Frequently asked
Questions prospects actually ask.
A complete reference covering what HelpSquad is, the services we run, how we handle HIPAA and healthcare compliance, pricing and contracts, onboarding, agent training, security, AI, and how to start a conversation. If your question is not here, send it to us and we'll add it.
The basics
About HelpSquad
What is HelpSquad?
HelpSquad is a managed customer service, virtual assistant, and BPO provider founded in 2015 by the team behind LiveHelpNow (our sister chat-software company, founded 2005). We run dedicated support teams for healthcare, e-commerce, SaaS, real estate, legal, finance, and more. Read the full HelpSquad story →
Where is HelpSquad based?
Headquarters in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. Global operations hubs in the Philippines, South Africa, and Eastern Europe. Come by for coffee →
Who owns HelpSquad?
Founder-operated and privately held. Three partners, debt-free, independently run since day one. No VC, no outside pressure to cut corners on quality.
How big is HelpSquad?
~147 agents at peak, 11 years in business, four global hubs. Recognised as a Top 15 Global BPO by Clutch for 2025, plus US awards for Customer Support Outsourcing, Virtual Assistants, and Call Centers (E-commerce). See the full credentials →
What does "HelpSquad Health" mean?
HelpSquad Health is our healthcare-focused arm - HIPAA-compliant virtual medical assistant and managed call center services for US practices, clinics, and health systems. The same operating model as the broader HelpSquad, tuned for the specifics of patient communication, billing, and EHR workflows.
What we do
Services and engagement models
What services does HelpSquad offer?
Virtual medical assistants (healthcare), customer service outsourcing, call center outsourcing, live chat outsourcing, virtual assistants (general), virtual receptionists, part-time receptionists, P2P messaging campaigns, knowledge base management, and white-label BPO. See the full services list →
What is a Managed Virtual Medical Assistant?
A pre-qualified, HIPAA-trained remote professional dedicated to your practice - not a pooled agent. They handle front-desk work, scheduling, intake, after-hours coverage, medical records, and EHR-specific tasks. We recruit, train, and manage them on your behalf; you interview only the final candidates who pass our 85+ pre-qualification threshold. Read more →
What is the difference between a Virtual Medical Assistant and a Virtual Assistant?
A Virtual Medical Assistant is specifically trained in medical terminology, HIPAA regulations, healthcare-specific software (Athena, Epic, Tebra, etc.), and clinical workflows. A general Virtual Assistant handles broader admin tasks without the compliance depth. For any work involving PHI, you want a VMA.
What engagement models do you offer?
Three models: Staff augmentation (you lead day-to-day, we handle HR), Fully managed team (we own training, QA, and daily operations), and White-label BPO (our team works under your brand). Pick the one that fits →
Do you handle patient communications?
Yes. HIPAA-compliant patient scheduling, appointment reminders, insurance verification, intake coordination, prescription refills, referrals, and follow-ups. Every patient-facing role is staffed with agents trained for the empathy healthcare requires.
Do you offer call center services?
Yes - inbound and outbound, 24/7, for healthcare, e-commerce, home services, finance, and more. Telesales, appointment setting, patient recall campaigns, and qualified lead capture. See call center outsourcing →
Do you offer live chat?
Yes. 24/7/365 managed live chat with ADA, HIPAA, and PCI-compliant chat software included. Works on your website plus SMS, Google Business Messages, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. See live chat outsourcing →
What is white-label BPO?
We staff, train, and manage the team; you keep the client relationship under your brand. Popular with agencies, platforms, and partners who want to offer customer support without building internal ops. Your customers never know we exist.
What is your "We Learn Your Practice" system?
A proprietary AI-enabled knowledge system that ingests your playbooks, call recordings, SOPs, and protocols so agents sound like they have always worked at your practice. This is an internal reference tool for human agents - not a customer-facing chatbot.
HIPAA, BAA, EHRs
Healthcare and compliance
Are you HIPAA-compliant?
