The airline passenger experience has become digital, data-rich, and deeply automated — and airlines are racing to meet that reality.
Leading carriers are deploying AI across the full customer journey: machine learning to personalize recommendations and predict delays, dynamic rebooking systems to protect tight connections, real-time translation to break down language barriers, and virtual assistants to handle high volumes of routine inquiries before they ever reach a human associate. AI is optimizing gate assignments, streamlining baggage tracking from check-in to carousel, and pushing real-time travel updates directly to passengers’ hands.
Yet even as adoption accelerates, a paradox is taking shape at the heart of this transformation. Passengers may be embracing biometric boarding and AI-powered apps — but they remain skeptical of AI itself. Trust is fragile. And for airlines, that fragility carries real strategic weight.
The brands succeeding today are deploying AI behind familiar interfaces, maintaining clear escalation paths to human associates, and relentlessly focused on removing friction. They understand that the best travel experiences often don’t feel like technology at all.
That balance — between innovation and trust, automation and humanity — is exactly what this new report explores.
In “How AI is elevating the airline passenger experience,” sponsored by TTEC and Microsoft, we examine what it takes for airlines to meet this moment.
Inside, you’ll find:
The state of passenger experience — Where airlines stand today, and where AI can genuinely take them
Why AI alone can’t improve the airline passenger experience — The limits of automation and the continued centrality of human connection
AI-powered associates take flight — How intelligent tools are elevating frontline performance, not replacing it
The invisible upgrade — Why the best travel experiences don’t feel like technology
You know the action movie scene – a ticking briefcase full of wires. The heroes manage to open it and are faced with a decision. With the clock counting down in their faces, they need to cut the right wires to stop the clock before everything explodes. Time is of the essence, and without the right expertise, resources, and a little bit of luck, kaboom.
Today’s customer experience feels a lot like that ticking briefcase. CX leaders are expected to be experts and move fast when it comes to new technology, AI adoption, changing customer needs, and cost reduction. Or else.
Or else customers will get fed up and move on. Costs will skyrocket. Employee attrition will rise. Performance will drop. Brand and product reputation will suffer. In other words, kaboom.
The state of CX right now is full of contradictions. It’s exciting and full of anxiety. It’s digital-first and powered by humans. It’s about getting back to basics while creating entirely new business models.
The cover story in the Spring 2026 issue of the Customer Strategist Journal provides a playbook for how to navigate seven foundational shifts facing the industry today. Devices are becoming autonomous, customers want AI and humans, trust and brand authenticity overtake marketing and advertising, and expert associates are table stakes. These are just some of the wires in today’s CX briefcase.
The industry is under pressure to meet the moment. If you understand the danger and have the expertise to turn crisis into opportunity to shut off the ticking clock, you will emerge a true hero to your customers and your business.
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, companies are turning to specialized sales outsourcing partners to build outsourced sales teams that accelerate revenue growth, expand into new markets, and optimize their go-to-market strategies.
The right sales outsourcing partner doesn’t just provide bodies for outreach — they bring strategic expertise, proven methodologies, advanced technology, and performance-driven models that deliver measurable ROI.
Whether you’re launching a new product, entering a new geography, scaling your inside sales team, or optimizing your entire revenue operation, choosing the right partner is critical. Here are the top 15 companies driving revenue growth in 2026.
1. TTEC
Why they’re #1: TTEC combines the strategic sophistication of a consultancy with the operational excellence of a world-class outsourcer and the technological innovation of a digital powerhouse. Unlike competitors who focus solely on lead generation services or appointment setting, TTEC delivers comprehensive revenue generation services across the entire customer lifecycle — from demand generation and lead qualification through sales enablement, closing deals, customer acquisition, upselling, and retention.
What sets them apart: TTEC’s secret weapon is their integrated approach. TTEC operates front-line revenue generation programs for leading global brands, while TTEC Digital provides the strategic oversight, technology platforms, and data-driven analytics that optimize performance. This dual-engine model means clients get both hands-on execution and continuous strategic refinement based on real-time data and operational insights.
Core capabilities:
Inbound and outbound sales programs
Lead generation and qualification
Inside sales and telesales
Channel partner enablement
Customer acquisition and onboarding
Upsell, cross-sell, and retention programs
Revenue operations and analytics
Sales technology implementation and optimization
Multilingual global sales support
Standout features:
Operating across six continents with 64,000+ customer-facing employees
AI-powered sales enablement tools and predictive analytics
Outcome-based pricing models tied to revenue metrics
Industry-specific expertise across B2B sales outsourcing and B2C sectors
Proprietary CXaaS platform integrating sales, service, and analytics
Award-winning training programs and performance optimization
Best for: Organizations seeking a strategic partner who can drive measurable revenue growth through a combination of expert talent, advanced technology, and continuous optimization — not just tactical lead generation.
2. MarketStar
Why they rank high: MarketStar has been a pioneer in outsourced sales for technology companies since 1988, building an unmatched track record of channel management and inside sales execution for some of the world’s most recognized technology brands.
What sets them apart: MarketStar’s deep roots in the technology sector give them a unique advantage when it comes to building and managing complex channel ecosystems. Their expertise spans the entire revenue lifecycle — from demand creation and partner enablement through pipeline management and deal closure — making them a go-to partner for technology vendors looking to accelerate growth through indirect channels and direct sales motions alike.
Core capabilities:
Outsourced inside sales and field sales
Channel and partner program management
Sales development and lead qualification
Partner recruitment and onboarding
Customer success and expansion sales
Revenue operations and sales analytics
Sales training and enablement programs
Best for: Technology companies and SaaS vendors seeking a seasoned partner to build or scale inside sales teams and channel partner programs, particularly those requiring deep expertise in tech-sector sales motions and partner ecosystems.
3. SalesRoads
Why they rank high: SalesRoads has established itself as one of the premier B2B inside sales and appointment-setting firms in North America, delivering a fully dedicated outsourced SDR model that consistently produces high-quality, qualified pipeline for clients across technology, professional services, and industrial sectors.
What sets them apart: Fully dedicated SDR teams built exclusively for each client — no shared agent pools. SalesRoads combines rigorous talent acquisition and training with deep B2B sales expertise, placing a premium on rep quality, brand alignment, and measurable performance accountability at every stage of the engagement.
Core capabilities:
Dedicated B2B inside sales and SDR team management
Appointment setting and qualified pipeline development
Cold calling and multi-channel outbound outreach
Sales playbook design and rep onboarding
CRM integration, reporting, and performance analytics
Best for: B2B companies in technology, SaaS, and professional services seeking a fully dedicated, high-performance outbound sales team to generate consistent qualified pipeline without the cost and complexity of building an in-house SDR organization.
4. Martal Group
Why they rank high: Martal Group specializes in outbound B2B sales and lead generation for technology companies, offering a unique blend of fractional sales leadership and dedicated outbound execution that gives clients immediate access to experienced sales talent and proven go-to-market infrastructure.
What sets them apart: Unique fractional VP of Sales model paired with a dedicated outbound team, delivering both strategic guidance and hands-on execution from a single partner. Deep specialization in software, SaaS, and IT services, with particular strength in accelerating pipeline in new markets and international geographies.
Core capabilities:
Fractional VP of Sales and outsourced sales leadership
Outbound lead generation and multi-channel prospecting
Email, LinkedIn, and phone-based outreach campaigns
Account-based sales strategy and target list development
Sales process design, optimization, and CRM management
Best for: B2B technology companies seeking rapid pipeline acceleration or new market entry, particularly those who benefit from having strategic sales leadership and hands-on outbound execution delivered by a single integrated partner.
5. Belkins
Why they rank high: Belkins has rapidly established itself as one of the most effective B2B appointment-setting agencies in the market, combining highly personalized outreach with rigorous data research and a laser focus on delivering qualified pipeline — not just raw activity metrics.
