How a UK Fintech Strengthened Customer Support and Compliance with Callhounds Global
The Company
A digital payments startup based in the United Kingdom was scaling quickly across Europe. Their app was attracting thousands of new users each month, creating pressure on both customer service and compliance functions. The founders needed a way to keep customers satisfied and meet regulatory obligations, without stalling growth.
The Challenge
From our early discussions, the leadership team highlighted several challenges:
- Support volumes had tripled within a year. Customers were submitting more tickets for disputes, failed transactions, and account onboarding.
- Hiring in the UK was costly. Average salaries for financial services support staff were high compared to offshore benchmarks, making it difficult to build a large local team.
- Users expected 24/7 coverage. Their London-based team couldn’t sustainably provide round-the-clock service.
- Compliance was under strain. Meeting AML and KYC requirements required more staff than the startup could support in-house.
They needed a solution that would scale quickly, reduce costs, and strengthen compliance without compromising customer trust.
The Solution
We recommended starting with a phased offshore model:
- In the first four weeks, we onboarded 10 customer support specialists in the Philippines to handle live chat, email, and transaction-related queries.
- By the second phase (Month 2–3), the team expanded with 5 compliance analysts focused on AML and KYC checks.
- All offshore staff were integrated into the client’s systems and workflows, collaborating daily with their London team.
- With Philippine operations covering multiple time zones, the fintech achieved consistent 24/7 customer support for the first time.
The Results
Over the following nine months, measurable improvements emerged:
- Cost savings of around 45%, based on internal company analysis of payroll and overhead.
- Response times improved significantly — from an average of 12 hours to under 3 hours by the third month.
- KYC processing times decreased by 35% by Month 5, allowing faster onboarding of new accounts.
- Operational stability achieved by Month 9. At this point, the fintech had fully recouped its outsourcing investment and was benefiting from sustainable cost savings and compliance efficiency.
The Expansion Ahead
Following these results, the company is now exploring additional offshore roles in fraud monitoring and back-office finance operations. This will allow their UK leadership team to remain focused on product innovation and partnerships while day-to-day operations are managed seamlessly offshore.
Key Takeaway
High-growth fintechs often face the dual challenge of scaling customer support and meeting compliance requirements. By working with Callhounds Global, this UK startup achieved both. Within nine months, they had reduced costs by nearly half, shortened onboarding times, and built a reliable 24/7 support structure — all while freeing leadership to focus on long-term growth.