Sales BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) is transforming how companies approach revenue generation, yet many sales professionals remain unclear about its applications and benefits.

It refers to hiring third party contractors to handle specific business functions. And when applied to sales, known as outsourced sales, it involves delegating specific sale-sy tasks to external teams. 

This approach is gaining traction by the day and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% between 2025 - 2030. In this blog post, we will explain sales BPO, why companies use it, the top advantages, and real-world examples. Let’s go!

Why outsource sales?

Sales is a competitive industry and reps often face tight quotas, strict deadlines, limited headcount and minimal resources. Many even fail to meet quota targets, which leads to a constrained sales pipeline. To fill these gaps, many sales leaders resort to outsourcing specific parts of the sales function. 

Companies outsource tasks like lead generation, telesales, appointment setting, and sales support, in order to free the internal team from micromanaging and focus more on what’s important, that is, client relationships and closing deals. 

They also outsource inside sales teams to drive more outreach with specialized teams. 

For example, a small business might hire an external call center to handle early-stage calls or a third party to schedule demos with prospects.

Now that we have an idea of why companies outsource certain services, let’s move on to the types of outsourcing. 

What are the primary types of BPO?

Businesses primarily choose to outsource for their front office desk and back office operations.

‍Common front-office BPO services:

• Customer Support & Call Centers
• Sales & Lead Generation
• Technical Support
• Marketing Campaign Management
• Order Processing & Helpdesks

Common back-office BPO services:

• Billing & Invoicing
• Payroll Processing
• Human Resources Administration
• Data Entry & Data Management
• IT Infrastructure Support

What are the key benefits of sales in BPO?

1. Operational Benefits

📈 Faster scaling & growth

It is easy to ramp up (or down) external teams. A sales BPO already has trained sales reps and technology, therefore entering new markets or launching campaigns is much easier and quicker without going through long hiring cycles. 

🌪️ Flexibility and risk mitigation

BPO partnerships make it easy to scale your workforce up or down depending on seasonality, new product launches, or market demands - without the headache of hiring, onboarding, or downsizing.

For example, E-commerce brands often increase customer support staff during holiday shopping seasons through BPO partners.

⏳ 24/7 coverage

Outsourcers in different time zones or dedicated shifts can engage prospects after hours or on weekends, ensuring opportunities aren’t missed. This constant availability can improve customer experience and capture leads that would slip through in a single-shift operation.

☄️ Increased pipeline & leads

Expert BPO teams usually manage to book more appointments and also bring in qualified leads compared to internal efforts. 

2. Strategic Benefits

🎓 Specialized expertise

Sales BPO providers are marketing and sales experts. They are trained in sales related activities like SDR team tactics, outbound email best practices, multilingual outreach or CRM analytics that in-house teams may lack. 

It’s the easiest gateway to market expertise without having to train or hire new employees. 

🔍 Focus on core activities

One of the main reasons why companies also resort to outsourcing is, they don’t want their employees to spend reckless time on boring and dead-end cold calls.

Hiring people who are pre-trained, frees sales executives to focus more on solving client problems, demo sessions, negotiations, and closing. 

3. Financial Benefits

💰 Cost efficiency

Building an in-house sales team is expensive (recruiting, salaries, benefits, training). And because companies outsource these services, they avoid many fixed costs. 

BPO firms invest heavily in upskilling their employees and using modern technology like AI, automation, analytics, and CRM systems - an advantage for the companies who are outsourcing without bearing the setup costs. 

According to Deloitte’s Global Outsourcing Survey, 70% of companies cite cost reduction as their primary reason for outsourcing. 

Case studies of companies who benefited from BPO in sales

ZoomIn

ZoomIn, a software startup, had only a two-person sales team with virtually no outbound process. They hired a sales BPO firm to craft their messaging and run outbound campaigns. 

Within four months, ZoomIn’s outsourced team booked multiple discovery calls and closed the very first deal, quickly proving the ROI.

The steady stream of meetings (dozens per quarter) and pipeline growth helped justify the investment. In fact, ZoomIn’s CEO later noted: “Within four months, we closed our first deal, and the sales cycle paid for itself. We went from no outbound strategy to a consistent flow of new business.”

AchieveIt

AchieveIt, a strategic planning software provider, struggled to prospect while also managing current clients. They teamed up with a sales BPO to provide dedicated SDRs and a playbook for targeting government-sector clients.

The results were dramatic: over the campaign’s life they generated a $27 million sales pipeline and booked $540K in new annual contracts (18 closed deals). In total, more than 900 qualified meetings were set. Overall, the outsourced effort doubled to tripled AchieveIt’s sales pipeline, and at least 10 deals were directly attributed to the BPO team. 

