Small outsourced customer support team

E-commerce stores, small software companies, subscription businesses and startups that need support but don't want to hire staff in-house.

Contracts priced per agent hour, per call or per resolved ticket, often with a monthly minimum. Your margin is the difference between what you charge and what you pay agents and for software.

• Hiring and training people
• Scheduling and managing a team
• Writing clear procedures and scripts
• Selling services to business owners

• Check whether your agents should be employees or independent contractors under IRS and state rules, and get workers' compensation once you hire employees
• Taking card payments over the phone can bring PCI compliance requirements, so check before offering it
• Call recording consent rules vary by state, and if you make outbound calls, telemarketing rules such as the TCPA may apply
• Insurance such as general liability, errors and omissions and cyber coverage is worth checking, since you handle client customer data
• Losing one big client can cut revenue sharply, so try not to depend on a single contract
• Check state and local business license and registration rules for your LLC or other business structure

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on your software, how many agents you hire and the insurance you choose. General liability, errors and omissions and cyber cover are worth checking.

Monthly revenue is typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how many clients you win and the hours your team covers. Losing one big client can cut revenue sharply, so avoid relying on a single contract.

Check whether agents should be employees or independent contractors under IRS and state rules, plus workers' compensation. Also check PCI requirements for card payments, call recording consent, telemarketing rules like the TCPA, and state business registration.