Yes. HIPAA compliance is the operating model, not a checkbox. Every agent handling PHI works through a secure virtual desktop, with role-based access, no copy/paste or download of PHI, and documented procedures covering administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.
Do you sign a Business Associate Agreement?
Yes - at the company level. Your BAA is with HelpSquad, LLC (a US entity in Pennsylvania), not with an individual offshore agent. That means real accountability and real legal recourse if something ever goes wrong.
What EHRs and practice management systems do you support?
Athena, Epic, Cerner, eClinicalWorks, Modernizing Medicine, Tebra, IntakeQ, CareLink, DrChrono, Rhinogram (SMS), Weave, NexHealth, DearDoc, and more. If you use a custom or niche system, we train agents on it during onboarding. See the full platform list →
How do you protect PHI?
Five layers: (1) BAA at the company level, (2) HIPAA-certified agents, (3) secure virtual desktop for every EHR session, (4) no copy / paste / download of PHI permitted, (5) single-user authenticated logins with role-based access. US-based oversight and escalation paths.
Is HelpSquad PCI compliant?
Yes. PCI DSS SAQ C-VT compliance materials are available on request. Relevant for healthcare and finance clients whose workflows touch card data.
Which healthcare specialties do you serve?
Primary care, dental, surgical practices, mental health, ophthalmology, orthodontics, endocrinology, gastroenterology, psychiatry, home care, ABA therapy, and more. Browse all specialties →
Cost and contracts
Pricing and commitments
How much does HelpSquad cost?
Transparent hourly pricing: $8-10/hour for back-office roles (billing, claims, data entry), $11-12/hour for patient-facing roles (scheduling, calls, intake), and custom pricing for managed teams with a team lead and QA. No setup fees, no hidden costs. See full pricing →
What is the minimum commitment?
20 hours per week, 3-month initial agreement. After the initial term it rolls 3 months at a time. 30-day written notice to cancel or downgrade. Enterprise terms negotiable (6-month with 30-day notice is a common precedent).
Are there setup or replacement fees?
No. $0 upfront cost, $0 implementation fee, $0 replacement cost if a candidate is not the right fit. You pay only for hours worked.
Do you offer a free trial or proof of concept?
Yes. Ask about our 14-day free trial on live chat, or the Proof-of-Concept phase for call center and VMA engagements. Low-risk ways to see the service in action before committing.
Do you offer referral partnerships?
Yes. 4% commission on paid invoices for 3 years. Reseller / partner details →
Getting started
Onboarding and quality
How fast can you staff a team?
About two weeks end-to-end: discovery call → role design → candidate pre-qualification → your interview round → HIPAA or industry-specific onboarding → go live. Seven-day turnaround is possible for urgent cases. Live chat can launch in as little as 48 hours.
What is your pre-qualification process?
Every candidate passes our proprietary in-house assessment scoring voice clarity, grammar, spelling, customer service aptitude, and healthcare knowledge. Candidates must score 85+ across all five dimensions to reach your interview - which filters out 60-70% of the applicant pool before you see them.
Do I interview candidates?
Yes. You interview only the ones who pass our assessment. You pick the final team; we just do the heavy lifting of sourcing, screening, and pre-qualifying. Interview participation is optional - some clients prefer to delegate fully to our managed team.
Do you use unpaid training?
No - and this is one of our biggest differentiators. Competitors funnel dozens of unpaid trainees through a classroom hoping one sticks. We pay every candidate fair wages from day one, which is why our people stay.
How do you handle agent turnover?
Agent changes are our problem, not yours. Documented playbooks, recorded procedures, and the 'We Learn Your Practice' knowledge system mean a new agent can pick up where the last one left off. Replacement at no cost if a candidate is not a fit.
How do you train agents for my specific business?
During onboarding we document your playbooks, scripts, and escalation rules. Agents go through comprehensive training on your tools, tone, and industry specifics before they ever see a live customer. Continuous coaching and QA keep performance steady after launch.
Who owns quality?
We do. Dedicated team leaders handle QA, coaching, performance monitoring, and reporting - so you never have to manage our people. If an agent underperforms, we coach or replace them. That is what "managed" means.
