CX Outsourcing: The Trends, Benefits, & Providers

Nowadays, customer experience BPOs offer much more than additional customer service delivery.

As core capabilities, they may provide customer and agent experience design, digital innovation, and lifecycle engagement services.

Moreover, the crème de la crème offers all this across many industries and knows how to best leverage the solutions of numerous CX vendors.

Each participant in this month's CX Today roundtable is associated with four highly-regarded BPOs. They are:

• Max Schwendner, Co-CEO of Alorica
• Antonio Masis, VP of Global Customer Management Services at Shyft Global Services
• Melanie Spears, VP of Business Development and CX Innovation at TELUS International
• Nick Cerise, Chief Marketing Officer at TTEC

Below, they break down the current state of CX outsourcing, sharing industry trends, benefits, and more.

CX Outsourcing: The Trends

BPOs Focus on Delivering Value Via AI

Schwendner: The acceleration of AI sophistication, adoption, and comprehension will continue to transform the CX outsourcing market in a remarkable way.

AI, ML, and RPA have long been used in CX to simplify and automate repetitive processes. However, with advances in models that not only automate but also learn, Alorica and its clients are blowing through the limitations of CX.

For example, accurate, cost-effective mass personalization initiatives are more achievable than ever.

Also, consider real-time translation. That is highly beneficial, given the increasing demand for multilingual CX support as brands globalize.

In legacy CX, multilingual queues have proven limited in terms of where a service can be delivered, who delivers it, and the known high costs.

However, Alorica IQ just launched ReVoLT (Real-time Voice Language Translation), an exclusive AI-powered solution that provides seamless experiences regardless of the language of the customer or agent. It’s a first-of-its-kind in the CX space.

24 months ago, that wouldn’t have been achievable.

BPOs Support Clients In Developing Their GenAI Strategies

Spears: Generative AI (GenAI) has caused the biggest buzz in the CX industry since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022.

Yet, everyone is at different stages of the journey. Some are still trying to determine what it means for their business and customer service operations. Meanwhile, other organizations are ready to roll out GenAI, with most already exploring or experimenting.

As they do so, they are navigating infrastructure, architecture, and governance challenges and wish to partner with third-party providers to limit the hurdles to implementation.

However, some are taking small steps to achieve efficiencies, reduce costs, and deliver the experience that drives brand loyalty, like providing more personalized services.

BPOs Shift the Focus from Call Handling to Creating Connections

Cerise: Advances in RPA, ML, and GenAI are changing the faces of customer care and associate experience. It's not just about cutting costs anymore; it's about enhancing customer journeys.

Companies like TTEC are leveraging AI to deliver hyper-personalized experiences at scale, freeing up human associates for those moments that truly need the human touch.

Consider how it works with clients to implement intelligent automation and empower associates to make better, quicker, and more impactful decisions.

TTEC also lets them scale up digital service knowledge capture, codification, and application.

The result? Associates have the information they need at their fingertips when they need it, so they can provide the type of seamless, personalized experiences customers expect.

Such implementations are revolutionizing how businesses think about outsourcing, less about just handling calls and more about crafting meaningful connections.

This trend isn't just a blip; it's reshaping the entire landscape, pushing us all to up our game in delivering next-level customer experiences.

BPOs Consider the AI-Human Balance

Masis: The biggest trend disrupting today's CX outsourcing market is the introduction and integration of AI systems.

With the evolution of AI, many companies are considering new technologies to enable greater growth and success for their businesses and customers.

However, when examining this through the lens of CX outsourcing, it’s critical to ask: where do we draw the line between the desire and need for human engagement versus the opportunities with an AI-supported system?

While the integration of AI can lead to some amazing advancements in CX operations, Shyft understands the importance of human engagement and support for more nuanced troubleshooting.

Yet, from IT training to revenue optimization, there are many more ways in which customer experience BPOs are doing more to support their clients. Here are some of those additional trends.

CX Outsourcing: The Benefits

Unlock Flexibility Across CX Operations

Spears: The biggest benefit for businesses is flexibility - being able to scale support according to fluctuating needs, such as new lines of business, seasonality, and peak periods.

CX outsourcing also offers cost efficiency and allows access to cost-prohibitive technologies, such as GenAI, language translation, omnichannel support, and customer journey mapping.

Additionally, outsourcing facilitates the rapid launch of new programs and the piloting of innovative customer support methods, ensuring businesses can stay agile and respond to customer demands.

Enjoy Bespoke Services & Solutions

Schwendner: When clients choose to work with a BPO like Alorica, they gain greater data analytics and insight – in addition to a harmonized and optimized global operating model.

Moreover, they can access bespoke digital solutions tailored to their unique business priorities while addressing tomorrow’s needs today.

At Alorica, our core competency is a proven track record of excellence in the execution and integration of technology. As a result, clients receive better, more consistent customer engagement outcomes.