Outsourcing customer service has become a common practice for companies seeking operational efficiency. However, one of the first questions that arise in 2025 is: how much does it really cost to outsource a call center or contact center in Spain? The answer depends on several factors - pricing model, provider location, volume of interactions, languages, etc. - but we can provide indicative figures and current market ranges. What is clear is that cost savings remain the main driver: 44% of companies that outsource cite cost savings as the number one advantage (grantthornton.es). Let’s look at the most common pricing schemes and rate ranges in 2025, both in Spain and in nearshore/offshore options, to understand how much it may cost to delegate customer service without sacrificing quality.

Call center pricing models

Call center providers usually offer different pricing models, adapting to the client’s needs:

Price per interaction: In this model, you pay for each call answered, ticket resolved or chat handled. It’s typically used when volume is variable or unpredictable. For example, some companies charge between €2 and €3 per call answered (spangenberggroep.nl). It’s a transparent scheme: you pay only for actual use. It may be suitable for companies with few monthly inquiries or strong seasonality (e.g., an e-commerce business that receives most inquiries on Black Friday). However, you should check what qualifies as a billable “interaction” and whether monthly minimums apply.

Price per hour of dedicated agent: Here, you hire an agent (or a team) for fixed hours, regardless of the number of interactions. It’s suitable when constant availability or high volume is needed. In Spain and Western Europe, the cost of a dedicated agent is around €25 per hour in 2025. In more affordable offshore locations, this cost may be significantly lower. This model provides stability (you know what you pay per agent monthly), and agents are usually fully trained in your product, but you should ensure their productivity justifies the hourly rate.

Price per result or commission: Less common in customer service, but sometimes used in sales or collection campaigns integrated into the contact center. It involves paying a percentage or bonus based on goals achieved (e.g., percentage of sales closed by the call center). In pure customer support, it’s rarely used, since success metrics (satisfaction, resolution time) don’t directly translate into revenue. However, some hybrid agreements combine a low base fee plus incentives for high quality KPIs.

Each model has pros and cons. In general, startups or small companies tend to prefer variable models (pay-as-you-go) to avoid high fixed costs when the customer base is still small. On the other hand, companies with constant high volume may opt for full-time dedicated agents to ensure exclusivity and deep brand knowledge.

Cost by location: Spain vs nearshore vs offshore

The provider’s geographic location is a key factor in price. An agent in Madrid doesn’t cost the same as one in Medellín or Manila, due to salary and cost-of-living differences. That’s why many Spanish companies in 2025 combine onshore teams (in Spain) with nearshore (Latin America, Eastern Europe) or offshore (Asia) options to optimize the budget.

In Spain (onshore): Hiring a call center located in Spain ensures time zone, cultural, and language alignment. The cost, however, is higher. A basic-level agent in a Spanish contact center has a total cost (salary plus contributions) of around €15–€20 per hour for the provider, who then adds a margin. Consequently, client companies typically pay between €25 and €35 per hour per dedicated agent in Spain in 2025. Some international sources even place Western Europe service rates at $35–$45/h (~€30–€40/h) (worldwidecallcenters.com). It’s the premium option in terms of price, suitable when physical presence in Spain is required (legal, data privacy or accent preference) or when local employment supports brand values.

Nearshore in Latin America or Eastern Europe: For Spanish-speaking service, Latin America has become the preferred nearshore choice for Spanish companies. Countries like Colombia and Peru account for 90% of Spanish-speaking agents in foreign customer service platforms (asociacioncex.org). Why? Because they offer bilingual and native agents, culturally aligned, at very competitive costs (notably lower wages than in Europe). Nearshore rates in 2025 for Spanish support typically range from $12 to $15 per hour (approx. €11–€14/hour) per dedicated agent (worldwidecallcenters.com). That’s nearly 50% cheaper than an equivalent service in Spain. This saving is seen in real cases: for example, an insurance company in Valencia outsourced its call center to Colombia and saved €250,000 per year without sacrificing quality (outsourcing.com.co). For multilingual support in Europe, popular nearshore destinations include Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria) and North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia for French), with similar rates in the $12–$15/h range for European languages (worldwidecallcenters.com). These nearshore providers offer an ideal balance between lower cost and acceptable cultural/time zone proximity.

Offshore in Asia and other regions: The most affordable option is usually to rely on BPOs in Asia (Philippines, India) or Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2025, an agent in the Philippines or India may cost between $8 and $11 per hour (approx. €7–€10/hour) for English voice services (worldwidecallcenters.com). Asia is not commonly used for Spanish, but AI-powered virtual agents are increasingly being used from any location. If a company only needs support in English or other global languages, Asia offers the lowest prices. Downsides may include accent differences, major time zone gaps (Philippines is +6/+7 hours vs Spain), and potentially higher turnover. Still, major ecommerce and tech players use centers in India for complementary 24/7 support. In terms of cost, €8–€14/hour is a typical offshore Asian range — less than half the European cost. Still, it’s worth evaluating quality: very cheap providers sometimes mean more unresolved calls or require more supervision, which can erode initial savings if customer satisfaction suffers.

