Why the Best CX Talent Is Now Found Overseas (If You Know Where to Look)

• The Modern Agent Has Evolved: As AI automates simple queries, the value of human agents now lies in their ability to manage complex, emotionally charged interactions. This requires a new trifecta of skills: high emotional intelligence (EQ), sharp analytical thinking and deep technological fluency.
• A Strategic Global Approach is Essential: Finding this evolved talent domestically is increasingly difficult and costly. The solution isn't just to go offshore, but to strategically select global talent from global areas based on their unique strengths like the Philippines for empathy, India for technical scale, Mexico & Colombia for bilingual alignment and Poland for multilingual European support.
• Ethical Hiring Drives Better CX Outcomes: Traditional outsourcing models often fail due to high attrition and low quality. An ethical staffing model that guarantees fair, living wages is the key to unlocking a stable, motivated and high-performing global team, directly translating to superior CSAT scores and significant long-term cost savings.

In an era of AI-powered immediacy, customers expect seamless and empathetic resolutions. This expectation has turned customer experience (CX) from a support function into a key competitive differentiator. With 86% of buyers willing to pay more for a superior experience (PwC Future of CX), the pressure is on CX leaders to deliver excellence.

The challenge is clear: how do you elevate service quality while managing costs? The answer lies in finding highly motivated, skilled talent. For that, you need to look beyond your borders.

The role of a CX agent has fundamentally changed. Simple, repetitive queries are now handled by AI, leaving human agents to manage the most intricate, nuanced and emotionally charged customer issues. These are the make-or-break moments where brand loyalty is either forged or shattered.

This modern CX professional is no longer measured by calls per hour but by their ability to solve complex problems and build connections. They are defined by a powerful combination of three core competencies:

• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): The ability to demonstrate genuine empathy, actively listen and de-escalate sensitive situations has become the most critical skill. It's the human connection that technology can't replicate.
• Analytical Thinking: Agents must now diagnose multi-faceted issues, interpret data from various systems, and devise creative, non-scripted solutions for complex customer journeys.
• Technological Fluency: Modern agents must collaborate seamlessly with a sophisticated tech stack, leveraging real-time data from AI copilots and navigating an omnichannel environment to provide a consistent experience.

Finding this evolved talent domestically is becoming harder and more expensive. A 2024 Manpower Group survey revealed that 75% of employers face significant difficulties filling vacant positions. The result is often a costly mismatch. CX leaders who want to build a world-class team must think bigger and look further afield.

A modern approach to building an offshore customer support team is not a race to the bottom on cost. It's a strategic exercise in matching your business needs with the unique strengths of different global talent hubs and the talent themselves. Here’s our breakdown of the best countries for CX talent in 2025.

For over a decade, the Philippines has been a leader in the BPO industry, built on a unique combination of cultural affinity with Western markets, high English proficiency and a deep-seated service-oriented culture. With a 97% literacy rate and a growing educational focus on service professions, the Filipino workforce has a strong foundation in the soft skills essential for modern, high-EQ customer support.

India offers unparalleled scale and deep technical expertise. Home to one of the world's largest pools of STEM talent (producing over 2.55 million graduates annually), it's the ideal location for technical support, complex back-office functions and data-driven CX roles. The talent pool is also rapidly aligning with future needs, with many graduates moving into AI-related fields.

For North American-based companies, Mexico and Colombia’s value is built on a large, technically skilled and bilingual workforce in a compatible time zone. While general English proficiency is lower than in other regions, approximately one in three university graduates speaks English, creating a concentrated, accessible talent pool perfect for professional CX roles that require seamless North American coverage.

With the largest tech talent pool in Central and Eastern Europe, Poland is a strategic hub for serving the diverse European market. The workforce is highly educated, technically proficient and deeply multilingual. Beyond ranking 13th globally in English proficiency, German is widely spoken, making Poland an ideal choice for businesses navigating GDPR compliance and requiring support for multiple European languages.

Knowing where to find talent is only half the battle. The question is how to access it effectively. Conventional outsourcing is often fraught with quality control issues, high agent attrition and a lack of transparency.

At Work for Impact, we believe there's a better way. As a certified B Corp, we've pioneered an ethical, transparent and cost-effective model for customer service staffing. We connect you directly with global talent that perfectly matches your needs.

Our model is built on a simple premise: happy, fairly paid and highly talented agents deliver superior customer experiences.

We do this through a rigorous vetting process that assesses hard skills, soft skills and cultural alignment. Crucially, we ensure every agent earns a fair, living wage, on average 280% above their local living wage. This ethical approach drives motivation, loyalty and our near-zero attrition rate, giving you a stable, high-performing team.

The results speak for themselves:

• Curiosity Stream: Reduced customer service costs by 75% while handling 100,000 annual inquiries.
• Outside: Achieved 25% savings alongside a remarkable 99% CSAT score.
• Outdoorsy: Cut talent costs by 50% while improving CSAT by 15%.

Ready to build a world-class CX team? Let's find the talent that will drive your business forward.

While AI is excellent for handling simple, repetitive queries, it can't manage the complex, high-stakes interactions that build brand loyalty. These moments require advanced human skills like empathy and creative problem-solving. The domestic market for this top-tier talent is incredibly competitive and expensive, making it difficult to scale a world-class team without unsustainable costs. A global talent strategy allows you to find these specialized skills at scale while maintaining a healthy budget.

Not at all. Traditional outsourcing is a race to the bottom on cost, which is why it’s plagued by high agent turnover and inconsistent quality. A strategic, ethical hiring model is fundamentally different. It focuses on finding the right skills in the best global markets and ensures agents are paid a fair, living wage. This fosters motivation and loyalty, creating a stable, high-performing team with near-zero attrition that acts as a true extension of your brand.

The best location and people depend entirely on your business needs. It can be difficult to shift through thousands of potential people to find the right talent. Its a challenge solve for our customers every day. We take the time to understand your exact business needs and then vet our 10m+ talent database to find the right people for you to interview.

Yes, absolutely. The return on investment is significant. Paying a fair, livable wage is the single most effective way to combat agent attrition—a massive hidden cost in traditional models due to constant recruitment and retraining. Equally our model strips out the hidden costs involved with conventional outsourcing, we pass those savings onto our clients and to the talent through fair wages.