Outsourced customer service

Live chat outsourcing and social media customer service

Want fast, well-written replies on chat, messaging and social media, any time of day? Compare providers of outsourced live chat agents and social media customer service.

Each supplier shows what they specialise in and where their teams are based, so you can shortlist onshore and offshore options quickly.

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13 suppliers

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Symbos

Symbos is an Australian-owned and headquartered, digitally enabled contact centre group built to deliver exceptional customer and operational outcomes at scale.
- Sales & lead generation
- Customer service & support
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Collections & hardship
Also offers AI & automation

Based in Australia Listed since 2020
View profile Visit website for Symbos (opens in a new tab)
TREC Australia

TREC Australia understands that no two businesses operate in precisely the same way and through a flexible approach, we are able to take our base model and adapt…
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Customer service & support
- Collections & hardship
- Digital & social care
Based in Philippines Listed since 2024
View profile Visit website for TREC Australia (opens in a new tab)
More suppliers in Digital & social care
AA
Alltel Australia
- Customer service & support
- Sales & lead generation
- Collections & hardship
- After-hours, overflow & answering
Also offers AI & automation

Based in Australia Unclaimed profile
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CO
Concentrix
- Customer service & support
- Digital & social care
- Sales & lead generation
- After-hours, overflow & answering
Based in New Zealand, Philippines, Australia Unclaimed profile
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DA
Datacom
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Customer service & support
- Digital & social care
Also offers AI & automation · Contact centre technology

Based in New Zealand, Australia Unclaimed profile
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NU
NutunCX
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Customer service & support
- Collections & hardship
- Digital & social care
Also offers AI & automation

Based in South Africa Unclaimed profile
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OP
Our Pacific Office
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Customer service & support
- Digital & social care
Based in Fiji Unclaimed profile
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PC
Plus64 Connect
- Customer service & support
- Digital & social care
Based in New Zealand Unclaimed profile
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PG
Probe Group
- Customer service & support
- Sales & lead generation
- Collections & hardship
- After-hours, overflow & answering
Also offers AI & automation

Based in Philippines, Australia Unclaimed profile
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ST
Startek
- Customer service & support
- Sales & lead generation
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Digital & social care
Based in Global, Australia Unclaimed profile
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SB
SuperStaff BPO
- After-hours, overflow & answering
- Customer service & support
- Digital & social care
Based in Philippines Unclaimed profile
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TR
transcosmos
- Sales & lead generation
- Customer service & support
- Digital & social care
Based in Philippines Unclaimed profile
View profile
TF
TTEC (Formerly TeleTech)
- Customer service & support
- Collections & hardship
- Sales & lead generation
- After-hours, overflow & answering
Also offers AI & automation

Based in Philippines, Australia Unclaimed profile
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Buyer's guide

Outsourcing live chat or social media care? What to know before you choose a provider

Showing advice and prices for buyers in

Overview

What can you outsource to live chat and social media agents?

Outsourced digital care teams answer your website chat, messaging apps and social media channels in your brand voice, following your processes, and hand over to your team when needed.

Live chat and messaging

Customer service and account enquiries
Sales conversations, quotes and orders
Lead qualification and appointment booking
First-level technical support
Proactive chat with website visitors
After-hours and 24/7 cover

Social media customer service

Replies to comments, mentions and direct messages
Review responses on Google and social platforms
Community moderation on your pages
Spotting and escalating issues before they spread
Sentiment reporting

Need the chat software as well? See live chat and messaging software, or AI agents for chat to automate simpler conversations. See chatbot in the ACXPA glossary.

Live chat

How is outsourcing live chat different from outsourcing calls?

Agents handle several chats at once. Typically 3 to 5, depending on complexity, which lowers the cost of each conversation compared with calls.
Writing quality matters most. Spelling, grammar and tone are what customers judge. Review real chat transcripts, not just agent profiles.
Speed is expected. Customers expect a faster first reply in chat than they'd accept in a phone queue, so agree response times in the contract.
Tone is harder in writing. Calming an upset customer in text takes different skills from doing it by voice.

