In the past few years, Shared Service Centers (SSCs) / Global Business Services (GBS) organizations have dramatically evolved their roles. They have become transformation engines for their global organizations, delivering a competitive advantage and shaping the future of work. The rising adoption of AI has further brightened the future for GBS. Nevertheless, they encounter significant challenges, with talent shortage being a vital one. Managing employee expectations in a digital-first, post-pandemic world has added complexity to GBS. Today, GBS organizations can harness the dynamic power of technology to evolve into data-intelligent powerhouses with highly engaged and motivated employees. Leveraging technology that enables the analysis of user interactions can offer increased visibility into work patterns. When coupled with advances in automation and generative AI, it can revamp the workplace into one where employees collaborate and thrive. While the benefits are numerous, GBS organizations encounter various barriers to scalability. Adopting best practices from industry leaders can help in the widespread adoption of technology to eliminate dark data and achieve operational excellence. In this report, we explore the potential for GBS to leverage a technology solution that analyzes employee-machine interactions to identify data-backed insights. These insights enable GBS to take a comprehensive approach across people, process, and technology, ultimately delivering superior business outcomes and an improved stakeholder experience. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we: Introduce GBS and discuss its evolution Examine the growing talent shortage in GBS Explore the role of technology in maximizing employee potential and enhancing the employee experience Barriers and best practices to scale technology adoption Membership(s) Service Optimization Technologies (SOT) Sourcing and Vendor Management

This Executive Brief is available only to Outsourcing Excellence members. For information on membership, please contact us Hybrid delivery models are compelling organizations to reevaluate the role of office spaces in the next normal. To operationalize these models and access untapped talent pools, enterprises are evaluating satellite offices in Tier-1 and Tier-2 locations. Many companies that have implemented hybrid models are following a Watch-Learn policy to introduce hybrid policies, monitor their impact on the business and employees, and then modify the policies based on learnings. This Executive Brief outlines how organizations can develop an effective return-to-office strategy and execute it to achieve their sourcing objectives. It examines market perspectives on shifting work models, common practices among Tier 1 providers for hybrid work delivery, and cost head changes as suppliers return to the office. It also highlights the benefits such as increased productivity, reduced attrition, and cost savings, of hybrid work models. Scope All industries and geographies Contents In this report, we : Analyze the market perspectives on shifting work models in enterprises Provide insights into Tier-1 service providers’ shifting delivery models List the key drivers and best practices to implement hybrid delivery models Note: Everest Group publishes executive briefs for senior executives from enterprises. These briefs address hot industry topics and particularly challenging issues of the day in an easy-to-digest format.

This Virtual Roundtable Discussion Summary is available only to GBS/ Shared Services Excellence members. For information on membership, please contact us Everest Group regularly organizes virtual sessions where senior executives from enterprises convene to share experiences and network with colleagues in other organizations on hot industry topics or particularly challenging issues of the day. In this virtual roundtable, Everest Group experts and our participants discussed current RTO options and shared strategies, including approaches to building a long-term hybrid model.

This Executive Brief is available only to GBS/ Shared Services members. For information on membership, please contact us The Work From Home (WFH) experiment made necessary by COVID-19 has nudged global organizations to look beyond opportunistic leverage of WFH and integrate it in their future delivery models. As employee preferences and organizational imperatives evolve, GBS organizations must design a future proof WFH strategy and transform their management and leadership development models to enable a successful shift to future delivery models. In this executive brief, Everest Group analysts share the evolving outlook toward WFH, top concerns with WFH model, and six key elements to build a future ready WFH strategy for GBS organizations. Note: Everest Group publishes executive briefs for senior executives from enterprises. These briefs address hot industry topics and particularly challenging issues of the day in an easy-to-digest format.

On May 25, Everest Group hosted a webinar titled, "New Strategies to Drive WFH Success." How well has your organization adapted to the work from home (WFH) model? Organizational agility was tested to the max last year as workplace norms changed in the span of a few weeks. Now, as WFH settles in — with 60 percent of the workplace expected to stay with a WFH model — organizations need a sharp eye to create opportunities and targeted measures to enable effective WFH. In this webinar, Everest Group’s Kumar Avijit, Practice Director, and Abhishek Singh, Vice President, discussed strategies and provided insights for buyers and service providers on the latest developments, emerging themes, challenges, and opportunities for the evolved workplace model of the future. In this webinar, our experts discussed: Primary concerns for enterprises with the WFH model Key challenges arising from a distributed workforce Technology considerations to maintain the new workplace model

On April 8, Everest Group hosted a webinar titled, "Workforce and Delivery Location Strategies: What to Aim For in 2021." Despite being a year of rough waters for most industries, global delivery locations and delivery center set-ups saw trends of growth throughout 2020. In this webinar, Everest Group’s Michel Janssen, Chief Research Officer, and Anurag Srivastava, Vice President, were joined by senior workforce and locations strategy practitioner Daniel Rose, Head of Strategy and Operations at Novartis, and Rajat Bhatnagar, Extended Workforce Solutions Business Partner at Google, for a 360-degree perspective on global workforce and delivery locations strategies — including what changed in 2020 and what to aim for in 2021. The experts discussed: The effects of COVID-19 on global workforce and delivery locations strategies Leveraging offshore vs. nearshore vs. onshore locations Implementing hub-and spoke or centers of excellence (CoE) models The impacts of work from home (WFH) on real estate and how it compares to flexible office space trends Trends in leveraging alternative talent models

