which role › Customer support
How to Hire an Offshore Customer Support
Support agents answering tickets, chat and calls, from one seat to a full desk.
Best-fitting route
Hire Overseas
Support is about coverage and consistency: the right hours, a steady tone and no gaps when someone leaves. A staffing firm that screens for written English and replaces agents keeps the queue covered, and can grow from one seat to a team.
Cost: From $2,000/month; most roles $2,000–$4,000/month. No upfront or recruiting fee, month-to-month.
When another route fits better
- Other offshore staffing firms and BPOs: You want a BPO to run a large desk with its own supervisors and quality team.
- Employer of record (EOR): Agents you already work with want local employee status.
What the role usually covers
- Email and chat tickets
- Phone support
- Order and account issues
- Help center upkeep
What to vet for
- Written replies to three real (anonymized) tickets, including one angry customer.
- Typing speed and accuracy in your help desk tool.
- Spoken English if they will take calls.
- Availability for the shifts you need covered, including weekends.
Where to hire
- The Philippines: A long-established support and BPO industry serving US customers, including overnight US coverage.
- Latin America: Daytime US coverage and Spanish-language support.
- Africa: English-speaking agents with overlap into US mornings.
The first weeks
- Shadow the queue before answering, then answer with review.
- Give them macros, escalation rules and a named person to ask.
- Track first-response time and customer satisfaction from week one.