The short answer
In 2026, outsourced customer service typically runs €6–€12 per agent-hour offshore, €14–€24 nearshore (Cyprus, Portugal, Romania) and €30–€55 onshore in Western Europe. Nearshore Cyprus is usually 40–60% cheaper than an equivalent in-house team in the UK, DACH or the Nordics once recruitment, technology and attrition costs are counted.
Per-agent-hour ranges by region (2026)
| Region | Range €/hr | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Offshore (India, Philippines) | €6 – €12 | Highest volume, price-sensitive, English-only |
| Nearshore EU (Cyprus, Portugal, Romania) | €14 – €24 | European customers, GDPR, multilingual, same time zone |
| Onshore (UK, DACH, Nordics) | €30 – €55 | Highly regulated, brand-critical, small teams |
The three pricing models
Per-agent-hour
Dedicated or shared agents billed by the productive hour. Best for steady inbound volumes with predictable staffing.
Per-interaction
Billed per handled call, ticket or chat. Best for spiky or seasonal traffic where the volume is hard to forecast.
Monthly retainer / campaign fee
Fixed monthly fee for dedicated capacity, or a fixed campaign fee for a defined outbound project (sales, surveys, win-back).
Worked example: in-house vs nearshore Cyprus
10 FTE customer support team, 12h/day coverage, 5 days a week, English + Greek. Annual cost estimate:
| Cost line | In-house (UK) | Nearshore Cyprus |
|---|---|---|
| Salaries + employer costs | €520,000 | €215,000 |
| Recruitment & training | €45,000 | Included |
| Telephony, CRM, WFM licences | €38,000 | Included |
| Management overhead | €72,000 | Included |
| ISO / compliance | €25,000 | Included |
| Total annual | ~ €700,000 | ~ €280,000 |
Illustrative only — actual quotes depend on your volumes, channels, SLA targets and required languages.
Hidden costs to ask about
- One-off onboarding and training fee
- Telephony / CRM integration cost
- Out-of-hours and weekend premium
- Additional-language surcharge
- Escalation / senior-agent hourly rate
- Bespoke reporting or dashboards