What sets them apart: Belkins stands out through the depth of their research-driven approach. Each campaign begins with intensive ideal customer profile analysis and prospect research, ensuring every outreach interaction is targeted, relevant, and personalized. Their team blends human expertise with technology to craft messaging that consistently achieves above-average email open and response rates, translating into a steady stream of high-quality appointments for their clients’ sales teams.
Core capabilities:
B2B lead generation and prospecting
Appointment setting and calendar management
Email outreach and cold email campaigns
LinkedIn outreach and social selling
Ideal customer profile development
CRM enrichment and data management
Sales development representative (SDR) outsourcing
Best for: B2B companies — especially in technology, SaaS, professional services, and healthcare — looking to build consistent, high-quality sales pipeline through personalized outbound outreach without the cost and time of building an in-house SDR team.
Why they rank high: Alorica’s sales practice combines traditional outbound capabilities with modern digital sales channels, making them particularly effective for omnichannel sales strategies.
What sets them apart: Strong integration between voice, chat, email, and social selling channels. Growing investment in AI-powered sales enablement tools.
Core capabilities:
Multi-channel sales campaigns
Inbound sales conversion
Lead generation and nurturing
Product launch support
Market research and intelligence
Best for: Consumer brands executing omnichannel sales strategies and requiring seamless integration across multiple touchpoints.
Why they rank high: Startek delivers strong sales outsourcing capabilities with a focus on customer journey optimization, ensuring sales efforts align with broader customer experience strategy.
What sets them apart: Integrated approach connecting sales with onboarding and early lifecycle support to drive better retention and expansion outcomes.
Core capabilities:
Sales and customer acquisition
Lead generation and qualification
Customer onboarding programs
Upsell and cross-sell services
Win-back campaigns
Best for: Organizations prioritizing seamless transitions from sales through onboarding and seeking to optimize early customer lifecycle experiences.
8. TaskUs
Why they rank high: TaskUs brings a tech-forward approach to sales outsourcing, particularly strong in serving high-growth technology companies and digital-native brands.
What sets them apart: Deep understanding of modern sales technologies and go-to-market strategies for SaaS, fintech, and e-commerce companies. Strong in supporting product-led growth models.
Core capabilities:
Inside sales for tech companies
Sales development teams and qualification
Customer expansion programs
Sales operations support
Revenue operations consulting
Best for: Fast-growing technology companies and digital businesses requiring partners who understand modern sales methodologies and tools.
9. Sales Focus Inc.
Why they rank high: Sales Focus Inc. (SFI) has built a reputation over more than two decades as a specialist in designing, launching, and managing dedicated outsourced sales teams with a highly customized, hands-on approach that distinguishes them from larger, more process-rigid competitors.
What sets them apart: SFI’s model centers on building fully dedicated, branded sales teams that operate as a seamless extension of a client’s own organization. Rather than assigning clients to shared agent pools, SFI recruits, trains, and manages teams entirely focused on one client’s product or service — ensuring deep product knowledge, brand alignment, and accountability at every level of the engagement.
Core capabilities:
Dedicated outsourced field and inside sales teams
B2B and B2C sales program design and launch
Sales territory planning and management
Sales recruiting, onboarding, and training
Performance management and coaching
CRM integration and sales reporting
Competitive market analysis and go-to-market strategy
Best for: Mid-market and growth-stage companies that require a fully dedicated, white-glove outsourced sales team built around their specific product, brand, and customer base — particularly those entering new markets or launching new product lines without existing sales infrastructure.
10. memoryBlue
Why they rank high: memoryBlue is a leading technology sales development firm that combines high-quality SDR outsourcing with a distinctive talent development model, helping B2B technology companies build pipeline while simultaneously cultivating the next generation of in-house sales professionals.
What sets them apart: Unique hire-back model — memoryBlue recruits and trains emerging sales talent, deploys them as dedicated SDRs for client engagements, and offers clients the option to hire top performers directly at the engagement’s conclusion. This creates both exceptional SDR quality today and a natural talent pipeline for client organizations over the long term.
Core capabilities:
Technology-focused SDR outsourcing and inside sales development
Outbound prospecting and lead generation for B2B tech companies
Sales cadence design and buyer engagement strategy
Best for: B2B technology companies seeking high-quality sales development representation, particularly those looking to generate pipeline now while also building a talent pipeline of trained SDRs they can eventually hire directly into their sales organization.
Why they rank high: SalesHive combines AI-powered technology with experienced human SDRs to deliver scalable outbound sales development, making it a go-to partner for B2B companies focused on pipeline acceleration.
What sets them apart: Proprietary AI platform (Platforma) automates prospecting and email sequencing while a dedicated SDR team executes outreach, offering a unique blend of tech-driven efficiency and human touch at scale.
Core capabilities:
• AI-powered outbound prospecting
• Cold email and multi-channel outreach
• SDR team management and coaching
• Appointment setting and pipeline generation
• CRM integration and reporting
Best for: B2B companies of all sizes looking to outsource outbound sales development and scale pipeline generation quickly using a technology-enabled SDR model.
Why they rank high: HGS delivers comprehensive sales solutions with particular strength in transformational programs that redesign sales processes and capabilities.
What sets them apart: Strong consulting approach to sales transformation, combining process optimization with technology enablement and change management.
Core capabilities:
Sales transformation consulting
Inside sales programs
Digital sales enablement
Sales operations improvement
Performance analytics and optimization
Best for: Organizations undergoing significant sales transformation and requiring a partner who can combine strategic consulting with operational execution.
Why they rank high: CIENCE Technologies has redefined the SDR-as-a-service model by combining deeply skilled human sales development representatives with a proprietary technology platform, delivering a uniquely data-driven and scalable approach to outbound lead generation and pipeline development.
What sets them apart: CIENCE’s people-as-a-service (PaaS) model pairs trained, specialized SDRs with GO Data, their robust B2B intelligence database, and GO Show, a website visitor identification platform. This technology-human hybrid approach enables highly targeted, multi-touch outbound campaigns that drive engagement across channels while providing clients with actionable intelligence about their target accounts and inbound website traffic.
Sales technology consulting and stack optimization
Best for: B2B companies seeking a scalable, technology-augmented outsourced SDR solution that goes beyond simple appointment setting to deliver deeper pipeline intelligence, account insights, and multi-channel engagement across their target market.
Why they rank high: Callbox is a proven leader in international B2B lead generation and appointment setting, with more than two decades of experience helping companies across North America, APAC, and EMEA build consistent sales pipelines through a disciplined multi-channel outreach methodology.
What sets them apart: Callbox’s proprietary Pipeline CRM and marketing automation platform, combined with their multi-touch, multi-channel approach — spanning voice, email, LinkedIn, web, and chat — gives clients a coordinated outreach engine that maximizes prospect engagement at every stage of the funnel. Their global delivery footprint and multilingual capabilities make them particularly effective for companies targeting diverse geographic markets simultaneously.
Core capabilities:
Multi-channel B2B lead generation and appointment setting
Account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns
Database building, profiling, and enrichment
Event marketing and webinar registration support
Pipeline CRM and marketing automation
Multilingual sales outreach and global market coverage
Sales and marketing alignment programs
Best for: B2B companies — particularly in technology, logistics, financial services, and healthcare — that need a proven, technology-supported multi-channel outreach partner to generate qualified appointments and accelerate pipeline growth across multiple markets and geographies.
Selecting the right sales outsourcing company requires careful evaluation of your specific business context, growth objectives, and operational requirements. Here are a few critical factors to assess:
1. Strategic vs. tactical focus: Tactical providers excel at executing defined playbooks — lead generation, appointment setting, inside sales — while strategic partners bring consultative capabilities that continuously refine sales approaches based on performance data, market feedback, and evolving business objectives.
2. Performance measurement and accountability: Leading sales outsourcing companies tie their success to your success through outcome-based KPIs, performance-based pricing models, and transparent reporting and analytics. Avoid providers who focus solely on activity metrics (cold calls made, emails sent) rather than business outcomes like sales pipeline growth and conversion rates.
