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Quick answer: Call center outsourcing companies sell three different things: shared agents who answer for many businesses, dedicated agent teams priced per agent, and one full-time rep placed on your team. SAS, a U.S.-based call center founded in 1985, starts shared plans at $34 a month and prices dedicated agents at a few thousand dollars per agent per month. Most other providers, including The Connection, Ambs Call Center, Liveops, and SupportNinja, quote by program. If one full-time person can handle your calls, Stellar Staff places a dedicated rep for $1,999 a month for 160 hours, month to month.
Disclosure: Stellar Staff publishes this page and is one of the providers compared. Facts about every other company come from its own website, checked on October 28, 2026, and linked in its entry. Most call center outsourcing companies don't publish prices, and where that's the case, we say so.
The term call center outsourcing covers everything from a 24/7 answering service to a 500-seat program in another country. That's why price quotes for outsourced call center services can differ by a factor of ten for what sounds like the same job. Before you compare companies, it helps to know which of three models you're buying. This page explains the models, then compares six call center outsourcing companies that U.S. businesses commonly shortlist.
Six Call Center Outsourcing Companies Compared
| Company | Model | Agent location | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stellar Staff | One dedicated full-time rep | Primarily the Philippines | $1,999 a month for 160 hours |
| SAS | Shared agents or dedicated agents | United States | Shared from $34 a month; dedicated from a few thousand dollars per agent per month |
| The Connection | Inbound and outbound programs, technical support | United States | Quote only |
| Ambs Call Center | 24/7 inbound and outbound | United States (Michigan and Florida) | Quote only |
| Liveops | On-demand network of independent agents | U.S., Mexico, and offshore regions | Quote only, based on volume and channel mix |
| SupportNinja | Managed offshore support teams | Not stated; Philippine privacy registration | Quote only |
Shared Agents, Dedicated Teams, or One Full-Time Rep
Shared agents answer calls for many businesses from one pool. You pay by the minute, the call, or a monthly plan, and the agent follows a script you provide. It's the cheapest way to make sure a person picks up after hours or during overflow, but the agent won't know your customers or your systems in any depth.
Dedicated agent teams are hired and trained for one client's program. BPOs usually price them per agent per month or per productive hour, with minimum seat counts, setup costs, and contract terms that only show up in the quote. This model fits high, steady call volume that needs several agents on every shift.
One full-time rep works only for your business, inside your phone system, CRM, and help desk, during your hours. It fits a business whose call volume is real but not big enough for a team: one person can answer, follow up, book appointments, and update records. If you're mostly looking for someone to greet callers and route them, our remote receptionist page covers that role, and our guide to what a virtual receptionist costs compares pricing models.
U.S.-Based Call Center Outsourcing Services
These three providers staff calls with agents in the United States, which matters for some regulated industries and for buyers whose customers expect a U.S. voice.
SAS
SAS has run a call center since 1985 and uses a mix of U.S. work-from-home agents and agents in its own center. It offers inbound work, including customer service, help desk, order processing, and after-hours answering, and outbound work, including B2B telemarketing, appointment setting, and surveys. Shared plans start at $34 a month, and dedicated agents, hired and trained for one account, start at a few thousand dollars per agent per month. It says it has 15 pricing plans but doesn't list them, and its home page doesn't state contract terms.
The Connection
The Connection is a privately held U.S. call center based in Bloomington, Minnesota, with centers in several regions and more than 35 years in business. It covers inbound and outbound voice, email, chat, social media, SMS, and IVR around the clock, plus tiered technical support, appointment setting, and enrollment support. It doesn't publish prices or base packages and quotes each program.
Ambs Call Center
Ambs Call Center is headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, with a second site in Tampa, Florida, and offers 24/7 coverage with U.S.-based agents. It describes its pricing as transparent with no hidden fees but doesn't list rates on its site, so you'll get a number through a quote.
Flexible and Offshore Call Center Capacity
These two providers suit larger programs, either because volume swings a lot or because the team needs to be big enough that offshore rates make a difference.
Liveops
Liveops runs a network of certified, independent contractor agents rather than a traditional center, so you pay for active agent time instead of idle seats. It has agents onshore in the United States, nearshore in Mexico, and offshore in the Philippines, India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, and it schedules in 30-minute increments. Pricing depends on volume, channel mix, and specialization, and starts with a discovery call. It's strongest in insurance, financial services, retail, and healthcare programs.
SupportNinja
SupportNinja builds outsourced customer support teams in three tiers: talent you hire and manage yourself, a team it builds and manages, and custom programs for enterprises. It lists HIPAA, PCI-DSS 4.0, and SOC 2 Type 2 among its compliance claims. It doesn't publish prices, and its pricing page doesn't say where agents work, though its footer links to a Philippine privacy registration.