As AchieveIt’s director said, “My pipeline is always going to grow. If I have to close a deal, another one is right behind because SalesRoads will help me get there”

Rudholm Group

Rudholm Group is a 70-year-old global packaging supplier.

In 2024 they wanted to expand sales in the US and UK but struggled to recruit seasoned reps. After initial in-house efforts were crushed, their CEO brought in a BPO partner specializing in sales automation. Within weeks, the outsourcing team secured meetings with major national retailers (household brand names) that Rudholm hadn’t reached before. 

Response rates were impressive - some campaigns saw 55 - 60% positive reply rates from buyers. In short order, Rudholm built a robust new pipeline from these high-quality leads. The CEO later praised the BPO: “Working with [SalesRoads] has been fantastic… In just a short time, we’ve secured meetings with major retailers and seen response rates as high as 55-60%”

Note: Despite these challenges, most firms find that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks when they are well-managed. 

How to select the right BPO partner

📄 Domain expertise & track record

Choose vendors who have experience in your sector, for example, healthcare or real estate, to save training time & needs.

⚙️ Tech & integration capabilities

While exploring different BPOs, ensure they integrate with your CRM and are equipped with tools required to work with your business.

💰 Transparent pricing & SLAs

Cost models should be clear, scaling options must be flexible, and the exist terms are to be defined so you’re not faced with surprise charges end moment. 

🔐 Security & compliance

Check SOC 2, ISO 27001 certificates, and data handling best practices to prevent breaches. You should also conduct regular audits and have them sign NDAs. 

What to expect in the first 90 days? 

🚀 Onboarding & transition

During this phase, there’s focus on knowledge transfer and aligning processes. 

🧠 Knowledge sharing

• You have to provide the BPO with insights into your business, industry, goals, and products/services.
• Share what sales process you follow, tools you use (e.g., CRM), scripts, and performance benchmarks.

👯 Team introductions

• Meet the BPO team assigned to you, including account managers, sales representatives, or customer service agents.
• Establish communication channels (e.g., Slack, email, reports).

🗺️ Process mapping

• Collaborate to outline workflows, escalation processes, and service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Define metrics for success (e.g., lead conversion rates, sales targets).

💻 Technology integration

• Integrate tools like CRMs, analytics platforms, or communication systems between your company and the BPO.

🎧 Training & ramp-up 

• The focus here is on training the team and starting off with initial operations. BPO providers also train their staff on your business processes, sales pitches, customer personas, and product/service features.

📞 Pilot campaigns or initial outreach

• The BPO team begins test runs or soft launches to identify gaps, test strategies, and gather feedback.
• Early campaigns often focus on low-risk leads or small target markets to refine processes.

📈 Performance monitoring

• Initial KPIs (e.g., lead generation, appointment booking rates, response times) are tracked to establish a baseline.
• Make sure to conduct regular check-ins with the BPO team to help resolve any problems that may arise. 

🖊️ Optimization & full operations 

• At this stage, the BPO team should be fully operational and focused on improving performance.

✅ Performance review

• Analyze initial results from campaigns to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
• Adjust strategies based on feedback (e.g., refine scripts, adjust target audience, optimize workflows).

⬆️ Scaling operations

• Gradually increase outreach volume, expand to larger markets, or target high-value leads.
• Implement advanced strategies like A/B testing or personalized outreach.

🆕 Communication cadence

• Establish a regular reporting schedule (e.g., weekly updates, monthly reviews) to track progress and discuss challenges.

Refer to this article: https://www.icmi.com/resources/2015/90-days-to-bpo-success 

Key outcomes to expect by day 90

Established processes, trained & aligned team

Workflows are clearer, communication is crisp, the BPO team fully understands your business, products and sales goals by now.

Initial results highlight insights for improvement

Early campaigns deliver measurable outcomes (e.g., leads generated, appointment booked, sales closed) and these insights help optimize strategies for better performance.

Confidence in partnership

A strong foundation of trust and collaboration with the BPO provider is established.

Key metrics to track BPO success

Customer satisfaction

• CSAT
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Customer Effort Score (CES)

Operational efficiency

• First Call/Contact Resolution (FCR)
• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• Service Level / Wait Time
• Utilization & Error Rates

Financial Metrics

• Cost per Contact
• Cost Savings / ROI
• Revenue per Employee

Compliance Metrics

• SLA adherence
• Security audits
• Attrition & Quality Control

To see all the results practically, try outsourcing, we’re sure your revenue will shoot up and many more benefits beyond what is mentioned in this blog. Go on, try what’s best for your business!