How a Fitness Equipment Brand Hired a Bilingual Customer Service Rep for $1,700/Month

When a fitness equipment brand started selling nationally, the customer service gaps became impossible to ignore.

A significant share of their customers are Spanish-speaking, concentrated in the highest-density US consumer markets. The company needed someone who could handle these customers fluently, in their preferred language, during regular US business hours. The support backlog they were building in those markets was costing them relationships.

A US-based bilingual customer service rep with that profile and experience would run $52,000–$54,000 a year. For a growing brand still building its team, that number made a dedicated hire hard to justify against the rest of what they needed to fund, even knowing the backlog was costing them customers.

That’s when they came to Hire With Near to find customer support talent in Latin America: someone bilingual, technically fluent in the CRM and support tools they use, and available during the same business hours as their US team.

Why Latin America solved the bilingual CS problem better than any offshore option

The company's need was specific: they needed a bilingual English-Spanish professional who was available the same hours as their customers.

Offshore hiring in Asia-Pacific markets was never a real option. The time zone gap alone ruled it out. A support rep working from Southeast Asia would’ve been handling tickets asynchronously at best, in the middle of the night at worst. That’s not customer service. It’s a delayed email triage.

Latin America is different. A professional based in Mexico or Argentina works the same core business hours as a US team. Real-time calls, live chat, and same-day resolution are all possible because the overlap is genuine, not held together by graveyard shifts.

The bilingual piece was another decisive factor. Latin America is the natural talent pool for Spanish-English bilingual professionals who can serve US Hispanic consumers at a native or near-native level.

This company wasn't alone in making that shift. Brands in consumer goods, health and beauty, and direct-to-consumer categories have increasingly turned to nearshore staffing for consumer-facing roles, because in markets where Spanish fluency and US business hours are important, Latin America is the only region where both conditions are met without tradeoffs.

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What a bilingual customer service hire from Latin America looks like

The dedicated Hire With Near recruiter assigned to the client ran a targeted search for customer support professionals with B2B and product-based CS backgrounds, bilingual English-Spanish fluency, and hands-on experience in the CRM and support platforms this company uses.

The finalist pool reflected a caliber of candidate that tends to surprise clients: professionals with formal degrees, multi-year experience in structured CS environments at large industrial and technical companies, and tool proficiency that covers HubSpot, Zendesk, Salesforce, and Aircall.

The person placed was a professional based in Argentina with 5+ years of B2B and technical customer service experience. Her background included a senior CS role at a large industrial equipment company, where she handled complex product support for a technical client base. Her English was assessed at a professional working level, her Spanish native, and her academic background included a degree in Economics and International Business.

That combination of technical CS experience, formal business education, bilingual fluency, and the right tools was exactly what the company needed to serve their Spanish-speaking customer base without building a workaround.

All of that: the technical background, the bilingual fluency, the tool proficiency, for $1,700 a month.

Related reading: Best Recruiting and Staffing Firms for Customer Support Reps

$31,600 in annual savings and a CS gap closed on day one

The company now has dedicated bilingual customer service coverage during US business hours. Spanish-speaking customers in their key markets get responses in their preferred language from someone working their time zone, not the next morning from a queue.

That gap closed on day one. The hire was already proficient in the tools, already bilingual, and already experienced in handling product-based CS at a technical level. Ramp time was short.

At $1,700 a month, the hire cost less than 40% of what a US-equivalent would have run. Against the $52,000–$54,000 annual benchmark for a bilingual CS rep in the US, that's $31,600 back in the business every year.

Why Latin America works for consumer brand customer service hiring

Consumer brands selling nationally in the US face a specific version of the CS hiring challenge: they need people who can represent the brand well, speak to diverse customers in their preferred language, and work the same hours as the customers they serve. 

For brands in this space, working with recruiters who understand consumer goods companies and their specific hiring requirements shortens the search considerably.

Spanish-English bilingual talent is abundant in Latin America

The professionals sourced by Hire With Near for bilingual CS roles are native Spanish speakers who developed professional English in structured business environments. That’s a different profile from someone who learned English as a third language. For companies serving US Hispanic consumers, the quality of the Spanish matters as much as the quality of the English.

Time zone alignment is non-negotiable in customer service 

Customer service roles that require real-time interaction need someone available when customers are reaching out. LatAm professionals match US business hours without any schedule manipulation.

Technical CS experience is well-represented across LatAm

The talent pool isn’t limited to entry-level support. Professionals with backgrounds in industrial, SaaS, and product-based CS environments at mid and senior levels are available at salaries that are 58–70% below US equivalents.

CRM and support tool fluency is standard, not exceptional

HubSpot, Zendesk, Salesforce, and Aircall experience is common among mid-level CS candidates in Latin America. Companies don’t need to budget for tool training.

Related reading: “Will They Have Good Internet?” and Other Questions Customer Service Managers Ask About Hiring Customer Support Reps in Latin America

Customer service salaries: Latin America vs. US

Here's what customer service roles typically cost in Latin America compared to US equivalents, based on compensation benchmarks across the region:

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Actual compensation depends on experience, seniority, and country. See the full Latin America salary guide for a complete breakdown.

How to hire a bilingual customer service rep through Hire With Near

To hire a bilingual customer service rep through Hire With Near, the process is simple and moves quickly. Most clients hire a candidate within 7–28 days.

We start with a kickoff call to understand your support model, the markets you serve, and the specific language and tool requirements for the role. From there, we draft or refine the job description, set realistic compensation expectations for the Latin American market, and begin sourcing.

The candidates you see have already cleared our screening process: English and Spanish assessments, experience verification, and CRM and support tool proficiency checks. 

You interview two or three finalists, make the call, and we handle the offer and onboarding logistics. You can pay the hire directly or run payroll through us.

There is no retainer and no fee until you hire.

Book a free discovery call with Hire With Near