In-house vs. outsourcing: Which is more efficient in the long term?

Why the decision is more important than ever

Customer support is no longer just a service element – it is a central component of brand identity. According to a study by Zendesk (2024), 81% of customers say that a positive support experience directly influences their purchasing decision. At the same time, 61% of companies consider their support to be too expensive or inefficient.

In e-commerce in particular, one question is becoming increasingly important:

Should support be set up internally or outsourced to a specialised provider?

In-house support – control with high fixed costs

An internal team offers maximum proximity to the brand. Communication is direct, decisions can be made immediately, and employees know the products inside out. But this proximity comes at a price.

A support staff member in the UK costs an average of £45,000 to £55,000 per year, including ancillary costs (Stepstone Salary Report 2025). Added to this are training, infrastructure, holiday cover and software licences. During seasonal peaks – such as Christmas or the launch of new products – it is difficult to expand the team flexibly without incurring significant additional costs.

Added to this is the shortage of skilled workers: Bitkom (2023) reports over 149,000 vacancies in the digital services and IT sector. And even when employees are found, the average length of stay in e-commerce support is only 1.5 years (Glassdoor 2024).

In short, in-house means full control, but low scalability and high running costs.

Outsourcing – efficiency through flexibility

Outsourcing has changed significantly in recent years. What used to be associated with anonymous call centres is now a professional, brand-integrated service. Providers such as Avento combine modern technology with trained, German-speaking support teams who work directly in the customer's existing systems.

The biggest advantage is flexibility: companies only pay for the actual ticket volume – not for idle time or sick days.

The support team can respond quickly to seasonal peaks, and processes are continuously evaluated and optimised using data.

According to a study by Deloitte (2024), professional outsourcing reduces companies' support costs by an average of 30 to 45%, while customer satisfaction increases by 20%.

The difference is also clear in terms of technology: modern providers work directly in tools such as Gorgias, Shopify or Zendesk and combine chatbot automation with human support. This means there are no system breaks – and the customer doesn't notice any difference between whether a response was written internally or externally.

The technological lever

Outsourcing is no longer just a personnel issue, but also a technological one.

AI-supported systems now handle up to 60% of all recurring enquiries – for example, about delivery times, returns or order status (Salesforce State of Service 2025).

This relieves the human team and ensures consistent response quality.

The combined use of chatbots and premium ticketing creates a hybrid structure:

automation takes care of routine tasks, while humans take responsibility – quickly, empathetically and in line with the brand.

Long-term efficiency

Practical experience shows that

in-house teams make sense when products require a lot of explanation or when internal knowledge sharing is crucial.

Outsourcing is more efficient when support volumes fluctuate greatly or cost control is a priority.

PwC (2024) has determined that outsourced support structures achieve up to 35% lower costs per enquiry and 25% faster response times – while maintaining the same level of customer satisfaction.

Especially in times of growing customer demands and high personnel costs, outsourcing thus becomes a strategic lever rather than a stopgap solution.

In the long term, neither pure in-house nor pure outsourcing support is the perfect solution.

The greatest efficiency gains come from hybrid models – that is, a combination of internal brand management and external, scalable support.

This allows companies to retain control over their brand while benefiting from flexibility, measurable efficiency and modern technology.

The goal is clear: less effort, lower costs, better customer experiences.

Professional outsourcing is not a cost factor – it is a competitive advantage.

And with a partner like Avento, customer support is transformed from a burden into a real growth driver.

Curious?

Book a consultation now and find out how we can improve your support together.