Is GBS really going to be DEAD (despite the hype)?

BPOs would be dead in their current form and need to transform.

Ten years down the line, BPOs would become client technology enablers and a partner.

BPOs should have operations integrated with the delivery system.

The future model should help deliver value.

They need to scrape out the back-office tasks, focus on shaping the talent pool available and drop the politics involved in the workflow.

In the long run, it should try to become agile and customer-centric.

Both the sides, BPO and the Buyers, need a significant step up to achieve the desired goal.

• The operations from home were the need of the hour, but optimal output could not be derived.
• In my view, the Hybrid Model is the optimal solution for maintaining an excellent work-life balance.
• A place to collaborate is essential for meeting operational efficiency and fostering innovation.
• What does the Hybrid Model look like-
• Three days of work from home.
• Two days of work from the office.
• But currently, even the hybrid models are broken, which can be elaborated because of 2 reasons:
• Offices in the current form cannot provide the environment for true collaboration.
• Even when people are at the office, they spend time replying to emails or joining meetings that undermine the purpose of innovation, brainstorming, and having face-to-face interactions when present at the office.
• Although the large service centers won’t be there in the future, the essence of their presence would continue to create impact while collaborating globally.

• RPA has never been really ‘Alive’ for real.
• Back in 2015-16, Maciej wrote one of the first articles in Polish media about RPA – Describing it as a macro on steroids.
• Maciej wrote Its problems are workaround where a system solution fails, or system upgrade is too expensive.
• The potential of RPA to revolutionize the industry is skeptical.
• Even today, RPA has automated many processes, but its adoption in terms of scale and favorable returns on investments seems minimal.
• Moreover, it replicates RTA (Robotic Task Automation) rather than acting as RPA.
• The reasons for this shortcoming are:
• Processes are still not fully standardized.
• Data integrity remains an unresolved issue.
• BPOs still function on obsolete dealing methods rather than leading the way towards a new approach.
• Ten years down the line, RPA would remain critical from the education standpoint but not hold any disruptive technology.
• HighRadius, as an example:
• It has established itself as a niche company with a tool specialized in automation.
• That is easily Plug ‘n’ Play and offers a business case that delivers results.
• It has established its position in the business arena and is set to disrupt the space of automation in the next ten years.

• The next step following RPA is AI.
• AI is a holistic approach to the solution. It is a key enabler in the delivery ecosystem with a precise area of specialization.
• It has more unknown as compared to the known potential for our industry.
• For this reason, it is the best tool to be tested in GBS and Shared Services to get the desired output.
• AI is the moon that businesses would like to achieve in the long run. But currently, we need to get the basics right to do so.
• The right technology and investment strategy can help predict growth with AI.
• Examples: Cloud-based ERP systems and possible re-organization so that you as a GBS Leader :
• Can see and fix the full spectrum of the data end-to-end.
• And be able to analyze & action the data as our customers see it.

• From earlier days of dealing with India, I am impressed with the work ethics, attitude, diversified culture, and remarkable ability to adapt to the situation.
• India is a great inspiration for work and has a huge potential in terms of scale, talent, and experience.
• The world in ten years will be 75% + led by Technology, and it will be very much about the outcome, solution mindset, quick learning & adaptability skills.
• I do not doubt that India Talent can and will evolve to maintain its position as a critical destination – smaller with scale but making a more significant impact than today.
• Cost is, Cost was, and Cost will be a major factor in growing our business.
• We can see it now in a post covid world which puts many companies in a very cost-pressure environment.
• Thus, Indian leaders must fix it to be alive in 10 years.

• GBS needs to die and be reborn to survive.
• Why is that?
• The game of labor arbitrage is almost over.
• GBS organizations are getting too complex.
• People don’t want to do transactional work.
• Technology adoption has failed in the last decade.
• GBS should be imagined as a tech-enabled service that should balance the outcome of true technology and the organization’s operating model.
• 50% of the operations in an organization should be working on the model of mass-led automation, and GBS leaders have a new role.
• They are true technology experts and can lead centers of excellence, innovation centers that can act as collaboration spaces for data scientists and engineers.
• GBS leaders can act as an extension of function and charismatic enablers connecting dots in the process and the shadow of an expert compared to taking the front seat.
• In the future, we should focus more on improvising technology to make it customer-friendly and spend less time on people and stakeholder management, which is the case currently.

• We need to be careful where we get our news and validate it against reality.
• Draw out political correctness and speak the truth.
• We all should support the best we can with donations, plus we must keep pushing our local/country authorities to do the right thing.
• It’s only then that we will win, I have no doubt, and we will become stronger & better as a Global Society of Human Beings.