Enterprise BPOs such as TTEC, Concentrix, Alorica, and Foundever also run U.S. and offshore contact centers. They're built for programs with dozens or hundreds of seats and long contracts, so they're outside the scope of this comparison.
One Dedicated Phone Rep From a Staffing Agency
Stellar Staff
- Price: $1,999 a month on Pro or $2,999 on Executive, for 160 hours a month. Pro works out to about $12.50 an hour. A bilingual rep adds $200 a month.
- Terms: Month to month, no long-term contract, 14 days' notice to cancel.
- Hiring: You interview 2 to 3 finalists and pick one. The search takes 5 to 10 business days.
- Replacements: Free, forever, on managed plans.
Stellar Staff isn't a call center. It places one full-time call center VA who works only for your business, answers inbound calls, makes follow-up and outbound calls, books appointments, and logs every call in your CRM. Candidates go through written and spoken English verification, reference and equipment checks, skill assessments, and background checks, and Stellar accepts the top 0.1% of applicants. Stellar handles recruiting, payroll, HR, tracking, and replacements, and you direct the daily work. One rep covers one shift, so this model doesn't replace 24/7 coverage. For support that runs across email and chat as well as phone, see our customer service VA page.
Questions That Expose the Real Price
Because most call center outsourcing companies quote rather than publish, the quote is where the comparison happens. Ask each provider the same questions in writing.
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is pricing per minute, per call, per agent, or per productive hour? | A per-minute rate looks cheap until call length and wrap-up time are added |
| What's the minimum: seats, hours, or monthly spend? | Many dedicated programs have seat or spend minimums that set your real floor |
| What are the setup, training, and script-change fees? | They're often left off the first quote |
| How long is the contract, and what's the notice period? | Annual terms are common for dedicated teams |
| Will the same agents handle our calls every day? | Shared pools rotate agents, which affects quality on complex calls |
| Who listens to calls, and how is quality scored? | You want the scoring criteria, not just a promise of QA |
If you're comparing outsourcing for email and chat support too, our customer service outsourcing companies comparison covers providers built for multichannel support.
Choose Stellar Staff If One Rep Can Handle Your Calls
Choose Stellar Staff if your calls fit one person's full-time shift and you want that person to know your customers, your products, and your CRM. You get one dedicated rep at a published $1,999 a month for 160 hours, month to month, with free replacements, forever, on managed plans. A full-time hire through Stellar Staff comes in at a third of the cost of a local hire. Stellar Staff is the #2 VA agency on Clutch and has placed 1,000+ remote hires since 2022.
Choose a different provider if you need 24/7 coverage or overflow answering (SAS's shared plans or a 24/7 center such as Ambs), if you need several agents on every shift (a dedicated BPO team), or if your volume swings sharply by season (Liveops).
What Buyers Ask About Outsourced Call Centers
How much does call center outsourcing cost?
It depends on the model. Shared answering plans can start around $34 a month at SAS, and dedicated U.S. agents start at a few thousand dollars per agent per month, according to SAS. Most other providers quote by program. One dedicated full-time rep through Stellar Staff costs $1,999 a month for 160 hours.
What's the difference between call center outsourcing companies and an answering service?
An answering service uses shared agents to take messages and route calls for many businesses. A call center outsourcing company can also run dedicated agents who handle full customer conversations, sales, or support for one client. Some providers, like SAS, offer both.
Are there U.S.-based call center outsourcing companies?
Yes. SAS, The Connection, and Ambs Call Center all staff calls with U.S.-based agents, and Liveops has an onshore U.S. network. Expect U.S.-based agents to cost more than offshore ones.
Can a business with modest call volume outsource its calls?
Yes. Shared plans work for low volume or after-hours coverage, and one dedicated full-time rep works once calls fill a shift. Stellar Staff places one rep at a time, month to month, so you don't need to commit to a team.
How long does it take to start?
It varies by provider and program size. Larger programs need time for scripts, systems, and training. With Stellar Staff, the search takes 5 to 10 business days, and you interview 2 to 3 finalists before choosing your rep.
Estimate Your Call Volume Before Choosing a Provider
Pull a month of call data before you request a quote: how many calls come in, when they arrive, how long they last, and how many need a follow-up. That one report tells you whether you need shared overflow coverage, one dedicated rep, or a team, and it keeps every provider quoting the same job.
If one full-time rep fits, see Stellar Staff's plans or start a search.
Provider details were checked on each company's website on October 28, 2026. Most call center pricing is quoted per program, so confirm current terms before you sign.