Key takeaways
- The most common outsourcing examples fall into five buckets: customer support, IT and software, manufacturing, content moderation, and back-office finance.
- Big names lead the lists: Google, Nike, Wells Fargo, American Express, Meta, and Pfizer all outsource core functions.
- The lesson for a small business is not the size, it is the pattern: hand off what is not your core.
- A good example ties to a number. One Big Outsource client cut outstanding AR by 34%.
- Outsourcing comes in three types by location: onshore, nearshore, and offshore.
The clearest outsourcing examples are the companies you already know. Google outsources IT work, Nike outsources manufacturing, Wells Fargo and American Express run customer service teams overseas, and Meta pays outside firms to moderate content. The pattern under all of them is the same: hand off the work that is not your core so your own people can focus on what is. Here are the examples that matter, grouped by function, plus what each one teaches a smaller business.
What Outsourcing Looks Like
Outsourcing is hiring an outside company to run work your own staff used to do. The provider can sit in your country or abroad. When they sit abroad, it is also offshoring. That is the whole idea, and the outsourcing examples below show how far it stretches, from a factory floor to a support inbox. For the wider picture, see why businesses outsource.
Customer Support And Back-Office Examples
Customer support is the most outsourced function of all. Wells Fargo runs roughly 7,000 support jobs in the Philippines and 20,000 in India. American Express has operated an offshore center in New Delhi since 1994 that now handles forecasting, accounting, and payables. These are back-office and customer-service tasks moved to skilled teams abroad, the same move a 30-person company can make with one dedicated hire.
IT And Software Examples
In tech, outsourcing is the norm, not the exception. Google has at times run more contractors than direct employees, much of it IT and development talent in India. IBM outsources large parts of its software development. Two startup classics get cited constantly: Slack had its early design built by an outside studio, and WhatsApp kept its team tiny by using offshore developers. Small teams, big outcomes.
Manufacturing Examples
Manufacturing is where offshoring began. Nike outsources nearly all production to the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. When Pfizer could not make its COVID-19 vaccine fast enough, it outsourced production of its existing drug portfolio to over 200 companies so it could focus on the vaccine. The lesson holds at any size: outsource capacity so you can protect your priority.
Content Moderation Examples
Platforms with user content lean heavily on outside moderation teams. Meta uses firms such as Accenture to review and remove harmful content across its platforms, and LinkedIn outsources moderation too. It is one of the fastest-growing outsourcing examples as more businesses run communities and live chat. Big Outsource handles this work through trained chat support and moderation teams.
Outsourcing Examples For Small And Mid-Sized Businesses
Here is what the famous lists leave out. You do not need to be Google to use these outsourcing examples. A 14-person logistics firm hands invoicing and shipment tracking to an offshore team instead of hiring two admins. A dental practice uses a virtual assistant for scheduling and records. An e-commerce store outsources order processing and returns during peak season. Same pattern as the giants, smaller scale.
“The mistake small businesses make is thinking outsourcing is only for enterprises. The playbook is identical, just smaller. Start with one function that drains your week, give it to a dedicated person who learns your process, and protect your own team’s time for the work that actually grows the business.”
Kris Uba, Director of Operations, Big Outsource
See how this works for a company your size in our guide to outsourcing for small and medium businesses.
A Real Example, With The Numbers
Most outsourcing examples stop at the name. Here is one with a result. A US healthcare client worked with Big Outsource to run and enrich its provider database and back-office finance. The outcome was a 34% reduction in outstanding AR and faster, more accurate outreach for its sales and recruiting teams. Across clients, Big Outsource sees 40% faster response times after handoff.
“Working with BOS has been a rewarding experience. The team consistently demonstrates strong communication, reliability, and a clear commitment to quality. Their work in maintaining and enriching our provider database has directly improved the speed and accuracy of our outreach—empowering our sales and recruiting teams to connect with the right contacts faster and more effectively.”
Greg Dunton, Director of Product Analytics, Caliber Health
The Three Types Of Outsourcing
Every example above is one of three types, sorted by location. Onshore means a provider in your own country. Nearshore means a nearby country, often for closer time zones. Offshore means further afield, usually for bigger cost savings and a deeper talent pool. Many companies mix them. To choose a model, see staff augmentation vs outsourcing.
What These Examples Teach You
The through-line across every one of these outsourcing examples is focus. Each company handed off work that was not its core so it could put energy where it counts. You can copy that at any size. Pick one time-draining function, give it to a stable and dedicated team, and measure the result.
To map which functions to hand off first, explore Big Outsource services or book a discovery call.
References
- Xometry. (2026). 15 Examples of Companies That Outsource. https://www.xometry.com/resources/supply-chain/outsourcing-examples/
- Investopedia. (2025). Outsourcing: How It Works in Business, With Examples. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/outsourcing.asp
- Deloitte. (2022). Global Outsourcing Survey 2022. Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/operations/articles/global-outsourcing-survey.html
