Short answer: most offshore and nearshore providers charge between $8 and $22 per agent hour for English-speaking support in 2026, depending on country, channel and skill level. A full-time dedicated agent usually costs $1,400 to $3,800 a month. Per-resolution pricing tends to land between $3 and $7 per solved contact. Compared with a fully loaded in-house hire in the UK or US, outsourcing typically saves 40 to 60%.
The three ways outsourcers price support
1. Per agent hour
You pay for the hours agents spend on your account. It is the most common model for small and mid-sized teams, and the easiest to compare between providers. Check whether the rate covers productive hours only or every hour an agent is logged in, including training and meetings.
2. Dedicated seat per month
A fixed monthly price for a full-time agent who works only on your account, usually around 160 to 176 hours a month. It gives you a predictable bill and an agent who learns your product deeply. Check what happens when the agent is sick or on leave.
3. Per resolution or per ticket
You pay for each solved ticket or call. It sounds efficient, but it needs months of reliable data on volumes and handle times. Without that data, the provider pads the price to protect itself, or rushes tickets to hit numbers. It works best as a second-year model.
Indicative hourly rates by location
These are typical ranges for dedicated English-speaking agents in 2026. Treat them as a starting point: quotes vary with channel, skills, hours and volume.
| Location | Typical rate per agent hour | Time zone fit |
|---|---|---|
| India | $7 to $12 | Night shifts for the US, afternoons for the UK |
| Philippines | $9 to $15 | Night shifts for the US and UK |
| Morocco (English) | $12 to $18 | Day shift for the UK, evening shift for the US |
| South Africa | $12 to $18 | Day shift for the UK, evening shift for the US |
| Latin America | $12 to $22 | Day shift for the US |
| UK or US in-house, fully loaded | $28 to $45 | Local |
What sits inside an hourly rate
An illustrative split of a typical outsourcing rate:
- Agent pay and employer costs: 45 to 55%
- Team leads and quality analysts: 12 to 18%
- Office, IT and telecoms: 10 to 15%
- Recruitment and training: 5 to 8%
- Provider margin: 10 to 20%
When a quote looks far below the market, one of these lines has been cut. It is usually supervision or agent pay, and both show up later as attrition and poor quality.
A worked example
A UK online shop receives 6,000 emails and chats a month. Each takes six minutes to handle on average.
- Handling time: 6,000 × 6 minutes = 600 hours a month.
- Agents are never busy 100% of the time. At 75% occupancy, that needs 600 ÷ 0.75 = 800 paid hours.
- 800 hours ÷ 173 hours per full-time agent = 4.6, so the shop needs 5 agents.
- In-house at a fully loaded £20 an hour: 5 × 173 × £20 = £17,300 a month.
- Outsourced at £10.50 an hour: 5 × 173 × £10.50 = £9,082.50 a month.
The difference is £8,217.50 a month, or about £98,600 a year: a 47.5% saving. Run your own numbers in our savings calculator.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Setup and training fees, and whether you pay for training hours.
- Minimum terms of 12 months or more, and the notice period.
- Minimum seat counts that force you to pay for more agents than you need.
- Weekend, holiday and overtime premiums.
- Attrition: who pays to replace and retrain an agent who leaves.
- Your own management time if the provider has no team lead on your account.
- Currency: the exchange rate risk if you are invoiced in another currency.
Questions to ask any provider
- Can I interview the agents before they start?
- How do you test English, and can I see the scores?
- What is your agent attrition rate, and how do you replace leavers?
- Who reviews quality, how often, and can I see the scorecards?
- Which data transfer safeguards do you sign?
- What happens to my data and training material if I leave?
Want a real number for your queue? Get a proposal and we'll send a written price, team size and pilot plan within one business day of a 15-minute call.