3. Technology and data capabilities: Modern sales outsourcing requires sophisticated technology stacks. Can the provider integrate seamlessly with your existing sales technology stack while bringing their own innovation?
4. Industry expertise and vertical specialization: Sales approaches vary dramatically across industries. Prioritize providers with proven track records in your specific industry vertical.
5. Scalability and flexibility: Revenue growth is rarely linear. Your sales outsourcing firm should offer rapid scaling capabilities for seasonal demands or market opportunities, flexible resource models to complement internal teams, and program design flexibility to test new approaches for long-term success.
Sales outsourcing vendor pros and cons
Rank
Company
Best for
Key strengths
1
TTEC
Organizations seeking a strategic partner who can drive measurable revenue growth through a combination of expert talent, advanced technology, and continuous optimization — not just tactical lead generation.
Comprehensive global footprint with localized market expertise and multilingual capabilities. Strong in both B2C and B2B sales programs with proven methodologies, multi-channel outreach, and relationship management across verticals.
2
MarketStar
Technology companies and SaaS vendors seeking a seasoned partner to build or scale inside sales teams and channel partner programs, particularly those requiring deep expertise in tech-sector sales motions and partner ecosystems.
MarketStar’s deep roots in the technology sector give them a unique advantage when it comes to building and managing complex channel ecosystems. Their expertise spans the entire revenue lifecycle — from demand creation and partner enablement through pipeline management and deal closure.
3
SalesRoads
B2B companies in technology, SaaS, and professional services seeking a fully dedicated, high-performance outbound sales team to generate consistent qualified pipeline without the cost and complexity of building an in-house SDR organization.
Fully dedicated SDR teams built exclusively for each client — no shared agent pools. SalesRoads combines rigorous talent acquisition and training with deep B2B sales expertise, placing a premium on rep quality, brand alignment, and measurable performance accountability at every stage of the engagement.
4
Martal Group
B2B technology companies seeking rapid pipeline acceleration or new market entry, particularly those who benefit from having strategic sales leadership and hands-on outbound execution delivered by a single integrated partner.
Unique fractional VP of Sales model paired with a dedicated outbound team, delivering both strategic guidance and hands-on execution from a single partner. Deep specialization in software, SaaS, and IT services, with particular strength in accelerating pipeline in new markets and international geographies.
5
Belkins
B2B companies — especially in technology, SaaS, professional services, and healthcare — looking to build consistent, high-quality sales pipeline through personalized outbound outreach without the cost and time of building an in-house SDR team.
Belkins stands out through the depth of their research-driven approach. Each campaign begins with intensive ideal customer profile analysis and prospect research, ensuring every outreach interaction is targeted, relevant, and personalized. Their team blends human expertise with technology to craft messaging that consistently achieves above-average email open and response rates, translating into a steady stream of high-quality appointments for their clients’ sales teams.
6
Alorica
Consumer brands executing omnichannel sales strategies and requiring seamless integration across multiple touchpoints.
Strong integration between voice, chat, email, and social selling channels. Growing investment in AI-powered sales enablement tools.
7
Startek
Organizations prioritizing seamless transitions from sales through onboarding and seeking to optimize early customer lifecycle experiences.
Integrated approach connecting sales with onboarding and early lifecycle support to drive better retention and expansion outcomes.
8
TaskUs
Fast-growing technology companies and digital businesses requiring partners who understand modern sales methodologies and tools.
Deep understanding of modern sales technologies and go-to-market strategies for SaaS, fintech, and e-commerce companies. Strong in supporting product-led growth models.
9
Sales Focus Inc.
Mid-market and growth-stage companies that require a fully dedicated, white-glove outsourced sales team built around their specific product, brand, and customer base — particularly those entering new markets or launching new product lines without existing sales infrastructure.
SFI’s model centers on building fully dedicated, branded sales teams that operate as a seamless extension of a client’s own organization. Rather than assigning clients to shared agent pools, SFI recruits, trains, and manages teams entirely focused on one client’s product or service
10
memoryBlue
B2B technology companies seeking high-quality sales development representation, particularly those looking to generate pipeline now while also building a talent pipeline of trained SDRs they can eventually hire directly into their sales organization.
Unique hire-back model — memoryBlue recruits and trains emerging sales talent, deploys them as dedicated SDRs for client engagements, and offers clients the option to hire top performers directly at the engagement’s conclusion.
11
SalesHive
B2B companies of all sizes looking to outsource outbound sales development and scale pipeline generation quickly using a technology-enabled SDR model.
Proprietary AI platform (Platforma) automates prospecting and email sequencing while a dedicated SDR team executes outreach, offering a unique blend of tech-driven efficiency and human touch at scale.
12
IBEX Global
Mid-market companies seeking cost-effective sales outsourcing with flexible engagement models and performance-based pricing.
Willingness to structure deals around performance metrics and revenue outcomes rather than traditional per-seat pricing
13
HGS (Hinduja Global Solutions)
Organizations undergoing significant sales transformation and requiring a partner who can combine strategic consulting with operational execution.
Strong consulting approach to sales transformation, combining process optimization with technology enablement and change management.
14
CIENCE
B2B companies seeking a scalable, technology-augmented outsourced SDR solution that goes beyond simple appointment setting to deliver deeper pipeline intelligence, account insights, and multi-channel engagement across their target market.
CIENCE’s people-as-a-service (PaaS) model pairs trained, specialized SDRs with GO Data, their robust B2B intelligence database, and GO Show, a website visitor identification platform.
15
Callbox
B2B companies — particularly in technology, logistics, financial services, and healthcare — that need a proven, technology-supported multi-channel outreach partner to generate qualified appointments and accelerate pipeline growth across multiple markets and geographies.
Callbox’s proprietary Pipeline CRM and marketing automation platform, combined with their multi-touch, multi-channel approach — spanning voice, email, LinkedIn, web, and chat — gives clients a coordinated outreach engine that maximizes prospect engagement at every stage of the funnel.
A man is driving on a highway at sunset, with golden light streaming through the windshield with the road stretches ahead.
The automotive and mobility industry is undergoing its most transformative era in a century. Electrification, connected vehicles, subscription models, and shifting consumer expectations are rewriting the rules of customer engagement. Behind many of the world’s leading OEMs, dealership networks, roadside assistance programs, and mobility platforms is a best-in-class BPO partner helping them deliver seamless, scalable, and brand-right customer experiences.
This ranking highlights the 15 business process outsourcing providers best positioned to power automotive and mobility CX in 2026.
1. Percepta When it comes to automotive and mobility customer experience (CX) outsourcing, no provider comes close to Percepta’s depth of specialization. Founded with a singular focus on the automotive industry, Percepta has spent more than two decades building programs for the world’s most recognized OEMs and mobility brands — including Ford, Lincoln, Jaguar Land Rover, and others — across the full customer lifecycle.
From vehicle ownership support and roadside assistance to dealer relations, recall management, and connected vehicle services, Percepta has architected some of the most complex and consumer-facing programs in the industry.
What sets Percepta apart in 2026 is a unique competitive position that no other automotive BPO can replicate: it combines the deep, vertical-specific expertise of a boutique automotive specialist with the scale, technology investments, and global infrastructure of a much larger organization (through its relationship with TTEC). This means clients benefit from the kind of nuanced automotive industry knowledge, regulatory fluency, and brand-aligned agent training that smaller specialized firms deliver, paired with enterprise-grade capacity, digital transformation tools, analytics capabilities, and global recruiting depth that only a top-tier BPO parent can provide. It’s the best of both worlds in a single partner.
Percepta’s domain expertise is truly unmatched. The company’s purpose-built automotive training frameworks, proprietary knowledge management systems, and tenured agent populations translate directly into faster resolution times, higher customer satisfaction scores, and stronger brand loyalty outcomes for its clients. For any automotive or mobility brand evaluating BPO partners in 2026, Percepta stands alone at the top of this list.
