CHO-Time

What CHO-Time does

CHO-TIME GmbH is a German business process outsourcing (BPO) and customer communication provider headquartered in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, operating since 2007 as a subsidiary of the SSF Group. The company delivers inbound customer service, sales-oriented support, upselling and cross-selling, lead qualification, appointment setting, complaint handling, and multichannel chat and email communication for enterprise clients, with a primary focus on the German telecommunications, energy utility, and insurance sectors. Named clients include Telekom, T-Online, o2, congstar, 1&1, SWK, Enervie, EnBW, and Allianz, supported by an enterprise direct-sales motion and bespoke managed-services contracts with KPI-based pricing.

The company operates 27 locations across Germany (Mönchengladbach, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Duisburg, Köln) and internationally (Greece via CT Hellas/HOLDER with 20+ sites, Albania, Kosovo, and Morocco via CT Atlas), giving a total workforce of 3,000+ employees and combining domestic high-quality delivery with nearshore/offshore cost flexibility. Its technology backbone is the i2x AI real-time conversation intelligence platform — a partner-supplied system that transcribes 100% of customer calls, provides agents with context-specific recommendations in under 0.4 seconds, and supports compliance and sales optimization; the platform is developed and hosted in Germany and is DSGVO- and EU AI Act-conformant. The company holds ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) certifications from TÜV Rheinland.

The business model is managed-services BPO with revenue generated through long-term enterprise contracts; pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise sales with dedicated account management and inside sales teams, supplemented by event-driven demand generation at the CCW trade fair in Berlin. Revenue is concentrated in regulated German enterprise verticals with high switching costs from operational integration, multi-language German-speaking delivery, and certified security posture, while growth signals include continued international site expansion, AI feature rollout, and ESG-aligned sustainability partnerships with LichtBlick, Impact Hero, FLY & HELP, and Karl Kübel Stiftung.

Name

CHO-Time

Legal name

CHO-TIME GmbH

Website

https://cho-time.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

CHO-TIME is a German B2B call center and customer service outsourcing provider serving telecom, energy, and insurance enterprises across 27 sites in Europe and North Africa, combining German-speaking nearshore/offshore delivery with i2x AI real-time agent support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Call Center and BPO Services

NAICS

Telephone Call Centers (56142), Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers (561422)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAEAHAA

Workflow & Case Management (Human-Centric BPM)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Business Process Management (BPM), Workflow & Automation Platforms

SECONDARYHDAEAMAH

Operational/Real-Time BI & Streaming Analytics

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Business Intelligence (BI) Tools

Keywords

• Call center services
• Customer service outsourcing
• BPO services
• Inbound customer support
• Sales outsourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Mönchengladbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. BPO Customer Service Contracts: CHO-TIME generates revenue primarily through business process outsourcing contracts where they provide dedicated customer service and sales teams for client companies. Revenue is generated through contractual arrangements with measurable KPIs and performance-based metrics.
2. Inbound Customer Service: Professional inbound customer service operations handling existing customer queries, complaints, and support requests with guaranteed service quality and measurable results.
3. Sales and Upselling Services: Sales-oriented customer service that combines problem resolution with revenue generation through upselling, cross-selling, and lead qualification. Revenue tied to performance outcomes and sales metrics.
4. Nearshore and Offshore Solutions: International service delivery through flexible near and offshore team structures, providing cost-effective customer service solutions with German-speaking capabilities across multiple international locations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CHO-TIME is a German call center and BPO provider delivering sales-oriented customer service for enterprise clients, including inbound customer support, lead qualification, sales/upselling, and complaint handling across phone, chat, email, and WhatsApp. Operations are enhanced by the i2x AI platform for real-time agent assistance and 100% conversation analysis, and delivered through a 3,000+ multilingual workforce spanning 27 locations in Germany, Albania, Greece, Kosovo, and Morocco.

Product overview

CHO-Time is a call center service provider offering a unified service portfolio centered on customer communication. The core offerings consist of Inbound Customer Service and Sales & Upselling, supplemented by AI-supported support using i2x technology for real-time agent assistance. The company provides Near- & Offshore Solutions with international locations in Germany, Albania, Greece, Kosovo, and Morocco. Additional services include lead qualification and appointment scheduling, complaint handling, multichannel chat and email communication, and customized project and industry solutions. The company positions itself as a sales-oriented customer service provider with a 'work & fun' culture and regular benchmark victories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• i2x (AI-supported support technology): AI-powered real-time call assistance technology used by CHO-TIME agents for conversation analysis, compliance monitoring, and sales optimization.

