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Hire an offshore customer service representative in the Philippines for your Australian business

An offshore customer service representative from Offshored costs A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month, all-inclusive, and answers your phone, chat and email in your helpdesk during Australian business hours, dedicated to your business alone.

This is not a call centre seat. One person, employed full time, trained on your products and policies, answering only your customers in your brand voice. You set the service standards; Offshored recruits, onboards and manages them, and Australian Pathways OPC employs them in the Philippines.

The role

What an offshore customer service representative does

An offshore customer service representative handles the front line of your customer contact: inbound calls, live chat, support tickets and email, plus the outbound follow-ups that keep customers informed. They work inside your helpdesk, phone system and CRM, follow your scripts and escalation rules, and hand anything that needs a local decision to the right person in your team.

Because the person is dedicated to your business, the knowledge compounds. Within the first month they know your products, your regulars, your delivery partners and the five questions that make up half the queue. That is the difference between a dedicated team member and a shared outsourcing seat, where the agent taking your call may have handled another company's customers ten minutes earlier.

You set the standards: response times, tone, and how refunds, returns and warranty claims are handled under your policies and the Australian Consumer Law guarantees. They work in your systems with the access you grant, every shift is logged, and attendance records are available on request.

Task list

Tasks you can hand to an offshore customer service representative

Start with the first column and add the second as trust builds. Your team member follows your procedures and your approval limits, documented during onboarding.

  • Inbound phone support answering calls on your number through your VoIP system, resolving routine enquiries, taking messages and transferring the calls that need a specialist
  • Live chat and email tickets working the website chat and support inbox to your agreed response times, using your macros and knowledge base, and closing tickets with a clear record
  • Order, delivery and returns queries tracking orders, updating customers on delays, and processing returns, exchanges and refunds under your policy and the Australian Consumer Law guarantees
  • Bookings and appointments taking and confirming bookings, sending reminders, rescheduling and filling cancellations for clinics, salons, trades and service businesses
  • Complaint handling and escalation acknowledging complaints promptly, gathering the facts, resolving what sits inside your policy and escalating the rest with a full note
  • Outbound follow-ups and reviews post-service check-ins, satisfaction calls, warranty registrations and requests for Google reviews once a job or order is complete
  • Marketplace and social messages replying to customer messages on eBay, Amazon Australia, Facebook and Instagram within the response windows those platforms measure
  • Knowledge base and macros keeping help articles, canned replies and internal notes current so answers stay consistent as your team grows
  • Reporting tagging tickets by cause and reporting the weekly numbers: volume, first response time, resolution time and the issues driving contacts
  • Overflow for your Australian team taking the routine queue so your local staff handle the complex, high-value or sensitive conversations
Systems

Tools an offshore customer service representative typically uses

ZendeskFreshdeskZoho DeskGorgiasIntercomHelp ScoutAircall, RingCentral and 3CXMicrosoft Teams Phone and Zoom PhoneShopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerceMaropost Commerce Cloud (Neto)eBay Australia and Amazon AustraliaAustralia Post, Shippit and Sendle portalsCliniko, Halaxy and TimelyServiceM8 and simPROZoho CRM, Salesforce and GoHighLevelGoogle Workspace or Microsoft 365

Australian online retailers usually run support in Zendesk, Freshdesk or Gorgias on top of a Shopify or WooCommerce store, with Australia Post or Shippit for tracking; service businesses run it through a VoIP system and a booking platform such as Cliniko or ServiceM8. Tell us your helpdesk and phone system on the first call and we shortlist candidates who already use them.

Monthly cost

How much an offshore customer service representative costs per month

An offshore customer service representative from Offshored costs A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month. That is one flat, all-inclusive fee per full-time team member, invoiced monthly in advance, in the administration and support band on our pricing page.