2. Tech Mahindra Tech Mahindra occupies a distinctive position in the automotive BPO landscape because it approaches customer experience from an engineering and digital transformation foundation that few pure-play BPOs can match. With deep legacy roots in automotive engineering services — supporting OEMs on everything from embedded software to EV platform development — Tech Mahindra brings a technical fluency to automotive CX programs that is increasingly valuable as vehicles become rolling software platforms.
In 2026, the company significantly expanded its automotive CX capabilities, offering integrated services that span connected vehicle support, EV customer onboarding, telematics-based roadside assistance, and digital retail support for OEMs navigating the shift toward direct-to-consumer sales models. Its automotive BPO division benefits from cross-pollination with the broader Tech Mahindra engineering and IT services ecosystem, giving clients access to continuous improvement pipelines grounded in actual vehicle technology expertise.
3. Concentrix Concentrix has grown into one of the world’s largest and most capable CX outsourcing providers, and its automotive and mobility vertical has matured significantly in recent years. With a global delivery footprint spanning dozens of countries and a workforce that numbers in the hundreds of thousands, Concentrix offers automotive clients the kind of unlimited scalability required for large-scale vehicle launch support, recall management campaigns, and multi-brand ownership programs.
The company’s investment in AI-powered agent assist tools, real-time analytics, and omnichannel orchestration platforms has made it particularly competitive for automotive clients running high-complexity, high-volume operations. Its automotive CX practice benefits from mature workforce management capabilities and a design-first approach to customer journey mapping, ensuring programs are engineered for both efficiency and satisfaction.
4. Teleperformance Teleperformance’s sheer scale — over 500,000 employees across more than 100 countries — makes it a formidable option for automotive and mobility brands that require truly global program delivery with consistent quality standards. The company has made deliberate investments in its automotive vertical over the past several years, developing dedicated practice teams, specialized training curricula, and sector-specific CX benchmarking tools.
In 2026, Teleperformance is particularly competitive for automotive clients seeking multilingual ownership experience programs, digital channel management, and EV transition support at massive scale. Its TP GenAI and automation investments are beginning to show meaningful productivity gains in automotive contexts, particularly in first-call resolution for common vehicle inquiry categories. While it may lack the automotive-first DNA of a specialist like Percepta, Teleperformance’s operational rigor and geographic reach make it a credible choice for the largest global OEM programs.
5. Infosys BPM Infosys BPM, the business process management arm of Infosys, brings enterprise-level digital transformation capabilities to automotive CX programs that few BPOs can replicate. Its automotive and mobility practice is underpinned by deep process engineering expertise and integration with the broader Infosys ecosystem — including AI platforms, cloud migration services, and industry-specific data analytics tools that are increasingly critical in a connected-vehicle world.
In 2026, Infosys BPM’s automotive work spans customer ownership services, warranty management, parts and service support, and the emerging area of data monetization support for OEMs managing large, connected fleet data sets. The company’s process automation and cognitive AI capabilities have enabled automotive clients to reduce handle times and improve first-contact resolution rates on complex technical inquiries.
6. MXSI MXSI has built a reputation as a focused and agile BPO with strong roots in the automotive and adjacent industries. The company’s operational model emphasizes close client partnerships and customized program design, allowing automotive brands to get deeply tailored CX solutions rather than retrofitted, industry-agnostic service delivery. MXSI’s teams are trained with automotive-specific product knowledge frameworks, enabling agents to handle technically complex inquiries with greater confidence and accuracy than many generalist providers.
The company has expanded its digital channel capabilities in recent years, with growing competency in chat-based support, asynchronous messaging, and social care for automotive brands navigating evolving customer communication preferences.
7. Morley Morley has carved out a notable position in automotive and mobility customer services by prioritizing operational agility and program responsiveness — qualities that are increasingly valued as automotive brands navigate rapid product cycles and market shifts. The company’s delivery model is built for adaptability, allowing clients to adjust program scope, channel mix, and agent specialization with minimal friction during periods of business change.
In the automotive context, Morley’s teams support a range of programs including vehicle inquiry handling, ownership experience support, and dealer-facing back-office services. The company’s emphasis on agent quality and tenure management translates into more consistent brand representation and higher customer satisfaction benchmarks over the life of a program. As automotive brands continue to invest in differentiated ownership experiences, providers like Morley that prioritize consistency and flexibility are well-positioned for continued growth.
8. Sutherland Sutherland Global Services has distinguished itself in the broader BPO landscape through a strong commitment to analytics, AI-powered process automation, and data-driven program optimization — capabilities that translate meaningfully into the automotive CX space. The company’s proprietary analytics platforms provide automotive clients with granular visibility into customer behavior patterns, agent performance drivers, and emerging issue trends that can inform both CX program design and product quality decisions.
Sutherland’s automotive work spans connected vehicle support, telematics platform customer service, warranty and recall program management, and digital retail enablement for OEMs and dealer networks. Its investment in robotic process automation (RPA) has delivered measurable efficiency gains in high-volume, transaction-intensive automotive back-office processes.
9. TaskUs TaskUs has built one of the most distinctive brands in the BPO industry by positioning itself as the partner of choice for fast-growing, digitally native companies — and its capabilities are increasingly being applied in the automotive and mobility sectors. Rideshare platforms, EV startups, mobility-as-a-service providers, and automotive tech companies have turned to TaskUs for its ability to rapidly scale customer support operations with agents who are trained for complex, empathy-intensive interactions in fast-moving environments.
The company’s “Ridiculously Good” service philosophy translates into above-average agent quality benchmarks and strong customer satisfaction scores across the programs it manages. TaskUs’s expertise in trust and safety, content moderation, and AI data services has particular relevance for connected vehicle platforms and autonomous mobility companies managing both customer-facing and safety-critical data workflows.
10. Alorica Alorica is one of North America’s largest BPOs, with a decades-long track record of managing high-volume customer service programs across a wide range of industries — including automotive. The company’s extensive domestic delivery footprint gives automotive clients seeking U.S.-based agent populations meaningful options, while its nearshore and offshore capabilities provide the cost flexibility required for tiered service architectures.
Alorica’s automotive CX programs span vehicle ownership support, roadside assistance coordination, recall notification and management, and financial services support for automotive captive financing operations. The company has invested in digital channel expansion and AI-assisted agent tools that are improving resolution efficiency across its automotive client base. For automotive brands prioritizing domestic delivery, proven program management, and reliable scale, Alorica is a dependable option at a competitive price point.
11. Qualfon Qualfon distinguishes itself through a deeply mission-driven operational culture centered on employee wellbeing, which the company consistently translates into above-average agent retention and quality outcomes. In automotive CX, where complex product knowledge and empathetic handling of emotional ownership moments are critical, lower attrition rates have a direct impact on program performance — making Qualfon’s culture-first approach a genuine competitive differentiator.
The company’s automotive programs leverage its nearshore delivery capabilities, with strong operations in Latin America and Asia-Pacific that provide a combination of cost efficiency and cultural affinity for North American and European automotive brands. Qualfon’s emphasis on continuous agent coaching and quality management has made it a consistent performer on customer satisfaction benchmarks across the automotive programs it manages
12. Silver Bell Silver Bell has established itself as a responsive, relationship-oriented BPO with a growing presence in automotive customer service operations. The company’s boutique scale enables the kind of direct client engagement and program customization that larger providers sometimes struggle to deliver, making it an attractive option for automotive brands with specialized program requirements or those seeking a more collaborative partnership model.
Silver Bell’s operational teams are characterized by strong product knowledge depth and above-average agent tenure, which translates into more accurate, brand-aligned customer interactions. The company serves a range of automotive program types, including ownership experience support, technical inquiry handling, and dealer-facing service programs
13. OURS Global OURS Global brings a flexible, client-adaptive delivery model to automotive CX that positions it well for brands navigating periods of significant operational change. The company’s approach to workforce management and program design prioritizes adaptability — allowing automotive clients to reconfigure support operations in response to new vehicle launches, expanding EV portfolios, or shifting customer contact channel preferences without the operational friction that larger organizations often impose.
