What Xternus does

Xternus (legal entity COVER DIGITAL SL) is a Madrid-headquartered boutique nearshore BPO and operations consultancy founded in 2023 (originally as ZoomWorkers, rebranded in September 2025) that delivers bilingual managed teams from Mexico (CDMX, Guadalajara, Mérida) and Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza) to US and EU mid-market companies. The core service, BPO Flexible, places dedicated contact center, sales development, and back-office agents inside client CRMs and tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom, Gong, Pipedrive), covering English/Spanish natively and German/French/Portuguese/Italian on demand across all US time zones and EU business hours. The company reports up to 50% cost savings versus equivalent internal teams, sub-10% annual rotation versus 30-40% in traditional BPO, and 4-6 week team ramp times.

The business model spans four revenue streams: managed services (BPO Flexible, Virtual Assistants), professional services (fractional C-level leadership, specialised recruitment, tools/implementation/training, AI Act compliance), subscription/recurring (Xternus LYRA and AI voice agents under SLAs), and consulting engagements typically structured as 18-24 month co-design projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contracts are flexible (monthly retainer with 2-month minimum, fixed-price projects, or mix) with billing only for hours executed. Customer base is heavily skewed toward Spanish insurance brokers and mid-market insurers (~50% of 25+ named logos), with additional exposure to SaaS, retail, logistics, tourism and US real estate.

Since 2024-2025, Xternus has layered an "AI Applied" product suite onto the BPO core: Xternus AIRA (phased AI adoption program with fractional CAIO advisory), Xternus LYRA (turnkey AI voice agents), AI Receptionist and AI Specialist (pre-built voice agents), Roleplay Gym (AI voice roleplay training), Xternus Workspace (governed multi-model access to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini with EU AI Act-aligned audit), AI for Employees (xternus.ai), AI Automations, and an AI Act Compliance offering mapped to NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales (with partner-led outreach and 48-hour response), a self-assessment diagnostic as inbound entry point, an AI consultant chatbot, and alliance channels comprising Sales Partners, Content Partners, Delivery Partners, and institutional partners (AEERC, FECOR, Col·legi de Mediadors d'Assegurances de Barcelona). The company is privately held and founder-led by CEO Igor Fernandez with 17 employees disclosed; no external funding rounds or revenue figures are public.

Name

Xternus

Legal name

COVER DIGITAL SL

Website

https://xternus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xternus is a Madrid-based boutique nearshore BPO and operations consultancy that places bilingual LATAM teams (Mexico, Argentina) inside US and EU mid-market clients' tools to run customer support, sales development and back-office, now augmented by AI voice agents, automation and AI Act compliance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nearshore BPO and Operations Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer & Go-to-Market Onboarding (Sales/CS/Support) (EDABAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Model Transparency, Explainability & Interpretability (XAI) (HDAAAMAB), AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI) (HDAEANAI)

Keywords

• Nearshore BPO services
• Managed operations teams
• AI voice agents
• Contact center outsourcing
• Operations consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Managed BPO Teams: Dedicated bilingual teams from LATAM that work inside client CRM, tooling and time zones for customer support, sales development and back-office. Teams are indistinguishable from local hires to customers at a fraction of cost.
2. AI Voice Agents (Xternus LYRA): Turnkey AI voice agents deployed and maintained under SLAs, integrated into client telephony and CRM for high-volume voice processes.
3. AI Adoption Program (AIRA): Phased AI adoption program including in-company training, legal compliance, AI solution deployment and fractional CAIO advisory.
4. Consulting and Fractional Leadership: Fractional CSO, SDR Manager, CMO, CFO and CHRO services; operational consulting; and change management. Operates on a 18-24 month co-design engagement model.
5. Virtual Assistants: Dedicated bilingual executive assistants and operations support from LATAM for senior team members, covering inbox, calendar, vendor, scheduling and admin work.
6. Specialized Recruitment: Executive search for operations roles, RPO for customer support/sales/back-office profiles, and on-demand LATAM talent access.
7. Tools, Implementation and Training: CRM and automation stack implementation, reporting dashboards, document management and structured training programs including playbooks, role-plays and coaching. Programs designed by role, in-person, online or hybrid, 6-12 weeks per program.
8. Compliance AI Act: AI Act EU compliance preparation with pragmatic risk-based plan: inventory and classification of AI systems, risk evaluation, policies and controls, monitoring and incident management.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Xternus is a Madrid-based boutique nearshore BPO and operations consultancy that deploys managed bilingual LATAM teams (Mexico and Argentina) into US and EU clients to run customer support, sales development, and back-office functions inside the client's existing tools. Around that staffing core, it sells an applied AI portfolio including turnkey AI voice agents, AI-driven automations, a phased AI adoption program, a governed employee AI platform, and an AI Act compliance practice, supported by consulting, fractional C-level leadership, and specialized recruitment.