The Work at Home Agent (WAHA) Customer Experience Management (CXM) – Service Provider Compendium 2021 provides accurate, comprehensive, and fact-based snapshots of 16 major WAHA CXM service providers. It offers a detailed profile of each WAHA CXM service provider, with a comprehensive picture of its services suite, recent developments and investments, technology, security, and talent management solutions, WAHA locations, and WAHA CXM service portfolio. Scope Industry: all This compendium evaluates the following WAHA CXM service providers: Alorica, Arise, Concentrix, Conduent, Everise, HGS, KellyConnect, Liveops, Sitel Group, Sutherland, SYKES, Tech Mahindra, Teleperformance, Transcom, TTEC, and Webhelp Contents Each service provider profile provides the following details: WAHA CXM services suite: company overview, key leaders, major clients, and recent WAHA-specific investments WAHA CXM portfolio and scope of services: revenue split by geography, industry, buyer size, process coverage, and channel coverage WAHA CXM agent distribution and capabilities: FTE split by region and language, technology, security, and talent management capabilities WAHA CXM services location landscape: CXM WAHA locations Detailed assessment of WAHA CXM services: market success, vision and capability assessment, and remarks on each service provider’s strengths and limitations Membership(s) Customer Experience Management (CXM) Services, including Contact Center Outsourcing Sourcing and Vendor Management

The coronavirus outbreak significantly impacted Customer Experience (CX), as agent absenteeism increased, call volumes rose to extraordinary levels, and organizations were forced to establish remote infrastructures to enable agents to work from home – at lightning speed. A year into the crisis, organizations are re-evaluating their Customer Experience Management (CXM) delivery strategies for the long term. While the Work At Home Agent (WAHA) model experienced limited adoption before the pandemic, positive outcomes achieved during the lockdowns imposed eased concerns around incorporating WAHA as a permanent CXM service delivery option. Building a sustainable WAHA model is going to require a multi-tiered investment strategy in various technologies and practices that brick and mortar programs neither require nor are familiar with. Companies trying to future-proof customer growth need to develop a comprehensive customer service culture, with a clear focus on developing a robust WAHA capability. Scope All industries and geographies Contents This report answers the following questions related to CXM: What was the impact of COVID-19 on the CXM industry? How sustainable are the Work From Home (WFH) models that were established following the pandemic? What vulnerabilities are associated with the temporary WFH model? What measures should enterprises take to ensure the continuity and performance of their WAHA models in the post-COVID-19 landscape to deliver superior CX? Membership(s) Customer Experience Management (CXM) Services, including Contact Center Outsourcing Work at Home Agent (WAHA) Customer Experience Management (CXM) Sourcing and Vendor Management

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly hit customer experience amid social distancing and lockdown measures implemented globally. It also resulted in the Work at Home Agent (WAHA) business model for delivering Customer Experience Management (CXM) services becoming a crucial part of business continuity planning. Elevated demand for a virtual workforce, coupled with the need to ensure superior customer experience, necessitated investments in technology, security, and talent management. With WAHA expected to become an integral part of most organizations’ CXM service delivery post-COVID-19, an increasing number of service providers are scaling their WAHA businesses by fast-tracking the development of virtual hiring, onboarding, training, security solutions, workforce management, and technology capabilities. In this research, we present detailed assessments of the WAHA capabilities of 16 CXM service providers featured on the CXM Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2021. Each assessment provides a comprehensive picture of the service provider’s market success, vision and innovations, service focus and capabilities, technology and security solutions, talent management capabilities, domain investments, and buyer feedback. The assessment is based on Everest Group’s annual RFI process for the calendar year 2020, interactions with leading CXM service providers, client reference checks, and an ongoing analysis of the CXM services market. Scope All industries and geographies WAHA CXM vendors studied: Alorica, Arise, Concentrix, Conduent, Everise, HGS, KellyConnect, Liveops, Sitel Group, Sutherland, SYKES, Tech Mahindra, Teleperformance, Transcom, TTEC, and Webhelp Contents In this research, we analyze the WAHA CXM service provider landscape and its impact on the CXM market. In particular, we focus on: WAHA Customer Experience Management (CXM) Services PEAK Matrix®2021 Key insights on PEAK Matrix® dimensions Observations and comments on individual service providers Considerations of buyers Membership(s) Customer Experience Management (CXM) Services, including Contact Center Outsourcing Sourcing and Vendor Management

The COVID-19 crisis has led to a marked shift in how work is carried out. As the coronavirus pandemic spread globally in early 2020 and governments ordered nationwide shutdowns, companies swiftly began to move their employees to the Work From Home (WFH) model. Over the past few months, it has proved viable and even advantageous in many respects. In a post-COVID-19 scenario, we expect WFH to emerge as an imperative for many organizations. In fact, organizations are cognizant of the impending challenges for the long-term scaled adoption of WFH and are focusing on targeted measures to enable effective WFH, making fundamental changes to their working models. This report takes a deep dive into the key aspects related to WFH, concerns and best practices regarding remote working, and the implications of industry developments during COVID-19 on future delivery and locations strategies, such as key changes to delivery portfolios, shoring mix, and locations decisions. The report will be relevant for a broad set of stakeholders interested in integrating WFH in the services delivery model, including buyers / parent organizations, service providers, GBS organizations, and industry influencers (e.g., investors and industry bodies). Scope All industries and geographies This research leverages our survey and interactions with 200+ service provider executives and enterprise / Global Business Services (GBS) / shared services stakeholders across locations and industry verticals. Contents In this research, we study the following topics: Impact of COVID-19 on outsourcing and global services Growing significance and adoption of the WFH model Key concerns regarding ongoing and long-term WFH adoption Key action steps for operationalizing WFH with respect to work mix, technology infrastructure, real estate, talent models, performance management practices, and overall risk mitigation Impact on delivery and locations strategies Membership(s) Market Vista™ Sourcing and Vendor Management