Outsourcing customer service costs $6 to $45 an hour depending on where agents sit, or about $0.75 to $7 per ticket. Here is every pricing model, the hidden fees, and worked examples for 100 to 2,000 tickets a month.
Updated September 30, 2026.
In 2026, outsourced customer service agents cost about $6–14 an hour offshore, $9–18 nearshore and $22–45 onshore, according to Stealth Agents' July 2026 BPO cost comparison. Providers that bill per ticket charge about $0.75–7 per ticket, and a dedicated agent runs about $1,200–3,500 a month, per Ringly's September 2026 cost breakdown.
| Delivery model | Example countries | Hourly rate (customer service) | Full-time month (~173 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onshore | US, UK, Canada | $22–45 (fully loaded) | $3,800–7,800 |
| Nearshore | Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica | $9–18 | $1,560–3,100 |
| Offshore | Philippines, India, Eastern Europe | $6–14 | $1,040–2,400 |
Individual providers publish similar bands; Helpware, for example, quotes $8–35 per hour depending on complexity, location and service type (Helpware). Hiring a Filipino support VA directly is cheaper still, around $851–1,250 a month full time (HireTalent.ph), but you do the managing.
| Model | Typical range | Best when | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $6–42 | Steady volume, phone coverage | Paying for idle time |
| Per agent (dedicated) | $1,200–3,500/month | One agent is busy most of the shift | Single point of failure |
| Per ticket | $0.75–7 | Low or uneven volume | Rushed replies to hit throughput |
| Per resolution | $1–7 | You want outcome-based billing | Disputes over what "resolved" means |
| Flat retainer | $5,000–30,000/month | Large brands, many channels | Overkill for small businesses |
| Per minute (phone) | Varies | Answering services | Long calls get expensive |
Ranges from Ringly's September 2026 breakdown. For comparison, Smith.ai's published receptionist plans start at $300/month for 30 calls, with extra calls at $8.50–11.50 (Smith.ai pricing).
| Monthly tickets | Per-ticket ($0.75–7) | Offshore hourly ($6–14), ~6 min/ticket | Onshore hourly ($22–45) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $75–700 | 10 h: $60–140 (if no minimum) | $220–450 |
| 500 | $375–3,500 | 50 h: $300–700 | $1,100–2,250 |
| 2,000 | $1,500–14,000 | 200 h: $1,200–2,800 | $4,400–9,000 |
Hourly rows assume pure handling time; real invoices add minimums, QA and management. Ringly's worked example for 500 tickets a month (one $2,000/month agent, $800 setup, $200/month QA) comes to about $27,200 in year one.
An in-house US support hire costs salary plus payroll taxes, benefits, software, equipment and management time, which is why onshore outsourcing rates are quoted "fully loaded" at $22–45 an hour. In-house wins when support needs deep product knowledge or doubles as sales. Outsourcing wins when volume is uneven, hours are long, or questions are repetitive.
AI has pushed the cost of a routine answer far below a human's. Helpdesk AI now bills per resolution: $0.20 per AI-handled conversation at Richpanel, $0.75 per resolution for Help Scout AI Answers, and $0.90–1.50 per automated interaction at Gorgias (vendor pricing pages, September 2026). The catch is that someone on your side still configures, checks and escalates.
That is why hybrid services have appeared: AI drafts, a trained person checks, and you approve only the sensitive replies. You pay for the service, not for hours or seats, and you don't manage anyone. Read the full customer service outsourcing guide for how the models compare.
Dooza is an AI-native company that builds AI products and services for small businesses. Dooza AI customer support is a managed service: Dooza AI drafts every reply from your policies, products and past answers, a Dooza specialist checks anything the AI is unsure about, and refunds, complaints and anything sensitive come to you for one-tap approval. It works inside Gmail, Shopify Inbox or Gorgias and goes live in 48 hours.
Send us 20 real customer messages and we answer them in your voice before you decide anything. Get your free 20-message sample.
In 2026, published benchmarks are about $6 to $14 per hour offshore, $9 to $18 nearshore, and $22 to $45 onshore for customer service agents, before setup, QA and management fees.
Per-ticket pricing typically ranges from about $0.75 to $7 per ticket, and per-resolution pricing from about $1 to $7, depending on complexity and provider.
About $1,200 to $3,500 per month for a dedicated agent, depending on location and skill, according to 2026 industry breakdowns.
Setup fees of $500 to $5,000, QA surcharges of 5 to 10 percent, integration fees of $100 to $500 per tool per month, minimum seats or hours, and after-hours premiums.
Usually, for repetitive questions and uneven volume, because you avoid payroll taxes, benefits, equipment and idle time. In-house can be better value when support needs deep product knowledge or drives sales.
Per answer, yes: helpdesk AI costs about $0.20 to $1.50 per resolution. But your team must set it up and review it. AI-plus-human services combine low cost with a human check.
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