I’ll be honest—I didn’t rush into outsourcing our customer service overnight. Like every eCommerce business owner, I was skeptical. Would quality suffer? Would our customers even notice? Could anyone but my company really get our products and communicate effectively with them?
But after some years in the business, something hit me: the more that we expanded, the more that we had to outsource support to a staff that could cope. And when I was seeking balance, I looked at numerous ecommerce outsourcing companiesbefore deciding to outsource ecommerce customer service to a staff that could work along with us, not rather than us.
This blog is for anyone considering whether now’s the time to outsource—and how to outsource correctly.
Table of Contents
Why We Even Considered Outsourcing in the First Place
What I Learned About Starting to Outsource Ecommerce Customer Service (The Hard Way)
How AI Fits In—And Where It Falls Short
Case Study: Scaling with Human Support + AI Assistance
The Benefits I Didn’t Expect From Ecommerce Outsourcing Companies
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Key Takeaways
Why We Even Considered Outsourcing in the First Place
When we reached our third holiday season, our customer support inbox was inundated. Hundreds of tickets a day—order updates, size inquiries, returns, tracking links not functioning, you name it. And as a tiny team, we couldn’t manage.
We thought about hiring in-house, but this is what deterred us:
- Too costly to scale rapidly
- Difficult to provide 24/7 coverage without shifts or burnout
- Challenging to train and manage remotely
- That’s when I began researching ecommerce outsourcing companies—not to diminish our service quality, but to safeguard it.
A quality outsourcing partner could provide us with:
- Trained reps ready to deploy
- Full coverage on nights, weekends, and sales
- Multilingual support without the need to hire multiple reps
- Scalable team size depending on seasonal volume
And that’s when it clicked—outsourcing wasn’t about sacrificing control. It was about gaining capacity.
What I Learned About Starting to Outsource Ecommerce Customer Service (The Hard Way)
Let’s get real: not every outsourcing venture ends in victory. There’s a learning curve—and we crashed into it quickly.
Here’s what I learned (so you don’t have to):
1. Not all outsourcing companies are the same.
Some have your customers treated like ticket numbers. Others get their agents trained like your own employees. The difference is enormous.
2. You require transparent SOPs and documentation.
Even excellent support agents can’t read minds. You must supply brand guidelines, tone-of-voice guidelines, common FAQs, and escalation procedures.
3. Begin small before scaling.
We began with only 4 agents during a Black Friday sale. That pilot run allowed us to craft our workflows before turning over full-time operations.
4. Maintain human quality checks.
Auto-tagging and summarizing are great for what AI can do, but real support requires real humans verifying the output—particularly in eCommerce, where customer sentiment runs high.
5. Select a team that learns around your tools—not vice versa.
The top ecommerce outsourcing agencies plug right into your current platforms—Shopify, Gorgias, Zendesk, or even Slack for internal communications.
When executed well, outsourced support feels invisible—like an extension of your brand, not a handoff to some faceless strangers.
How AI Fits In—And Where It Falls Short
Many ecommerce outsourcing companies now employ AI for customer service in their backend processes. And although I like the speed and form it provides, we’ve never depended on AI alone to communicate with our customers.
Here’s what AI assists with:
- Tagging tickets and setting priority levels
- Writing responses based on ticket history
- Providing knowledge base suggestions to agents
- Auto-routing complicated issues to human leads
- But here’s where AI still lags behind:
- Dealing with emotional, upset, or perplexed customers
- Tailoring tone according to user profile or previous interactions
- Identifying sarcasm, humor, or brand-specific idiosyncrasies
- Escalating appropriately when nuance is at play
That’s why even when a customer service AI tool is involved, we always require human-driven final communication. That’s what keeps our brand trust—and returns and complaints low.
Case Study: Scaling with Human Support + AI Assistance
One of our fashion accessories clients experienced a growth spurt overnight after becoming viral on TikTok. Their in-house team wasn’t able to handle the unexpected 5x increase in support volume.
We assisted them in starting to outsource ecommerce customer service to an experienced remote team (ours), topped with light AI tools for optimization.
Here’s what we did:
- Applied AI to triage tickets and mark urgent ones
- Integrated with Shopify and Gorgias for smooth handling
- Developed macros, templates, and brand voice guides for the team
- Assigned agents to focus on sizing issues, returns, or shipping
- Implemented weekly human-led QA reviews
Results:
- 52% decrease in first-response time
- 3 times more tickets solved in less than 12 hours
- CSAT score increased from 84% to 96% within two months
- No customer complaints about tone or experience
- This AI-for-speed/human-for-quality hybrid model became our new normal.
The Benefits I Didn’t Expect From Ecommerce Outsourcing Companies
Sure, I expected lower overhead and faster replies. But here’s what surprised me the most:
- More time to focus on strategy: I wasn’t stuck in the inbox.
- Fresh insights: Agents spotted patterns in feedback that helped us improve product listings.
- Better retention: Happy customers stayed longer and bought again.
- Around-the-clock care: Customers in different time zones never felt ignored.
When we found the right partner, outsourcing didn’t feel like a compromise. It felt like an upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)1. Is ecommerce outsourcing companies costly?
Not necessarily. You pay only for the hours or tickets resolved—so it sometimes costs less than employing full-time in-house agents.
2. Can outsourced agents really get my brand?
Yes—if you give them clear guidelines, training documents, and ongoing feedback. It’s all about onboarding and control.
3. What’s the risk of outsourcing companies?
If you select a low-quality provider, the customer experience can be compromised. Vet thoroughly, test small, and remain engaged.
4. Should I use AI tools in outsourced support?
Use AI to increase speed and accuracy—but always combine it with human judgment for final answers.
5. How quickly can I begin outsourcing?
Some vendors can get a small team up and running in 3–5 days if you’re ready with your SOPs.
Key Takeaways
If you’re drowning in customer messages, now’s perhaps the time to outsource ecommerce customer service—but do it intelligently.
Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Select the appropriate partner, not the lowest-cost one.
- AI is useful, but humans still get points on quality.
- Invest in onboarding—your customers will notice the difference.
We’ve powered brands to scale their support with a human-first approach, with just the right amount of automation. And we’ve witnessed how ecommerce outsourcing companiescan enhance—not harm—customer loyalty.
Stuck trying to determine what type of support configuration is right for your brand? Speak with our team—we’ll guide you through.
Stay updated on service tips and trends by following Vserve on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