The company has grown its automotive service line capabilities to include multilingual support options, digital channel management, and back-office processing services for automotive retail and financing operations. OURS Global’s emphasis on transparent communication and collaborative program governance has generated strong client satisfaction among the automotive brands it serves.
14. Hugo Hugo makes our list as a forward-looking BPO with growing capabilities in the automotive and mobility space. The company has built its reputation on delivering thoughtful, analytically grounded CX operations for technology-forward clients, and its automotive practice is being shaped by the same commitment to intelligent program design and continuous improvement.
Hugo’s work in the automotive and mobility sector spans customer support for connected vehicle services, EV platform onboarding, and mobility app support, with a delivery model that emphasizes quality over volume. The company’s data-driven approach to program performance — combining qualitative coaching with quantitative analytics — is producing measurable improvements in customer satisfaction and first-contact resolution rates for the automotive clients in its portfolio.
15. Foundever Formerly operating under the Sitel and SYKES brands before its consolidation into Foundever, the company has emerged as a modern CX outsourcer with genuine ambitions in the automotive space. Foundever’s platform-centric approach — centered on its proprietary CX Hub technology — gives automotive clients real-time visibility into program performance, agent behavior, and customer sentiment across channels.
Foundever has invested in dedicated automotive and mobility service lines that cover dealer support programs, EV education and onboarding, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) customer support, and subscription vehicle management. The company’s emphasis on agent empowerment tools and continuous learning platforms supports the kind of complex, consultative interactions that modern vehicle ownership increasingly demands. Its mid-market positioning makes it particularly attractive for automotive suppliers, dealer groups, and emerging mobility brands looking for a tier-one quality partner without tier-one minimum volume requirements.
These rankings reflect a composite assessment of automotive and mobility sector specialization, client portfolio depth, delivery capabilities, technology investment, and overall suitability for the range of CX programs required by OEMs, dealer networks, and mobility platforms in 2026. Percepta’s placement at No. 1 reflects its unmatched combination of vertical expertise and enterprise-grade scale.
New tools and AI advances are changing how the voice channel works for customer experience interactions. Krisp’s Robert Schoenfield discusses the impact of innovations around the voice channel for customers and businesses alike.
Transcript:
Hey, everyone. Welcome to the CX pod. I’m Liz Glagowski of the customer strategist journal. And today we’ve got another episode in our Tech Insights series. I’m pleased to welcome today Robert Schoenfeld of Krisp. Thanks so much for coming.
Thanks, Liz. Great to be here.
So you’re the EVP of Licensing and Partnerships. Hi. And you’ve got a great insight. We do this series every so often with tech leaders about just key topics in CX, and I’d love to get your perspective today. Terrific. So Krisp uses advanced AI tools to improve real voice interactions, as well as using some agentic AI and virtual voice.
And then you partner with TTEC for its TTEC Clarity solution. So before we get into our deeper discussion, can you just give a quick intro about Krisp?
Sure thing, sure thing. We’re a voice AI company.
We develop our own technology and apply it mostly to human agents, so helping the people doing the work today. If you think about agents in India, Philippines, here in the US, elsewhere, they have a couple of problems that customers complain about: noisy conditions, accents they can’t understand, language barriers. So we apply AI for the call center agents to allow them to support customers with improved noise or, excuse me, improved voice clarity through reduction of noise, reduction or removal of the difficult parts of the accent, and then the ability to support a customer independent of which language they speak.
Yeah, that’s great. I mean, its popularity really illustrates the staying power of voice, right, in real and virtual.
And I’ve actually seen the noise cancellation in action with a someone had a leaf blower Yeah.
And then just turned it on, and you couldn’t hear the leaf blower anymore. I love that. Maybe for my kids, can do that So just what’s your take on the power of voice in the customer experience and how it’s still, you know, it’s got that staying power?
Yeah. So if you think about the customer base, they range from people who are older, who really rely on voice communications, just because that’s what they’ve traditionally been used to, and then you get into the younger demographic who grew up with mobile phones, and grew up with social media, and grew up with incident messaging, and so as I think about a company like TTEC, how do they support all of the above?
First things first is supporting their voice agents because when a customer calls in and they want to get a voice agent, they want to have a great experience, they really get frustrated when it doesn’t go well. You can translate the same thing over to voice AI or agentic AI. If they have a clean communications, if they’re not getting interrupted by the bot, and they get their resolution, they’ll love that voice interaction. Any time they get false interrupted or the agent’s going off in a different direction, causes friction, frustration, customer hits zero and says, Transfer me to a human. Then they get to a human, and again, they want to have that clean, clear communication so they can resolve their issue.
And it goes two ways, right? Because I know sometimes as a customer I’m calling in and maybe they can’t hear me because I’m in the car or I’m in an airport or something like that, so the power to be able to eliminate those distractions to really focus on the interaction itself seems pretty powerful.
It really is, and we’re unique in being able to have what we call inbound noise cancellation, so the customer, as you said, might be at an airport in a car, and that agent struggles and keeps saying, I’m sorry, can you repeat that? I’m sorry, can you repeat that? And of course, it creates frustration, CSAT problems, longer calls, all that, So the inbound is equally as important as the outbound.
When we think about accent technology, right now we’re designed for the agent when serving North American and European customers.
India, Philippines, Africa, and Latin America. We’re about to introduce what we call an accent understanding model, an inbound model, to help the agent understand thicker accent customers, so making accent bidirectional.
Yeah. So how ready are consumers to use They know they’re using these enhancements, but also the voice AIs.
Are they more comfortable? Are they more wary? And maybe does it apply differently to different types of customers or different types of interactions?
Yeah, I think it’s different for different demographics. Again, the younger customer, the more open they are to different communication mediums and different uses of AI.
For older generations, they may not feel comfortable if they get an announcement on the front and saying, Hey, we’re using AI for this. But in reality, what we’re seeing for agentic AI or voice AI agents is really working well on the front end for what I would call conversational IVR.
Think about it in the past, press one for this, do this, or you had to say a certain word, and customers were getting frustrated, hitting zero and saying agent, agent.
Now, with conversational IVR on the front end, able to speak naturally, it’ll allow companies like TTEC to route it to AgenTeq AI or to a human based on that front end conversational IVR. So part of this is just getting people comfortable using the technology as it relates to employees or call center agents using voice AI to remove the difficult parts of their accent or support multilingual, we really thought that that would create a little bit of friction, and we’re seeing just the opposite. We’re seeing customers either not know, or when they hear it, they go, Oh, this is much better, and again, it translates to much better KPIs for the call center.
Yeah, that’s going be my next question. The impact of voice enhancement, it may get better contact center metrics, but also then how does that translate to better business benefit and better customer experiences overall?
Yeah, so if you think about a contact center, it’s got either customer support where people are calling in because they have a problem, or it’s outbound and they’re trying to sell something. So no matter what it is, the customer interaction, the customer satisfaction, NPS is really important, top of mind. Was that experience positive?
When you drop down one layer, you start to get into ROI based on the operation of the call center. So what was the average handle time? Was it reduced? And if it was reduced, by a couple points or by double digit?
Did their call get sorted out on the first call resolution?
Those are some of the key drivers, and what we’re seeing across the board when CRISP technology is deployed literally from one day to the next, double digit improvements. Double digit improvements with CSAT. Average handle time goes down for call resolution. If it’s outbound sales, their conversion rates improve by twenty to thirty percent.
Wow. Wow. That’s great. So lots to be excited about.
Yeah, for sure.
Do you have one most exciting thing that you’re looking forward to this year?
For this year, it really is the rollout at scale of Accent. It’s being rolled out by the tens of thousands of seats weekly right now. We want to see this across the entire industry, and it makes sense. It’s priced right, the functionality’s right, the deployment model’s right.
