From 10 Agents to 200+: Supporting One of the Largest GLP-1 Distribution Networks in the United States

TL;DR

One of the largest online pharmaceutical companies in the US needed to scale voice and chat support for a fast-growing D2C wellness product while outperforming two incumbent BPOs. Hugo deployed teams across four markets in three countries within 13 weeks, achieving 15x agent growth, 87% CSAT (vs. 83%), 96% schedule adherence (vs. 90%), and 35% faster resolution speed.

Introduction

When one of the largest online pharmaceutical companies in the US launches a direct-to-consumer health and wellness product, the stakes are different. Every support interaction shapes how patients perceive the brand. Every unanswered question or delayed response chips away at trust that took decades to build.

This particular product was growing fast. Exponentially fast. The kind of growth that breaks support operations if you’re not ready for it. And the company’s existing setup wasn’t ready. They had two incumbent BPOs, one with four years of tenure and another with 18 months. Neither was keeping pace.

The company needed a partner that could scale quickly, operate across multiple geographies for resilience, and deliver measurably better outcomes than what they already had. They found Hugo.

The challenge

The D2C wellness product was experiencing explosive demand. Support volumes were climbing, and the operation needed to scale without sacrificing quality. But there were constraints that made this harder than a typical ramp.

First, the company required a US presence for cultural relevance. American customers calling about their health expect to speak with someone who understands local context, insurance dynamics, and product nuances. But they also needed offshore efficiency to manage costs at scale. That’s a balancing act most vendors fumble.

Second, they required multiple locations for operational resilience. A single point of failure wasn’t acceptable for a product tied to patient health. If one site went down, the operation had to keep running.

Third, and most critically, they had to outperform the incumbents. Two large BPOs had been running the account. The company wasn’t just looking for comparable performance. They needed measurably better results, and they needed them fast.

The solution

Hugo deployed a rapid multi-location scaleup across four markets in three countries. Within approximately 13 weeks, teams were operational in Missouri, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Lagos. This gave the client the US presence they needed plus offshore capacity across multiple time zones.

The service scope covered the full range of customer interactions: voice CX, chat CX, AI bot management, and blended staffing models. Hugo’s multilingual customer experience teams integrated directly into the client’s workflows, handling everything from product questions to order status to treatment-related inquiries.

This wasn’t a lift-and-shift operation. Hugo built dedicated teams with healthcare CX training specific to the product and the patient population. The blended staffing model meant the client could flex capacity based on volume without compromising consistency.

The multi-location setup also solved for business continuity. With operations distributed across three countries and four sites, the client had redundancy built in from day one. No single event could take the whole operation offline.

The outcome

The numbers tell the story.

Hugo achieved 15x growth in the number of agents supporting the product. That kind of scale in 13 weeks is rare. It’s even rarer when you’re simultaneously outperforming incumbents on quality metrics.

CSAT hit 87% compared to 83% under the previous providers. That four-point improvement matters more than it sounds. In healthcare and wellness, customer satisfaction directly correlates with retention, adherence, and lifetime value.

Schedule adherence reached 96% versus 90%. This is the kind of operational discipline that separates dedicated teams from transactional staffing. When agents show up on time and stay on schedule, customers get consistent coverage and shorter wait times.

Resolution speed improved by 35%. Faster resolutions mean fewer repeat contacts, lower cost per ticket, and happier customers. For a product in the health and wellness space, it also means patients get the answers they need when they need them.

The client now has a customer support operation that scales with their growth instead of constraining it. Hugo functions as an extension of their patient care organization, not an external vendor they manage at arm’s length.

Why this matters for healthcare and pharma CX

The GLP-1 market alone has grown more than 500% in spending over five years. Digital health products are scaling faster than support operations can keep up. And patients have higher expectations than ever, especially when their health is on the line.

The old model of handing off support to a large BPO and hoping for the best doesn’t work anymore. Not when you’re scaling exponentially. Not when your brand promise depends on patient experience. Not when two incumbents have already failed to meet the bar.

Hugo’s approach is different. Dedicated teams. Multi-geo flexibility. Real accountability for outcomes. The kind of partnership that turns support from a cost center into a competitive advantage.

If you’re leading CX or operations at a healthcare, pharma, or wellness company and you’re staring down the same kind of scaling challenge, we’d be happy to talk through what we’re seeing across the industry. No pitch, just a conversation about what’s actually working.

Hero image by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash.