October 2025

Executive Summary

According to the Minute Call Report 2025, more than half of Spanish companies (including startups) outsource some part of their customer service operations, and approximately an additional 18% plan to do so soon (grantthornton.es). This growing adoption of Customer Experience (CX) outsourcing is driven by the pursuit of efficiency — with operational savings ranging from 30% to 60% compared to managing an internal team (outsourcing.com.co) — as well as the need to scale quickly and focus on core business activities.

Minute Call estimates that an external CX provider can deploy a full team within weeks, offering multilingual coverage from nearshore centers (e.g., Latin America) with the flexibility to adjust resources "within days" according to demand (virtualgroup.es). Meanwhile, startups are integrating AI, omnichannel solutions, and hybrid work models into their CX strategies: around 63% of companies already use artificial intelligence tools, and more than 48% integrate digital channels into a unified experience (hubspot.es/service-trends), demonstrating that technology and operational flexibility will be key to customer experience in 2025.

Methodology

This report has been developed from public sources and recent data (2023–2025) on the CX sector in Spain, with a special focus on startups. Statistics were gathered from industry reports (such as the DBK Sector Observatory and studies by the CEX Association — asociacioncex.org), specialized press releases, industry surveys, and consulting firm analyses. All cited figures are supported by verifiable sources, including professional associations (AEERC), business publications, and market research firms.

The Minute Call analyst team cross-checked the information to ensure its reliability and provide a neutral and factual perspective. Quantitative data is complemented by interpretations of key trends in outsourcing, cost savings, BPO operations, and the adoption of new technologies applied to Customer Experience.

CX Outsourcing in Startups: Growing Adoption

Customer service outsourcing has become a common strategy even for emerging companies. In Spain, more than 50% of companies already outsource some area of their business, and an additional 18% plan to do so in the short term (grantthornton.es). It's no longer just for multinationals: "outsourcing is no longer only for large companies" — fast-growing startups now also turn to external providers to manage customer experience (virtualgroup.es).

In fact, customer service is the most in-demand service within Spain's contact center/BPO sector, accounting for 62% of all activity (far ahead of sales, at 20%) (asociacioncex.org). This indicates that when companies outsource processes, customer management tends to be one of the first functions chosen.

Recent economic uncertainty has accelerated this trend: after the pandemic, many companies urgently sought ways to cut costs and adapt to new digital channels, finding in outsourcing an effective solution. As a result, demand for outsourced services grew by more than 30% in 2023. This market reality is reflected among tech and digital startups, which value CX outsourcing as a way to gain agility without sacrificing service quality.

Operational Cost Savings: Outsourcing vs. Internal Team

One of the main attractions of outsourcing customer service is the reduction in operating costs. Various sources quantify this savings: delegating a call center to a specialized partner can cut fixed expenses (salaries, infrastructure, training, etc.) by 30% to 60% compared to maintaining an internal team (outsourcing.com.co). In Spain, 44% of companies that outsource cite cost savings as the number one benefit obtained (grantthornton.es).

In addition to direct savings, there are other economic efficiencies: converting fixed costs into variable ones (paying only per interaction or per hours actually worked) improves financial predictability and avoids overloading the structure during lower-volume periods. It is worth noting that outsourcing not only reduces costs, but also simplifies internal processes and provides access to economies of scale.

In fact, alongside savings, many companies highlight the "technological development" brought by BPOs (31% mention it) and the "guarantee of business viability" (29%) as additional benefits of outsourcing. In short, Minute Call estimates that for a startup with limited resources, outsourcing CX can free up capital for other critical areas (product, R&D) while ensuring high-level customer service backed by specialists.

Onboarding and Scalability: Fast Implementation

Agility is another decisive factor. While building an internal support team can take months (recruitment, training, system implementation), a BPO provider enables operations to launch within weeks or even days. With a good partner, startups can have a customer service operation running in record time, thanks to the provider's existing infrastructure and trained personnel ready for new projects.

Depending on the sector, the time-to-market for a new outsourced CX team typically ranges from 2 to 6 weeks. Furthermore, once up and running, the scalability offered by outsourcing is hard to match internally. In 2025, BPO models offer near-instant elasticity: the number of agents can be increased or reduced "within days" to match demand (virtualgroup.es).

For example, if a startup launches a promotional campaign that increases user inquiries, its outsourced contact center could increase staff within 24–48 hours to absorb the surge, avoiding long wait times or a drop in quality. Equally important, specialized BPOs ensure proven onboarding methodologies: from designing scripts, FAQs, and escalation flows to controlled pilots for service calibration.

Languages and Location: Nearshore vs. Offshore Preferences

For Spanish startups, choosing the language and geographic location of the outsourced CX team is strategic. Since the main market is Spanish-speaking, there is a strong preference for partners offering native Spanish-speaking agents. In practice, this translates into a preference for nearshore centers in Latin America, which combine competitive costs with cultural and linguistic affinity.

In 2023, Colombia and Peru solidified their positions as the preferred destinations for Spanish companies' customer service operations, accounting for 90% of employees in foreign platforms in the sector (asociacioncex.org). On the other hand, approximately 72.5% of companies that outsource call centers do so with services provided entirely from Spain, and 27.5% combine national and foreign platforms.

Regarding other languages, many tech startups with international ambitions require multilingual support (English, French, etc.). Europe stands out for its focus on multilingual support: the region holds 26% of the global contact center market (globalgrowthinsights.com), allowing a Spanish startup to centralize its CX with a partner capable of serving clients in multiple languages without having to create local teams.

Trends: AI, Omnichannel and Flexible CX Models

New technologies and work models are redefining customer experience. A major trend is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in support processes. Currently, around 63.4% of companies use AI tools (chatbots, virtual assistants, automation) to improve support processes, and 81.3% acknowledge a positive impact of these technologies on customer satisfaction (hubspot.es/service-trends).

Gartner projects that by 2025, up to 80% of all customer service interactions will be managed by AI systems. For startups, this translates into opportunities to scale 24/7 support without dramatically increasing costs.

Another clear trend is the commitment to omnichannel. More than 48% of organizations already integrate omnichannel tools into their contact centers (globalgrowthinsights.com), allowing agents to see the full customer history and resume conversations across different media without losing context. In addition, 52% of support interactions already take place via social media or instant messaging, reflecting how the phone channel coexists with emerging digital channels.

Finally, the CX sector is adopting hybrid work models and more agile dynamics. Around 62% of contact center companies allow remote work (globalgrowthinsights.com). In Spain, hybrid platforms recorded an absenteeism rate of 11.75%, compared to 16.36% in fully in-person models, demonstrating their advantages.

About the Report

The “Minute Call Report 2025: State of Customer Experience in Spanish Startups” was prepared by the Minute Call research team, a provider specialized in flexible customer service solutions for emerging companies.

For the 2025 edition, public data from multiple sources was analyzed: industry studies (DBK Sector Observatory, CEX Association Market Study), economic press articles, surveys from tech companies, and publications from consulting firms.

All cited figures come from verifiable sources — including organizations like AEERC, Zendesk, HubSpot, Gartner, and Global Growth Insights — and cover the period 2023–2025.

Minute Call provides this report to the startup community for informational purposes, trusting that its findings will support decision-making related to customer experience.