As we look to next year, we see two things. One is the broad scale adoption of voice translation, the ability to do live interpreter services instead of bringing in a third party. We’ve got that in the market now, and we see that accelerating. And then for us, so much of our work is focused on enterprises based in North America and Europe.
We’re adding multilingual capability to our accent and additional multilingual capability to our voice translation so that independent of where the contact center is and independent of where the customer is, that contact center agent can serve that customer.
Right. So if we were to have this conversation next year, what would we be talking about?
Well, we’d be talking, I think, about two things. We would be looking at the adoption of AgenTic AI, so how much is that being used, and is there a reduction in headcount? That’s going to be something that’s going be ongoing for the next three to ten years.
But I really think it’s going to be focused on the real use of AI, whether it’s voice AI, gen AI, all of it, to make individuals’ jobs easier so that they can do more and increase the quality of their interaction, and again, how much of these customer interactions can go to AgenTic? That’s going to be the big question over the next couple of years.
Great. Well, good luck trying to make the most of it, and thanks so much for joining us today.
Customer experience (CX) has evolved from a competitive differentiator to a business imperative. As customer expectations continue to rise and technology advances at breakneck speed, organizations need CX consulting services from expert partners who can identify pain points, increase customer engagement, and navigate the complexity of modern CX transformation.
The best customer experience consulting firms combine strategic insight, technical expertise, and hands-on implementation capabilities to deliver measurable results.
Here are 1to1 Media’s list of top 10 firms leading the industry in 2026, based on their technology capabilities, industry expertise, implementation track record, innovation approach, and client outcomes.
Why they’re #1: TTEC Digital stands apart as the only CX consulting firm that seamlessly integrates strategy, technology, and operations into a single unified offering. While most consulting firms excel at strategy but struggle with implementation, or vice versa, TTEC Digital delivers end-to-end transformation that spans from initial CX strategy through technology design, platform deployment, and ongoing operational excellence.
What sets them apart: TTEC Digital’s unique advantage lies in their dual-engine approach. As part of TTEC, they combine CX strategy consulting and technical consulting capabilities of TTEC Digital with the frontline operational expertise of TTEC, which manages customer interactions for leading brands worldwide. This means their consultants leverage artificial intelligence and real-time insights to implement and operate at scale across six continents.
Core capabilities:
AI-powered contact center design and implementation
Omnichannel platform development and CRM integration
Customer journey mapping, orchestration and analytics
Experience fulfillment and outcome-based solutions
Digital engineering and software development
CX data science and predictive analytics
Standout features:
Proprietary CXaaS (Customer Experience as a Service) platform
Real-world operational insights from managing 64,000+ frontline employees
Industry-leading NPS scores across their client base
Full-stack capabilities from strategy to 24/7 operations
Proven expertise across automotive, financial services, healthcare, retail, travel, and tech sectors
Best for: Organizations seeking comprehensive CX transformation that delivers measurable business outcomes, not just strategic recommendations.
Why they rank high: Accenture Song brings massive scale and deep industry knowledge backed by Accenture’s global resources. Their strength lies in digital transformation services and large-scale programs that optimize business processes to integrate CX with broader business strategy.
What sets them apart: Access to Accenture’s full ecosystem of technology partnerships, implementation capabilities, and industry-specific solutions. Strong in creative and brand experience alongside technical implementation.
Core capabilities:
Digital experience design and creative services
Commerce and marketing transformation
Experience measurement and analytics
Technology implementation across major platforms
Best for: Enterprise organizations undertaking comprehensive digital transformations that span marketing, commerce, and customer service.
3. Cognizant
Why they rank high: Cognizant’s blend of IT services expertise and interactive design capabilities makes them exceptionally strong in executing CX transformation programs that require deep technical integration. Their combination of innovative thinking and digital engineering has propelled them up the rankings as organizations increasingly prioritize implementation fidelity alongside strategic vision.
What sets them apart: Particularly strong in modernizing legacy systems and integrating new CX capabilities with existing enterprise architecture — a capability gap that derails many transformation initiatives at other firms. Cognizant’s Intuition Engineering practice brings human-centered design thinking to technically complex environments.
Core capabilities:
Digital engineering and modernization
Cloud and platform services
AI and automation implementation
Customer data integration
Application management and support
Human-centered design and experience innovation
Best for: Organizations with complex legacy environments requiring careful integration of modern CX capabilities with existing systems, particularly in financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing.
4. EXL Service
Why they rank high: EXL Service has evolved from a business process outsourcing firm into a data-first CX powerhouse, combining deep domain expertise with proprietary AI capabilities. Their strength lies in transforming customer operations through advanced analytics and intelligent automation across highly regulated industries where data accuracy and compliance are non-negotiable.
What sets them apart: EXL’s proprietary EXLdata.ai platform and Exlerate.ai AI suite give clients a purpose-built infrastructure for making customer data AI-ready — a meaningful differentiator in an era when most firms are still stitching together third-party tools. Their 54,000+ professionals bring genuine operational depth in insurance, healthcare, and banking that generalist consulting firms often lack.
Core capabilities:
AI-powered customer experience operations and contact center transformation
Data modernization and enterprise data strategy
Hyperautomation and generative AI implementation
Customer analytics and predictive modeling
Digital operating model design and process optimization
Omnichannel marketing operations and campaign analytics
Best for: Mid-to-large enterprises in insurance, healthcare, banking, and financial services seeking to modernize customer operations through AI-driven analytics and intelligent automation without sacrificing compliance or domain rigor.
Why they rank high: Deloitte Digital excels at connecting CX strategy to business outcomes with a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and organizational change management.
What sets them apart: Deep integration with Deloitte’s consulting practice enables them to address the full spectrum of transformation challenges, from technology to talent to organizational design.
Core capabilities:
Customer strategy and journey mapping
Digital product development
Platform implementation and integration
Advanced analytics and AI/ML solutions
Change management and capability building
Best for: Organizations requiring strategic CX advisory coupled with enterprise-wide transformation support.
Why they rank high: McKinsey’s Growth & Marketing Solutions practice brings world-class strategic thinking and proprietary research to CX challenges, particularly around growth and customer lifetime value.
What sets them apart: Unparalleled access to C-suite executives and board-level influence, enabling them to drive enterprise-wide commitment to CX transformation initiatives.
Core capabilities:
Customer experience strategy and vision
Growth and marketing analytics
Personalization at scale
Digital and omnichannel strategy
Organizational transformation
Best for: Executive teams seeking strategic counsel on CX as a driver of growth and competitive advantage, with less emphasis on hands-on implementation.
7. HCLTech
Why they rank high: HCLTech brings a rare combination of scale, technology breadth, and operational depth to CX transformation. As one of the world’s largest IT services providers — with over 220,000 employees across 60 countries — they have the reach and engineering muscle to execute complex, multi-market CX programs that smaller boutique firms simply cannot match.
What sets them apart: HCLTech’s “360° experience” philosophy integrates customer-facing transformation with back-end business process operations, eliminating the handoff gaps that often undermine CX programs. Their three-lever BPM framework — combining CX labs, analytics-driven operational insights, and persona-based process redesign — creates a disciplined, repeatable path to zero-friction digital experiences. Their GenAI-enabled innovation stack, including AI Factory, AI Force, and AI Foundry, brings enterprise-grade AI to customer operations at scale.
Core capabilities:
Business process operations and intelligent CX transformation
GenAI-enabled customer engagement and automation
Digital engineering and modern application development
Customer data integration and analytics
Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) delivery models
Industry-specific CX solutions across financial services, retail, telecom, healthcare, and manufacturing
Best for: Large enterprises and global organizations that need a technology-led, operationally mature partner to run end-to-end CX transformation programs across multiple geographies and business units.
Why they rank high: Bain’s customer strategy practice is renowned for linking CX improvements directly to financial outcomes and shareholder value creation.
What sets them apart: Pioneered the Net Promoter System and continues to lead in measuring and improving customer loyalty through systematic approaches.
