What outsourced support in India actually covers
Order and account questions, billing, returns, subscription changes, tier-1 troubleshooting, appointment setting and peak overflow. Anything with a documented resolution path and a human who needs to read tone correctly.
Most programs start on one channel, prove handle time and quality, then blend a second. A blended agent covering chat plus email almost always beats two single-channel agents on cost per contact.
What it costs — and what quotes usually hide
Fully-loaded rates run roughly $7–$12 per seat hour depending on city, English tier, shift premium and whether QA, workforce management and telephony are bundled. Night coverage for US hours typically adds 10–20%.
Ask every vendor in writing whether the quote includes QA sampling, a named team lead, attrition backfill and telephony. The cheapest quotes almost never do, and the difference shows up in month three.
How to keep quality from sliding after month one
Lock a weekly scorecard before go-live: CSAT, first-contact resolution, average handle time, QA score and adherence. Review it with the same team lead every week — not an account manager who reports upward.
Listen to five unedited recordings or chat transcripts from the exact team you would get, then run a paid two-week pilot on real traffic. Pilots surface hiring quality faster than any reference call.
When outsourcing is the wrong call
If your product changes weekly and nobody has written the resolution paths down, an outsourced team will amplify the confusion. Document first, then outsource — or start with 3–5 seats and expand once the knowledge base holds.