Who works on your account
Agents, languages, and customisation
Where are your agents based?
Our agents work from the Philippines (primarily patient-facing and front-desk roles - empathetic culture, neutral accents, strong English), India (back-office and billing - technical precision and documentation), South Africa, and Eastern Europe. US-based management and account leadership oversee every engagement.
Are agents dedicated to my account or shared?
Dedicated. Your assistants work for your practice - not a pooled queue rotating across clients. They show up on your calendar, in your EHR, with your context, day after day.
Do you offer multilingual support?
Yes. Bilingual agents plus AI translation tooling covering Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin, French, Portuguese, and more. Talk to us about your specific language requirements.
Can I customise the scripts agents use?
Absolutely. We co-develop scripts, playbooks, and escalation rules with you so agents sound like your in-house team. Team leads help build the full knowledge base and training program on your behalf.
How do agents represent my brand?
As a dedicated extension of your team. They use your tone, your vocabulary, your escalation paths. On chat and phone they introduce themselves by first name without disclosing outsourcing unless you prefer otherwise.
Security posture
Security and data protection
How do you handle data security?
Enterprise-grade encryption, strict role-based access, documented procedures covering administrative / physical / technical safeguards, and secure virtual desktops for any environment touching sensitive data.
Do agents have direct access to my systems?
Access is granted only to systems needed for the work, with single-user authenticated logins. No shared credentials. Access is provisioned and revoked through documented HR procedures. In HIPAA environments, agents work through a secure virtual desktop with no local data retention.
What happens if there is a security incident?
Documented incident response procedures with named escalation paths. Active client accounts have a dedicated account manager as the first point of contact; legal and compliance escalations route through US-based leadership.
Do you share data with third parties?
No. Customer and patient data is not sold, shared, or used for any purpose outside the scope of the engagement. Read the privacy policy →
AI + humans
AI, automation, and technology
How does HelpSquad use AI?
Our proprietary AI tools assist human agents with knowledge retrieval, conversation analysis, and routine-response acceleration. Agents see AI suggestions; the AI never responds to customers autonomously. We call this "human-in-the-loop" - speed without chatbot awkwardness.
Are you just a chatbot service?
No. Chatbots answer narrow FAQ questions and break on anything complex. Our managed live chat puts real human agents on your website with AI in the backend helping them be faster and more accurate.
How much of the work is automated vs. human?
Up to 80% of routine inquiries get AI-accelerated responses, but a human is always in the loop for approval, nuance, and anything requiring judgment. Customer-facing words are written or approved by a human - every time.
Does the AI learn my business over time?
Yes. Our knowledge system ingests your playbooks, call recordings, and protocols so the AI suggestions to agents improve with every interaction. The more you feed it, the better the agent responses get.
Next steps
How to get started
How do I start a conversation?
Three ways: book a 30-minute consultation on Calendly, email info@helpsquad.com, or call 877-775-3667. A specialist will scope the work and have you set up in about two weeks.
What should I bring to the consultation?
Bring the work. The more specific you can be about the tasks you want to offload - EHR name, call volume, hours of coverage, tools used - the more useful the call. If you only know the pain, that is enough too.
Will I be pressured to sign on the call?
No. The consultation is a discovery call - we listen to the work, scope the engagement, and tell you honestly if we are a fit. If we are not, we'll say so.
Who is my day-to-day contact after we launch?
A dedicated US-based account manager (we call them Squad Leaders). They own the relationship, coordinate training, handle escalations, and send monthly reporting. You always have a named human to call.
Can I terminate or downgrade my service?
Yes. After the initial 3-month term you can terminate with 30-day written notice or adjust your plan. No long-term lock-ins. Full terms →
Didn't find your answer?
Ask us directly. A real human responds.
Email, call, or book a 30-minute consultation. We'll scope the work, answer the specifics, and tell you honestly if we are a fit.
877-775-3667 · info@helpsquad.com · Hatboro, PA