Written work can suit a wider range of offshore locations than voice, which makes chat a common first step into offshore outsourcing.

Social media

Why does social media customer service need specialists?

Most service conversations are private. On social media, replies are public: every response is read by other customers, prospects and sometimes journalists.

A clumsy reply can be screenshotted and shared. A fast, helpful reply to a visible complaint can win you credit.

Brand voice: responses must sound like you, every time.
Written quality: public mistakes stay visible.
Escalation: agents must recognise a building crisis and escalate immediately, using rules you've agreed.
Coverage: customers post at all hours, so plan for evenings and weekends.

Pricing guide

How much does live chat outsourcing cost?

Live chat is usually priced per agent hour, per chat or per resolved conversation. Because agents handle several chats at once, the cost per conversation is usually lower than for calls.

These are ACXPA's indicative benchmarks for an outsourced live chat agent, set in Australian dollars and converted to your currency.

Your market

Location	Per hour	Best for
Australia	A$45 – A$68	Complex chat, sales and regulated industries
New Zealand	A$32 – A$55	Native English writing and nearshore quality
Philippines	A$7 – A$16	High-volume chat and 24/7 coverage
South Africa	A$12 – A$22	Strong written English at a significant saving
Fiji	A$8 – A$14	Pacific time zone and cost savings

Indicative ranges in Australian dollars.

ACXPA benchmarks the locations above today. Other popular locations, such as India, Mexico, Colombia and Jamaica, aren't benchmarked yet, so compare quotes directly.

Social media care usually costs a little more than chat in the same location, because public replies need stronger writing and brand judgement.

How to choose

How do you choose a live chat or social media outsourcer?

Test their writing

Ask for sample responses for your brand and review real transcripts from a trial.
Agree how many chats at once

More concurrent chats lowers cost but can hurt quality on complex topics. Agree a ratio that suits your contacts.
Check your platform

Confirm they can work in your chat, messaging and social tools rather than moving you to theirs.
Set response times

Agree first-response and resolution targets for each channel, including after hours.
Define escalation rules

Spell out what counts as an escalation, who it goes to and how fast, especially for social media.
Share your tone of voice

Give a clear tone guide and approve sample replies before going live.

Learn more

Want an independent view? Free ACXPA resources

ACXPA's independent resources help you plan outsourcing and keep digital service quality high.

FAQs

Live chat and social media outsourcing FAQs

What is live chat outsourcing?

Using a specialist provider to staff your website chat and messaging channels with trained agents who answer in your brand voice and follow your processes.

How many chats can an outsourced agent handle at once?

Typically 3 to 5, depending on how complex the conversations are. Complex or sensitive chats need a lower number.

How much does live chat outsourcing cost?

As a guide, an outsourced live chat agent costs from around A$7 – A$68 an hour depending on location. The pricing guide shows each location in your currency.

Can you outsource social media customer service?

Yes. Providers monitor and reply to comments, messages and reviews in your brand voice, and escalate issues using rules you agree.

How are suppliers ordered on this page?

Suppliers with a paid listing appear first, followed by everyone else. Our page on how suppliers are ordered explains the detail.

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Live chat outsourcing and social media customer service

Narrow it down

13 suppliers

What can you outsource to live chat and social media agents?

Live chat and messaging

Social media customer service

How is outsourcing live chat different from outsourcing calls?

Why does social media customer service need specialists?

How much does live chat outsourcing cost?

How do you choose a live chat or social media outsourcer?

Test their writing

Agree how many chats at once

Check your platform

Set response times

Define escalation rules

Share your tone of voice

Want an independent view? Free ACXPA resources

Live chat and social media outsourcing FAQs

Supplier in this space? Make sure buyers can find you