In short, outsourcing customer service in Spain can cost anywhere from a few cents per managed minute to dozens of euros per agent hour, depending on how and where it is hired. Many companies combine strategies: for example, maintaining a small onshore team for oversight and critical tasks, while routing the bulk of first-level interactions to a more affordable nearshore partner.

Other factors that influence price

Beyond location and pricing model, additional variables impact the final cost of outsourcing CX:

• Volume and contract length: Higher volumes or long-term commitments often bring discounts. Hiring 50 agents for two years will be relatively cheaper per agent than hiring five agents for three months. Call centers offer decreasing rates as the number of committed FTEs increases or with 1–3 year contracts. However, startups may prefer paying slightly more for the flexibility of short-term deals.

• Support hours: Providing 24/7 support is costlier than business-hours-only coverage. Many companies need at least weekend or evening support, which raises prices (due to night shift and holiday bonuses under labor agreements). For example, in Spain the Contact Center Agreement includes night and holiday pay premiums (fs-uso.es). An offshore provider in a different time zone can offer 24/7 without local night shifts, optimizing this aspect.

• Additional languages: Every extra language adds complexity. If a Spanish startup wants support in English or French in addition to Spanish, the provider must assign bilingual or native agents, typically at a higher salary. Multilingual specialists (e.g., Webhelp, Teleperformance) often charge a premium for rare languages or combining several in one team. For instance, serving in German or Nordic languages can cost twice as much as Spanish due to the scarcity of trilingual agents.

• Industry specialization: A generalist support center is not the same as one with agents trained in a specific industry (healthcare, fintech, technical SaaS). If the service requires a high technical profile (e.g., tier 2 software support), the hourly cost increases due to higher training and agent pay. Some BPOs offer “specialized desks” at higher rates for specific verticals.

• Service levels and metrics: If the SLA requires very strict metrics — for example, answering 90% of calls in under 20 seconds, or NPS > 50 — the call center may need to overstaff or invest in extra supervision, increasing price. A standard service (e.g., 80% of calls answered in 30s, abandonment rate <5%) is cheaper than a premium one with excellence-level SLAs.

• Tech integrations: When the provider must integrate their systems with the client’s (CRM, internal tools) or use specific software, there may be added setup or licensing costs. For example, if your company requires using your Zendesk instance or cloud PBX, this may slightly raise the initial invoice due to special configurations.

Despite all these factors, outsourcing typically results in net savings compared to an internal team. Not just from lower labor costs (wages) but also from savings in infrastructure, software, personnel management, and converting fixed costs into variable ones. An outsourcing provider includes in their rate the cost of offices, computers, telephony, supervisors, ongoing training, etc., which are often underestimated internally. Also, paying per use (minutes or tickets handled) ensures you don’t pay for idle time: in an in-house team, if call volume drops, you still pay full salaries, while with outsourcing your bill drops with interactions.

Maximizing value: cost vs quality

It’s tempting to choose the cheapest offer, but remember that in customer service, price and quality must be carefully balanced. A provider with extremely low rates may compromise the experience: inexperienced agents, high turnover, limited resources for supervision or training. The goal should be to optimize costs without “cheapening” quality. In 2025, the good news is that technology helps: many BPOs integrate automation and AI to handle frequent inquiries at near-zero cost, reserving (more expensive) agents only for complex cases. This increases efficiency and reduces cost per contact without lowering perceived quality.

For example, Minute Call integrates AI workflows (chatbots, automatic ticket classification) that help reduce the volume reaching human agents by 30% to 50% (minute-call.com). This way, a startup can hire fewer agent hours, lowering the monthly bill while keeping response times fast thanks to automation. Other large providers, like Atento or Teleperformance, are investing in their own “AI hubs” to offer these efficiencies globally.

In conclusion, outsourcing customer service in Spain in 2025 has variable costs - from pay-per-contact models of a few cents to dozens of euros per agent hour, depending on what is required. A small business can start with basic outsourced services for under €300 per month, while a large company may invest tens of thousands per month in a high-performance dedicated team. The key is to find the sweet spot between what you can afford and the level of service your customer base needs. With the right partner, outsourcing not only saves money but can also enhance quality through best practices and technology. Ultimately, more than an expense, it’s a strategic investment that should be sized intelligently