Once you decide to outsource customer support, the next question is usually where the team should be. Onshore, nearshore and offshore call centers can all serve US and Canadian customers well. The location matters less than how the program is staffed, trained and managed, but each model brings different trade-offs on time zones, hiring, cost and oversight.
This guide compares the three models and gives you a checklist for choosing a partner. If you’re still deciding whether to outsource at all, start with our customer service outsourcing guide or our overview of inbound call center services.
Onshore, nearshore and offshore: what the terms mean
For a US or Canadian business, the three terms usually mean:
- Onshore. The team works in your own country.
- Nearshore. The team works in a nearby country in similar time zones. For North American brands, that usually means Mexico, Central America, South America or the Caribbean.
- Offshore. The team works farther away, often several time zones ahead, for example in Africa or Asia.
Many brands mix models, such as keeping specialist or licensed work onshore and outsourcing routine contacts, overflow and after-hours coverage to a nearshore or offshore team.
Why businesses look beyond onshore hiring
Hiring support staff locally is a constant job. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 289,500 openings for customer service representatives each year over the 2025-35 decade, all of them expected to come from replacing workers who move to other jobs or leave the workforce. The same BLS profile reports a median hourly wage of $21.53 in May 2025, before benefits, recruiting, training, supervision and tools.
Nearshore and offshore providers give you access to a wider hiring pool and can take over recruiting, training and management. The right choice depends on what your customers need, not just on the rate card.
Time zones and coverage
Time zones are the most visible difference between the models, and they cut both ways.
Nearshore teams usually share most of your working day. That makes live collaboration easy: your managers can join calibration sessions, answer escalations and run training during their own hours.
Offshore teams are often several hours ahead. Nigeria and Cameroon, for example, both use West Africa Time (UTC+1) all year, which is 6 hours ahead of New York while the US is on standard time (5 hours during daylight saving time). A team in that time zone can cover a US morning in its own afternoon, and US evenings and nights on planned shifts.
For a support line that runs 24/7, the time zone matters less than the shift plan, because every location needs night or early-morning shifts somewhere. The BLS notes that call center jobs may require early-morning or late-night shifts because some call centers are open 24 hours a day. What matters is who staffs each hour, who supervises it, and how shifts hand off. Our guide to 24/7 customer support outsourcing covers that in detail.
Whatever the model, set a few overlap hours each week when your managers and the provider’s supervisors meet live.
Language and communication
For US and Canadian customers, the team needs to communicate clearly and naturally in English, in writing and by phone. Don’t judge this from the sales call. Instead:
- Listen to real agents. Ask for sample calls or a short live demo with the people who would work on your program.
- Check written English too. If agents handle email or chat, review sample replies.
- Test your own scenarios. Give the provider a few of your common and difficult calls and hear how they’re handled.
- Ask how agents learn your tone. Good providers train on your playbook, greeting and examples, not a generic script.
Cost: compare total cost, not headline rates
Providers price differently, such as per agent, per hour or per contact, and rates vary widely by location and scope. Rather than comparing headline numbers, compare the full cost of the same coverage:
- What’s included. Recruiting, training, supervision, quality assurance, reporting and management may be in the price or billed separately.
- Ramp-up time. The BLS says customer service representatives usually receive short-term on-the-job training that typically lasts 2 to 4 weeks, and finance and insurance roles may need several months. Ask who pays for training time.
- Your own management time. Someone on your side owns the playbook, escalations and reviews, whatever the location.
- Changes in volume. Ask how quickly seats can be added or reduced and how that affects the price.
- The cost of poor service. A cheaper rate that leads to repeat calls, escalations or lost customers isn’t cheaper.
Quality and management
Quality depends far more on management than on geography. Ask every provider, nearshore or offshore:
- Will my program have dedicated agents, or will they be shared across clients?
- Who supervises each shift, and who is my single point of contact?
- How many interactions are reviewed for QA, against what scorecard, and how are results shared?
- How often will we hold calibration sessions so we score calls the same way?
- How is coaching handled when an agent falls short?
Data, tools and access
Agents may see customer information wherever they sit, so the access rules should be the same for every model:
- Work inside your tools. Agents should use your help desk, CRM and phone system with individual logins, so you keep the records.
- Give minimum access. Grant only the systems and permissions each role needs, and remove access promptly when someone leaves the program.
- Check IP requirements. If your platforms only allow logins from US IP addresses, confirm the provider can support US-IP-only work.
- Keep licensed work in-house where required. The BLS notes that representatives who give information about finance and insurance may need a state license.
- Review your own obligations. Ask how the provider’s access and data handling fit the privacy rules that apply to your business.
A quick way to decide
- Choose nearshore if your program needs a lot of live collaboration during your business day and your volume sits mostly in daytime hours.
- Choose offshore if you need dedicated English-speaking capacity that can scale, including coverage of your evenings, nights and weekends on planned shifts.
- Choose a mix if part of your work is specialist or licensed and part is routine and repeatable.
- In every case, pick the partner that can show you dedicated agents, a clear training plan, active QA and transparent management, and test them on real work before you commit.
Where Momopays fits
Momopays Group LLC is an offshore partner for US and Canadian brands. We run a 70-seat, 24/7, English-speaking customer support call center with delivery centers in Nigeria and Cameroon. We recruit dedicated agents for your program and train them on your playbook, using the materials and tools you supply. Staffing, quality assurance and management are included, and US-IP-only work is available where your program requires it. Our AI-powered operations help us staff, train and expand teams quickly. See our Call Center & BPO services and the four steps on our How we work page.
The simplest way to judge any location is to watch the team handle your own customers. Our 5-agent, 30-day pilot lets you do that before committing to more, or you can contact us to talk through your hours, volume and goals.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between offshore and nearshore call centers?
A nearshore call center is in a nearby country in similar time zones, such as Mexico or Latin America for North American brands. An offshore call center is farther away, often several time zones ahead, such as in Africa or Asia.
Is an offshore call center cheaper than a nearshore one?
Not always. Rates vary by provider, location and scope. Compare the total cost of the same coverage, including recruiting, training, supervision, QA, reporting and your own management time, rather than headline hourly rates.
Can an offshore team support US customers during US business hours?
Yes. Hours are set by the shift plan, not the location. Teams in West Africa Time, for example, are 5 to 6 hours ahead of New York, so US mornings fall in their afternoon and US evenings and nights are covered on planned shifts.
How do I check English quality before hiring a call center?
Listen to sample calls from the agents who would work on your program, review written replies if they’ll handle email or chat, and test them on a few of your own common and difficult scenarios. A short pilot on real contacts is the best test.
Where are Momopays agents located?
Momopays runs English-speaking customer support teams for US and Canadian brands from delivery centers in Nigeria and Cameroon, with a 70-seat, 24/7 call center and a 5-agent, 30-day pilot for Call Center & BPO Operations.