ItemOffshore customer service representative
Monthly feeA$1,900 to A$2,400 per month
Where in the bandLower end for email and chat support from your knowledge base; upper end for a representative handling phone, chat and email across a busy queue with complaint resolution and weekly reporting
What is includedEverything: recruitment and vetting, employment in the Philippines by Australian Pathways OPC, salary, Philippine income tax and statutory contributions (SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG), 13th month pay, paid leave, HMO health insurance, payroll, timekeeping, HR and performance management, office space and equipment for office based team members, and replacement at our cost if the person leaves
What is not includedSeats in your own software and phone systems, hours outside the agreed eight-hour day, and your own time managing the work day to day, as with any employee

A local customer service hire costs far more than the monthly fee once salary, superannuation, leave, payroll tax and recruitment are counted; the 2026 offshore staff cost guide shows the sourced comparison. Every band is listed on the pricing page.

Who you get

Qualifications and experience

What Offshored looks for when shortlisting an offshore customer service representative for an Australian business:

  • Degree a bachelor's degree, commonly in communication, business or hospitality management, from a Philippine university where English is the language of instruction
  • Experience two or more years of customer support experience, usually with Australian, US or UK customers, across phone, chat or email or a mix of all three
  • English clear, neutral spoken English and strong written English; we screen with a live call and a written test because the person speaks for your brand on the phone and in every ticket
  • Helpdesk and CRM fluency hands-on experience with at least one ticketing system and one CRM from the list above, and the ability to learn yours quickly
  • Temperament patience and a calm manner with frustrated customers, and the discipline to follow an escalation rule rather than improvise
  • Vetting a pre-screening interview with Offshored's recruitment team in BGC, Manila and an NBI clearance (the Philippine police check) before any candidate is presented to you

You interview the shortlisted candidates yourself. We suggest a short role-play of a real customer call so you can hear how they handle your customers before you choose.

Working hours

Working hours and overlap with Australian time zones

Your offshore customer service representative works a full eight-hour day, Monday to Friday, at the times you set in your Australian time zone. Manila is two hours behind Sydney for most of the year, so the overlap is complete: they are online when you are, from your first coffee to close of business.

Your officeManila is behind byYour 9am to 5pm day in Manila time
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart2 hours (3 hours in daylight saving, October to April)7:00am to 3:00pm (6:00am to 2:00pm in daylight saving)
Brisbane and Queensland2 hours, all year7:00am to 3:00pm
Adelaide1.5 hours (2.5 hours in daylight saving)7:30am to 3:30pm (6:30am to 2:30pm in daylight saving)
Darwin1.5 hours, all year7:30am to 3:30pm
PerthNo difference, same time as Manila9:00am to 5:00pm

Team members work Australian public holidays unless the day is also a Philippine holiday, and Offshored gives you two business days' notice of any Philippine holiday that affects your team member's schedule. Every shift is logged on our timekeeping platform. See the FAQ on the Sydney to Manila time difference.

Three questions

What Australian owners ask before hiring an offshore customer service representative

How much does an offshore customer service representative cost in Australia?

An offshore customer service representative costs A$1,900 to A$2,400 a month through Offshored for one full-time person dedicated to your business. The fee is all-inclusive: recruitment, employment by Australian Pathways OPC, salary, 13th month pay, payroll, HMO health insurance, equipment, and replacement at Offshored's cost if the person leaves. There is no recruitment fee and no lock-in contract.

Will my customers know they are speaking to someone offshore?

Your representative answers on your number, in your brand voice, with your scripts and your policies, and works only for your business, so customers deal with a member of your team who knows your products. Offshored screens candidates for clear spoken and written English with a live call and a written test, and you interview the shortlist yourself before choosing.

Can an offshore customer service representative cover Australian business hours and public holidays?

Yes. Offshored staff work a Monday to Friday, eight-hour day at the times you set in your Australian time zone. They work Australian public holidays unless the day is also a Philippine holiday, and Offshored gives two business days' notice of any Philippine holiday that affects you.

Ready to talk about hiring an offshore customer service representative? Book a free 20-minute call.

Pick a time and William Smith, Offshored's co-founder, phones you. We scope the role, give you the monthly cost band and tell you honestly whether offshore staff will work for your business. No lock-in, no obligation.

Book a 20-minute call Call +61 437 228 350

Prefer to type? Message us on WhatsApp or send the enquiry form. We reply within one business hour, 8am to 6pm AEST, Monday to Friday.