Products and services

• Inbound Customer Service (Inbound Kundenservice) Professional inbound customer service for enterprise clients' existing customers, including service inquiries, complaint resolution, account management, and multi-channel support (phone, chat, email, WhatsApp) with measurable KPIs. Targeted at large corporations in telecommunications, energy, insurance, and tourism.
• Sales & Upselling Sales-oriented customer service that combines problem resolution with revenue generation through upselling, cross-selling, and identifying business potential. Targeted at enterprise clients seeking to drive incremental revenue from their existing customer base.
• Near- & Offshore Solutions
• Lead Qualification & Appointment Setting (Leadqualifizierung & Terminvereinbarung) Outsourced lead qualification, appointment scheduling, and outbound sales support providing qualified leads and binding appointments for client sales teams. Targeted at B2B companies needing sales capacity and lead generation support.
• Customer Service & Complaint Handling (Kundenservice & Reklamation)
• Chat & Email Communication (Chat- und E-Mail-Kommunikation)
• Custom Project & Industry Solutions (Individuelle Projekt- & Branchenlösungen)
• AI-supported Customer Service (AI-gestützter Support via i2x)

Quantifiable outcome

• +50% revenue increase for clients utilizing i2x AI upselling capabilities
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered significant, notable, core, major and minor.

• LichtBlicksignificantOthers · 1 February 2024CHO-TIME sources 100% eco-electricity from LichtBlick since February 2024, saving approximately 105.74 tonnes CO₂ annually. The partnership supports CHO-TIME's sustainability goals by eliminating nuclear, coal, and oil-based energy sources from their operations.
• Borussia MönchengladbachnotableGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024CHO-TIME became a member of the Business Club 1900 for Borussia Mönchengladbach starting from the 2024/2025 season. This business partnership demonstrates local community connection with the five-time German champion and three-time DFB Cup winner.
• GROW MY TREEsignificantOthers · 1 January 2022GROW MY TREE partnership for employee carbon offset program where one tree was planted per employee (approximately 2,000 trees), reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 38 tonnes. Individual employee carbon footprint compensation initiative.
• Karl Kübel StiftungnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership for building 16 family houses in the Philippines, providing safe homes for families in need. Demonstrates CHO-TIME's commitment to social responsibility and community development.
• i2xcoreTechnology or Integrationi2x provides real-time AI conversation intelligence that supports CHO-TIME agents with context-specific recommendations in under 0.4 seconds. The platform enables 100% call transcription and analysis for quality assurance, compliance monitoring, and sales optimization. i2x is developed and hosted in Germany with full DSGVO compliance and EU AI Act conformance.
• Impact HeromajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact Hero partnership for environmental sustainability through tree planting initiatives. Together they have planted 6,560 trees neutralizing approximately 144.3 tonnes CO₂ annually and creating 66 workdays in the Global South. The partnership represents CHO-TIME's commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable business practices.
• Stiftung FLY & HELPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for international school construction projects. Together they have built schools in Laos (Nam Ngern, Phon Ya Nang), Namibia (Purros hostel for 72 students), and Sri Lanka (Sweenithagama). Supporting education and infrastructure development in underserved communities.
• Itenos GmbHminorOthersItenos GmbH provides rack space, power, and internet connectivity for the job portal server infrastructure in Frankfurt. Physical infrastructure provider with no access to personal data.
• Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media presence for brand awareness, employer branding, and customer engagement. CHO-TIME maintains official profiles on major platforms for marketing and community interaction.
• TÜV RheinlandcoreOthersTÜV Rheinland conducts independent audits and certification for ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) standards, providing third-party validation of CHO-TIME's operational excellence and security practices.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Cognigy: Düsseldorf-based conversational AI platform automating customer service via LLM-based agents — an emerging technology competitor whose enterprise deployments can substitute for CHO-TIME's human agent capacity over time.
• Cresta: US-based AI platform for real-time contact-center agent assistance and conversation intelligence — a direct technology competitor to CHO-TIME's i2x integration, shaping how enterprises evaluate AI-augmented BPO offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Teleperformance: Paris-listed global BPO leader with deep German enterprise relationships in telecom and financial services — overlaps CHO-TIME's customer base but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Concentrix: US-listed global customer experience BPO with European operations and enterprise telecom/insurance clients — competes for the same DACH enterprise contracts as CHO-TIME, with much larger scale.
• arvato (Bertelsmann): Bertelsmann-owned global BPO with significant German customer-service operations serving telecom, retail, and financial-services clients — broader portfolio and larger scale than CHO-TIME but directly overlapping in core CX outsourcing.
• Majorel (now part of TTEC): Global BPO with strong German/DACH presence serving telecom, energy, and insurance verticals — a larger incumbent offering overlapping customer service, sales, and digital CX solutions.
• Foundever: Global CX BPO (formerly Sitel/Convergys) with European delivery centers serving telecom and energy clients — a broad incumbent competitor for enterprise customer-service contracts.

Direct peers

• Transcom Worldwide: Stockholm-headquartered European BPO with multilingual customer management and offshore/nearshore delivery model — comparable in scale, vertical exposure (telecom/utilities), and European footprint.
• Avedo GmbH: Leipzig-based German BPO focused on inbound customer service, sales support, and lead qualification with both domestic and nearshore delivery — closely matches CHO-TIME's service portfolio and vertical mix.
• Competence Call Center (CCC): Berlin-headquartered German BPO/contact center operator with comparable headcount, enterprise telecom/energy client base, and multi-channel customer service and sales-support offering — the closest like-for-like peer to CHO-TIME in the DACH mid-market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cho_time
• Facebookfacebook.com/CHOTIME
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cho-time-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/cho_time_gmbh
• TikToktiktok.com/@cho_time_gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHO-Time