Core capabilities:
Customer strategy and loyalty programs
Net Promoter System implementation
Digital transformation strategy
Operating model design
Advanced analytics and insights
Best for: Organizations focused on building systematic approaches to customer loyalty and tying CX investments to clear business outcomes.
Why they rank high: BCG’s Center for Customer Insight brings data science rigor and customer analytics expertise to solving complex CX challenges.
What sets them apart: Strong emphasis on using advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to drive personalization and predictive customer insights at scale.
Core capabilities:
Customer data strategy and analytics
AI and ML-driven personalization
Digital marketing transformation
Customer journey optimization
Experience measurement frameworks
Best for: Companies looking to build sophisticated data and analytics capabilities that power next-generation customer experiences.
Why they rank high: As the world’s leading Microsoft partner — co-founded by Accenture and Microsoft — Avanade occupies a unique position in the CX consulting landscape. For organizations deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, no firm delivers more specialized expertise in activating Dynamics 365, Azure AI, Power Platform, and Microsoft Copilot for customer experience outcomes.
What sets them apart: Avanade’s exclusive focus on the Microsoft platform is both their defining constraint and their greatest competitive advantage. While other firms spread their expertise across a fragmented partner ecosystem, Avanade’s 50,000 professionals in 26 countries have developed unmatched depth in Microsoft-centric CX architecture. Their Avanade Agentic Platform brings AI-powered autonomous agents to customer service, sales, and marketing workflows — positioning clients at the cutting edge of the next generation of CX delivery.
Core capabilities:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement design and implementation
AI and Copilot-powered CX automation and agent deployment
Microsoft Power Platform and low-code customer journey solutions
Modern workplace and employee experience transformation
Cloud and application modernization on Azure
Analytics, data, and AI strategy on the Microsoft stack
Best for: Organizations standardized on the Microsoft technology stack that want a deeply specialized partner to unlock the full CX potential of Dynamics 365, Azure AI, and Microsoft Copilot — particularly in financial services, manufacturing, retail, and public sector.
1. Strategy vs. implementation balance: Consider whether you need primarily strategic advisory or hands-on implementation.
2. Industry expertise: Look for partners with proven track records in your industry. Regulated industries like financial services and healthcare may benefit from firms with strong compliance expertise.
3. Technology vs. business focus: Some firms lead with technology capabilities while others emphasize business transformation and achieving digital transformation. The best choice depends on whether your primary challenge is technical or strategic, and how you want to streamline business operations.
4. Global vs. regional presence: If you operate globally, ensure your partner can deliver consistent capabilities across geographies.
5. End-to-end capabilities: Increasingly, organizations benefit from partners who can take them from strategy through implementation and ongoing operations. TTEC Digital’s integrated approach uniquely positions them to deliver continuous value throughout the entire CX lifecycle.
6. Outcome-based models: Look for firms willing to tie their compensation to business outcomes rather than purely time-and-materials models. This alignment ensures both parties are focused on measurable results.
The CX consulting landscape is diverse, with firms bringing different strengths to the table. The key to success lies in choosing a partner whose capabilities, culture, and approach align with your organization’s specific needs and transformation goals.
Girl making a heart-shape symbol for her favorite band.
As businesses increasingly prioritize customer experience (CX) as a competitive differentiator, choosing the right CX outsourcing partner has never been more critical. The landscape has evolved dramatically, with AI-powered solutions, omnichannel support, and cost-effective business process outsourcing capabilities now separating industry leaders from legacy providers.
Strong customer experience outsourcing companies should meet the following criteria:
AI and automation capabilities: Integration of generative AI, intelligent routing, and self-service technologies
Omnichannel expertise: Seamless support across voice, chat, email, social media, and emerging channels
Industry specialization: Deep domain expertise and vertical-specific solutions
Technology infrastructure: Modern platforms, analytics, and integration capabilities
Global reach and scalability: Ability to support international operations and rapid scaling
Innovation track record: Investment in emerging technologies and forward-thinking solutions
Client outcomes: Demonstrated ROI, satisfaction scores, and performance metrics
Here are the top CX outsourcing companies leading the industry in 2026.
Why they’re #1: TTEC stands apart as the most comprehensive customer experience technology and services leader, uniquely combining consulting, technology, and outsourcing under one roof. Its approach leverages proprietary AI and automation while maintaining the human connection that drives customer loyalty.
Key differentiators:
AI-Powered CX Innovation: TTEC’s integration of generative AI, including their proprietary conversational AI platform, delivers faster resolution times while maintaining exceptionally high quality scores above.
Dual operating model: Unique combination of TTEC (managed services) and TTEC Digital (consulting and technology) provides end-to-end CX transformation.
Industry-leading analytics: Real-time insights and predictive analytics that drive proactive customer engagement.
Global delivery excellence: More than 80 contact centers across six continents with multilingual support in more than 50 languages
Vertical Expertise: Deep specialization in healthcare, financial services, technology, retail, and travel/hospitality.
Notable clients: Major technology companies, leading healthcare providers, Fortune 500 retailers.
Awards and recognition: Repeatedly named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for CX BPO, an Everest Group PEAK Matrix® Leader, and multiple Stevie Award winner.
Best For: Enterprises seeking strategic CX transformation with integrated consulting, technology, and operations
Overview: As one of the largest pure-play CX providers globally, Concentrix offers extensive scale and geographic coverage with strong call center services and capabilities in digital transformation that supports customers through cost savings and efficiency.
Strengths:
Massive global footprint with 440,000+ employees
Strong digital and analytics capabilities
Comprehensive industry coverage
Recent Webhelp merger expanded European presence
Considerations: Size can sometimes mean less agility and personalization for mid-market clients
Best For: Large enterprises requiring extensive global coverage and high-volume operations
Overview: The world’s largest contact center company by employee count, Teleperformance provides comprehensive BPO services with significant geographic diversity and contact center operations that drive customer satisfaction.
Strengths:
Unmatched global scale with 500,000+ employees
Strong presence in emerging markets
Omnichannel platform investments
Competitive pricing through offshore delivery
Considerations: Focus on operational scale can mean less emphasis on cutting-edge innovation
Best For: Cost-conscious enterprises needing massive scale and geographic redundancy
Overview: A leading U.S.-based CX provider with significant nearshore capabilities and strong AI investments through their CX-as-a-Service platform.
Strengths:
Proprietary AI and automation platform (Alorica IQ)
Strong U.S. and nearshore delivery presence
Flexible engagement models
100,000+ employees globally
Considerations: Less international reach than top-tier global providers
Best For: U.S.-based companies prioritizing nearshore delivery and AI-enhanced operations
6. Webhelp
Overview: Originally a European powerhouse, Webhelp merged with Concentrix in 2022 to create a global leader with particularly strong European capabilities.
Strengths:
Dominant European market presence
Digital-first approach with strong tech platform
Specialized industry solutions
Multilingual capabilities across 75+ languages
Considerations: Integration with Concentrix still ongoing in some regions
Best For: European brands and companies requiring strong European language coverage
Overview: Born from the merger of Arvato CRM Solutions and Bertelsmann Customer Success, Majorel focuses on customer experience management with strong European roots.
Strengths:
82,000+ employees across 36 countries
Strong data analytics and AI capabilities
Excellent for regulated industries (financial services, healthcare)
Modern delivery centers and technology
Considerations: Less brand recognition in North American market
Best For: Financial services and healthcare companies, especially those with European operations
Overview: A global leader in optimizing the customer experience lifecycle with strong roots in business process management.
Strengths:
Proprietary CX platform (HGS 360)
Strong vertical expertise in healthcare, telecom, utilities
Integrated approach combining operations, analytics, and digital
45,000+ employees worldwide
Considerations: Less aggressive innovation pace compared to leaders
Best For: Healthcare, telecommunications, and utility companies seeking specialized vertical expertise
How to choose the right partner
When selecting a customer care outsourcing partner in 2026, consider these key factors:
Strategic alignment: Does the partner understand your industry and business model?
