- Transcom supports more than 300 clients globally, including disruptive e-commerce players and category-redefining fintechs, across 29 countries.
- Transcom's autopilot conversational AI bots resolve high-volume contacts such as order status and returns, routing complex issues to human agents.
- Transcom carries PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and TISAX certifications, meeting the compliance bar fintech and e-commerce companies require.
Denver, CO, Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The more autonomy AI gains in customer service, the more human oversight it requires, according to the 2026 CX Trends report from Transcom, an AI and digitally enhanced customer experience (CX) services provider. It is one of five AI paradoxes the report identifies, and it frames a decision now in front of CX leaders: how to structure customer support outsourcing so it scales with the business while keeping people on the interactions that build loyalty.
The options open to CX leaders have widened, from flexible offshore and nearshore teams to AI-assisted support that keeps humans in the loop. Transcom works with more than 300 clients that include disruptive e-commerce players and category-redefining fintechs, from fast-scaling startups to established brands.
Jack Meek, Chief Client Officer for the Americas and APAC at Transcom, said, "CX leaders get the most from outsourcing when they build a support model designed to evolve with the business. The goal isn't simply to add people or reduce cost. It's to create the right mix of great talent, technology, and AI. Automate the work where speed and consistency matter, and keep people focused on the conversations where judgment, empathy, and relationships drive customer loyalty."
KEY FACTS
- Where and how a team is staffed determines how fast a company can add or shed capacity.
- AI's value in support shows up first in speed and consistency.
- According to Transcom's 2026 CX Trends report, greater AI autonomy raises the need for human oversight.
The options below are ordered the way CX leaders tend to weigh them, starting with how a team is staffed and ending with how the whole support operation is designed. No single option is best for every company. The right mix depends on budget and how regulated the business is.
Flexible staffing models let a team scale capacity without fixed hiring costs.
Location and work-at-home networks let a company add capacity for a launch or seasonal surge, then scale back. Briefly, the models differ by where agents sit:
| Model | Where agents sit | Best for |
| Onshore | The customers' country | Closest cultural fit, highest cost |
| Nearshore | Nearby countries, similar time zones | Balancing cost and time-zone overlap |
| Offshore | Distant, lower-cost locations | Scale and 24/7 coverage |
| Work-at-home | Remote agents across regions | Recruitment flexibility and broad talent reach |
The signal to look for is a partner that can move work between models as the company grows. Providers running distributed models across many countries, Transcom among them with 80+ contact centers and work-at-home networks in 29 countries, are built for that.
A shared-agent model keeps early costs low, a dedicated team protects brand voice.
Early on, shared agents keep costs down. As the brand develops, a dedicated team protects voice and quality. Look at who a provider works with now. A roster of big, established accounts can mean they're not set up to keep pace with a business still changing quickly.
AI-assisted support works best when it speeds up agents rather than replaces them.
When AI handles the repetitive questions, the team is free to focus on the conversations that need their input. CX leaders should ask whether a provider uses AI to accelerate agents, keeping a person in the loop for sensitive topics. In one Transcom engagement, a consumer electronics and appliances company reached twice its bot resolution rate with a generative AI chatbot while agents stayed on complex contacts.
Round-the-clock, multilingual coverage often matters earlier than CX leaders expect.
Companies often serve customers across time zones before they can staff to match, so 24/7 and multilingual coverage can be necessary sooner than planned. That coverage spans the channels customers actually use, including voice, chat, email and social, rather than a single channel stretched thin.
Built-in compliance belongs on the checklist from day one.
For fintech, e-commerce, and health-adjacent businesses, the wrong support setup can create regulatory exposure. CX leaders should confirm a provider carries the standards their industry requires, such as PCI DSS for payments, SOC 2 for data handling and ISO 27001 for information security, before sharing customer data.
Getting the setup right early avoids costly rebuilds.
CX leaders who avoid rebuilds treat support as a system to design, mapping channels and escalation paths before volume arrives. Advisory or onboarding support helps a small team make those structural calls early, when they are more affordable.
For a growing company, the right support setup adjusts with growth, meeting the compliance bar in the process.
FAQ
Question: Is it cheaper to outsource customer support or hire in-house?
Answer: It depends on stage and volume. For many teams, outsourcing avoids the fixed cost of recruiting, training, and managing a full team, and shared or flexible models let spending track actual demand. Providers that operate across locations give CX leaders more ways to match cost to budget.
Question: How do outsourcing providers charge, and which pricing model fits your business?
Answer: Pricing usually follows a few models, and the right fit depends on volume. Per-hour or per-agent pricing suits steady workloads; per-resolution pricing ties cost to results and protects margin when volume is spiky; and shared or pay-as-you-go models keep spend low for lean or early-stage teams. Ask how pricing shifts when volume changes, and whether you can change models as you grow.
Question: How quickly can an outsourced team scale as a company grows?
Answer: Faster than in-house hiring, which is often the point. A provider with established contact centers and work-at-home networks can add trained capacity without a company running its own recruitment. Transcom operates more than 80 such centers and networks, supporting rapid changes in volume.
Question: Can outsourced support meet fintech or regulated-industry compliance needs?
Answer: Yes, when the provider holds the right certifications. Regulated businesses should confirm a partner's data-security and compliance credentials before signing. Transcom maintains PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and TISAX certifications.
Source: *Customer Experience Outsourcing Services Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Deployment (On-premises, Cloud), By Application (IT or Administrative Support Outsourcing, Marketing & Sales Outsourcing, Processes Specific Outsourcing, Project outsourcing, Others), By Industry (Healthcare, Government, BFSI, Real Estate, Manufacturing) And Regional Forecast, 2026-2034, Fortune Business Insights, 2026.
About Transcom
Transcom provides AI and digitally enhanced customer experience (CX) services to some of the world's most ambitious brands. More than 300 clients globally, including disruptive e-commerce players, category redefining fintechs, and technology legends rely on us for on-, off-, and nearshoring services. Transcom’s over 30,000 employees work in 80+ contact centers and work-at-home networks across 29 countries, creating brilliant experiences in customer care, sales, content moderation and backoffice services. We help our clients drive their brands forward, customer satisfaction up and operating costs down. For more information, visit www.transcom.com.