Product overview

Xternus is a boutique nearshore BPO and operations consultancy headquartered in Madrid, Spain, operating LATAM teams in Mexico and Argentina. The core offering is BPO Flexible — managed contact center, sales development, and back-office teams integrated into clients' existing tools and processes — combined with AI Applied solutions (AI voice agents, automations, AI for employees, and AI Act compliance), fractional C-level leadership, specialized hiring, and tools/implementation services. The product portfolio includes five named AI-specific products: Xternus AIRA (phased AI adoption program), Xternus LYRA (turnkey AI voice agents), AI Receptionist, AI Specialist, and Roleplay Gym (AI voice roleplay training), alongside Xternus Workspace (governed AI access platform), AI Act Compliance, AI for Employees, AI Automations, and AI Voice Agents. BPO Flexible serves as the foundational managed service while AI capabilities and fractional consulting function as complementary modules that can be added as operations mature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BPO Flexible (Managed BPO Teams) Bilingual managed operations teams sourced from Mexico and Argentina and embedded into the client's existing tools, covering customer support, sales development, and back-office functions for US and EU mid-market companies.
• Specialized Recruitment Recruitment service that sources bilingual LATAM candidates for client in-house roles in customer service, sales, IT, and back-office functions, distinct from the fully managed BPO Flexible engagement.
• Consulting and Fractional C-Level Leadership Senior consulting engagement plus embedded fractional C-level leaders (CXO-as-a-service) covering operations, customer experience, sales, AI, and finance for US and EU mid-market clients.
• Tools, Implementation and Training Implementation and enablement service that configures client technology stacks, onboards nearshore teams, and delivers training so that operations launch quickly inside the client's existing environment.
• AI Voice Agents (Xternus LYRA) Turnkey AI voice agent offering under the Xternus LYRA brand for inbound and outbound voice automation, sold as a managed voice-agent service to US and EU clients.
• AI Receptionist (Recepcionista IA) Pre-built AI voice agent packaged as an AI Receptionist for handling inbound calls, appointment scheduling, and front-desk-style customer interactions.
• AI Specialist (Especialista IA) Pre-built AI voice agent packaged as an AI Specialist for specialized inbound customer interactions, qualifying, and routing in customer support and sales contexts.
• AI Automations AI-powered automation service that designs and runs workflow automations across customer support, sales, and back-office processes for US and EU clients.
• AI for Employees Governed AI access platform hosted at xternus.ai that gives client employees private access to multiple AI models for everyday work, with usage controls and oversight.
• Xternus Workspace Governed employee AI platform branded as Xternus Workspace that provides centralized AI access, controls, and oversight for client teams using multiple AI models in their workflows.
• Xternus AIRA Phased AI adoption program branded as Xternus AIRA that structures how clients move from baseline AI use to scaled automation, including readiness assessment, rollout, and adoption support.
• Roleplay Gym AI-powered roleplay training platform branded as Roleplay Gym used to coach sales and customer-facing teams through simulated scenarios, practice, and feedback.
• AI Act Compliance Compliance service aligned with the EU AI Act that helps clients classify AI use cases, implement governance and operational controls, and meet regulatory obligations for AI deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% savings vs equivalent internal team, in projects of repetitive management
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AEERC (Asociación Española de Especialistas en Relaciones con Clientes)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on programs, content, training and events for the Spanish customer relations sector. Xternus contributes operational expertise and market reach; AEERC provides institutional reach and sector legitimacy.
• FECOR (Federación de Corredurías de Seguros)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on programs, content and training for the Spanish insurance broker federation. Xternus provides operational and AI expertise for insurance intermediaries.
• Col·legi de Mediadors d'Assegurances de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Barcelona insurance mediators professional association on sector events, training and content. Xternus contributes BPO and AI expertise for insurance operations.
• Futura Law FirmminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal advisory partner providing legal support for AI Act compliance, data protection and regulatory matters for Xternus clients.
• Emplea SentidominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on responsible employment and talent development in operations, aligning with Xternus's nearshore talent model and employer positioning.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Boldly: Subscription-based executive assistant service with dedicated remote VAs. Comparable to Xternus's dedicated executive assistant and operations support offering, with a similar 'indistinguishable from local hire' positioning.
• MyOutDesk: Provider of dedicated virtual assistants and remote professionals for real estate, mortgage, and business operations. Directly comparable to Xternus's US real estate ISA / transaction coordinator offering and BPO Flex model.
• Wing Assistant: Subscription-based virtual assistant company serving entrepreneurs and small businesses. Similar dedicated-VA model and US-focused customer base, though narrower in scope than Xternus's BPO + AI vertical.
• BairesDev: Latin American nearshore IT talent provider founded in Argentina. Comparable to Xternus on LATAM-sourced talent, time-zone alignment with US clients, and 'looks like in-house at a fraction of the cost' messaging, although BairesDev is IT-development focused.
• Time Etc: UK-originated virtual assistant company providing dedicated remote assistants to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Comparable customer segment and dedicated-team model to Xternus's virtual assistant and admin support service.
• BELAY: US-based subscription virtual assistant and bookkeeping company providing dedicated remote professionals to executives and small businesses. Highly comparable to Xternus's virtual assistant and back-office managed service line, with similar pricing model and US-mid-market focus.

Broad incumbents

• Concentrix: Global customer experience and BPO incumbent with sizable nearshore/offshore delivery. Comparable customer support and sales operations services, but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio than Xternus.
• Atento: Major LATAM-headquartered BPO and customer experience provider operating across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Comparable BPO service line and customer segments, but Atento is a large generalist incumbent versus Xternus's mid-market boutique focus.

Emerging players

• Cresta: AI platform for real-time agent coaching and customer support automation. Comparable through Xternus's Xternus LYRA and AI Voice Agents products, and a competitive threat to Xternus's human+AI hybrid model as enterprises adopt AI-native support platforms.
• Decagon: AI-native customer service agent platform for enterprise support. Directly comparable to Xternus's AI voice agent and AIRA offerings, and a key disruptor if mid-market clients adopt Decagon in-house instead of outsourcing to Xternus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xternus-zoomworkers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Xternus