How Curiosity Stream saves 75% of its CX budget, cutting costs without compromise
"Work for Impact allows us to maintain an exceptional standard of service while lowering costs and offering better pay for talent. Three birds with one stone!"
Andrew Echeguren
Senior CX Manager
75%
cost reduction
100K
customer inquiries annually
24M+
customers
About Curiosity Stream
A publicly traded streaming platform loved by 24M+
Curiosity Stream Inc. is the world’s first publicly traded streaming media company dedicated to factual content, captivating an audience of approximately 24 million paid subscribers worldwide. From the award-winning Curiosity Stream, home to thousands of documentaries – including the Emmy Award-winning Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places – to the Curiosity Audio Network, delivering thought-provoking podcasts, and Curiosity University, where top professors share engaging lectures, Curiosity Stream fuels minds with knowledge and wonder.
Exceptional customer experience is central to Curiosity Stream’s success. Seamless support access, efficient issue resolution, and proactive assistance are essential for both retention and acquisition. By ensuring every interaction is smooth and engaging, Curiosity Stream transforms curiosity into discovery – without interruption.
The challenge
Escalating CX costs & operational inefficiencies
Curiosity Stream’s previous customer service solution, managed through a BPO, faced two key challenges: escalating costs and communication bottlenecks. As the CX budget surged, rising costs per ticket and increasing BPO contract expenses became a major concern for Andrew Echeguren, Senior CX Manager, as well as the COO and CFO, who were focused on company-wide cost optimization. In an effort to cut expenses while maintaining excellent service, customer service operations were relocated from the U.S. to the Philippines, but budgetary and operational inefficiencies persisted.
A lack of direct communication with customer service representatives also created operational bottlenecks. Information had to pass through layers of BPO management, leading to slower decision-making and reduced agility in addressing customer concerns. These challenges underscored the need for a more cost-effective and streamlined approach to customer service.
"Our biggest priority was exceptional service and our biggest challenge was growing costs. Our CX budget had ballooned as we added agents, and the BPO contract costs rose each year. While they were a great partner, the expense ultimately became untenable for our business."
Andrew Echeguren
Senior CX Manager
The solution
A cost-effective, fairly-paid CX team in the Philippines
Work for Impact provided Curiosity Stream with an alternative to traditional outsourcing, offering a fully integrated, in-house-style CX team while maintaining cost efficiency and ethical employment practices. After evaluating multiple providers, Work for Impact stood out by striking a balance no other competitor could achieve. As Andrew says, “Getting approval from the COO and CFO was easy – I could show that we’d maintain exceptional service, pay talent better, and cut costs, all at the same time.”
The transition was seamless. Curiosity Stream hired a team lead and six frontline CX representatives in the Philippines through Work for Impact. The team lead structured the training process, getting all new hires fully operational and onboarded to the company’s tech stack within a week. Now, the outsourced team is successfully handling approximately 2,000 enquiries every week.
"Now, outsourced CX is embedded directly in the business – it’s an outsourced team that feels much more in-house. I interact much more directly with the team members – I’m right there in the Slack channel with them!"
Andrew Echeguren
Senior CX Manager at Curiosity Stream
The impact
Cutting costs without compromise
Optimizing spend while maintaining great CSAT
Curiosity Stream cut costs by 75%, saving $10 per agent per hour while maintaining top-tier CSAT, speed, and retention – proving cost savings don’t have to compromise customer experience.
Ethical work for happier talent
“Work for Impact’s B Corp status was a key factor,” says Andrew. “CX is demanding yet rewarding, and we want to make sure our agents are fairly paid. Happier agents deliver better customer experiences.”
An outsourced team that feels in-house
With communication barriers eliminated, Andrew now works directly with agents, resolving issues faster. Integrated with company tools, the outsourced team operates seamlessly – just like in-house staff.
Seamless recruitment and onboarding
With flexible contracts, scaling the team up or down for seasonal demand is effortless. Work for Impact sources qualified talent within 1-3 weeks, and Andrew can review candidates directly on the platform.
Greater control and transparency
Curiosity Stream's team can oversee worklogs – complete with time tracking, screenshots, and payroll – making it easy to approve overtime, manage budgets, and gain valuable performance insights.
"We feel so supported by Work for Impact’s Client Success team. I can just ping them about talent updates or hiring requests and they’ll get started within a few hours."
Andrew Echeguren
Senior CX Manager