Technology stack: Can they integrate with your existing CRM, automation, and analytics tools?
AI readiness: What’s their roadmap for generative AI and intelligent automation?
Cultural fit: Do their values and operating style align with your brand?
Scalability: Can they grow (or contract) with your business needs?
Geographic coverage: Do they have presence in markets where your customers are located?
Performance metrics: What guarantees do they offer around KPIs like CSAT, NPS, FCR, and AHT?
While all of these providers offer solid customer experience outsourcing capabilities, TTEC emerges as the clear leader for 2026 due to its unique combination of strategic consulting, proprietary technology, and operational excellence. Its investment in AI and automation, coupled with its human-centered approach to customer interactions and customer care, positions it to deliver transformative customer experiences through technical support and support operations that drive loyalty and business growth.
Most companies are sitting on a mountain of customer insights they don’t know how to use. In the latest interview in the CX Pod’s Tech Insights series, LevelAI CEO Ashish Nagar breaks down how the world’s most efficient enterprises are using intelligent automation to bridge the gap between “good service” and “enterprise-wide growth.”
Liz Glagowski: Hi, everyone, and welcome to the CX Pod. I’m Liz Glagowski of the Customer Strategist Journal. I’m your host for the podcast. I’m really excited today. We have another in our Tech Insights series, and I’m here today with LevelAI CEO, Ashish Nagar, to talk about just some CX trends and CX topics that are of importance to everyone in the industry.
So thanks for– Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. Very excited. And we’re doing this one not only in audio in our typical CX pod, but also we’ve got this in video we can put on our TTEC YouTube channel and on social media as well. Thanks for being here and in person and not just being here. Thank you. So Level AI, it’s a leading provider of advanced AI applications in the contact center. I know you partner with TTech on end-to-end CX platforms. So before we get deeper into the conversation, can you give us a little intro on Level AI?
Ashish Nagar: Yes, absolutely. So thanks for having me again. Thank you. Level AI is an end-to-end AI platform. We build AI agents for the front office and the back office. Very simply, right? So for customer-facing conversations all the way to every part of CX operations, from quality to insights to voice with the customer. And we work with some of the largest organizations in the world to transform their CX operations with AI.
Liz Glagowski: Great. So it’s a new year, you know, and AI is the hot topic, of course.
Ashish Nagar: Is it?
Liz Glagowski: Have you heard about that, the artificial intelligence thing? There’s a lot of excitement and optimism, especially around some more agentic things, but there’s also a lot of trepidation, uncertainty. Some people just don’t know what to do. So where do you personally fit on that spectrum? And then where do you see your clients are fitting on that spectrum?
Ashish Nagar: Absolutely. So I think, look, when we started Level A, I’ll just take a 10 second detour. The problems in this space have been around for decades, right? Like how do we deliver better quality while controlling costs? How do we improve CSAT? How do we improve sales conversion? The problems have been around for decades, you know? And so this moment specifically is about can we now actually truly deliver against that promise?
And I think in the last six to 12 months, to your question, we have a set of tools now where with large language model native technologies, which is the underlying technology behind generative AI, we have an ability to really deliver on that promise.
So what we are seeing differently now over the last few years, and we have been LLM native from day one, what we are seeing differently now are customers getting more and more educated on what LLM native AI looks like, what real AI looks like versus other solutions or what bolt-on solutions look like or what, you know, single billing systems look like or whatever. I think that’s the one big difference.
The two at a very high level, the expectations around automation are much higher. The expectations around intelligence are much higher. And then maintaining quality for both AI agents and human agents, consistency. Those are three big things you’re seeing.
Liz Glagowski: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you are certainly Gen. AI experts in contact centers, intelligence, actionable insights.
Ashish Nagar: Yeah.
Liz Glagowski: So from your perspective, what are some of those biggest client pain points you’re helping solve and getting really deep into that insight?
Ashish Nagar: Absolutely. So I’ll call it threefold. One is voice of the customer. What is driving customer pain, right? Every Fortune 100 CEO all the way, every leader wants to be customer centric. So what’s number one?
Number two? When designing a customer journey, how do we scale quality across all interactions, not just with the AI agents and human interactions?
And third is, how can we automate, what can be automated on the front office side in terms of broad customer interactions, but equally importantly in our CX operations, right?
So those are the three big problems we see. So going deeper and deeper on voice of the customer such that those insights can go to the product team to the marketing team, the compliance teams, because nobody calls customer service to talk about customer service, right? Like they call about a billing issue, a pricing issue, a product feature gap, troubleshooting. Those are all features, inputs to every part of the business.
On quality, very interestingly for 2026, as AI agents take more and more of these conversations, Who’s checking those AI agents? Who’s making sure that the quality of those AI agents is great? And ultimately, the customer doesn’t care about talking to an AI agent or human agent. They care about all of us are users of this technology, having a wonderful end-to-end journey.
So uniquely looking at the whole journey together, the quality of the AI agent and human agent together. That’s the second and third I talked about automation. We had a LevelAI voice agent talk to our technology customers and customer for 15 minutes on a complex troubleshooting topic, where a 20 minute step-by-step solution, they were able to solve it. That’s the level we are moving into. And AI agents are not just stopping there, but how can we use them for operations? That’s something we are uniquely, we call them AI workers. We are uniquely innovating on.
Liz Glagowski: So obviously you’re in the middle of this AI revolution then. What’s changing this year? What do you see that’s different with client priorities and even their AI maturity? Where’s everyone at?
Ashish Nagar: I think from 2025, the things which will stay are a lot of top-down interest, and rightly so, from board CEOs to adopt more automation, more voice agents, more of this VOC and QA technology. That’s same. What will change is that the early messaging has played out. Now, show me the money, show me the results, show me the outcomes, the ROI, and number one. Number two, it would also paint a focus to how hard is it to deliver the change within the enterprise, because AI doesn’t act alone. It acts with the ERP system, the CRM system, the ordering system, multiple APIs, And I think a lot of new AI vendors, which we just came back in the last six or eight months, 12 months, will realize that this is as much about AI as it about the API. And so I think that that will change this year.
Liz Glagowski: So that’s another key challenge that I know we’re finding is this tech stack integration, trying to figure out everything. What’s your perspective on how… Is there a different way to approach it? Is there some good ideas to think about?
Ashish Nagar: Yeah.
Liz Glagowski: Stack integration, what are yours?
Ashish Nagar: That is good. I would look, I would work backwards from ROI. If I’m advising a CX leader or a CEO or COO, which are the beginnings, what initiatives of automation in your organization create the highest impact? Let’s take an e-commerce company, it’s like, where is my order? right? And creating the IT environment for that instead of trying to solve all problems in one go and then attack at it in a phase wise way. The bigger the organization, the more tech debt there is in these systems, right? And so that is what, that’s how I would approach it. That’s number one.
Number two, I think forward deployed engineers are really popular these days in Silicon Valley. We live in Silicon Valley. It’s professional services, you know, it’s professional services with another name, but I do think there’s a little bit of agentic sort of, configuration work, but I frankly don’t see that to be very different how it played out over the last four or five, 10 years. That’s how we would advise approaching this.
Liz Glagowski: So just to wrap it up then, what are you most excited about for this coming year?
Ashish Nagar: Two or three things. One is, you know, customers realizing that they need one integrated end-to-end system. One of the problems with customer service is that One customer journey is surfaced by a voice agent, then by, let’s say, a copilot, AI copilot solution, then let’s say an AI QA tool, and then an AI view C2. That’s messed up. Four different AIs for one journey.
Liz Glagowski: Yeah.
Ashish Nagar: Customers will realize, nah, I don’t want that. We want one connected system, and also one AI across all of them. Like a lot of legacy vendors have four different acquisitions. or something, but there are essentially four different AIs, right? So I think customers will start recognizing, which leads to four different data silos. We are really excited about customers realizing that one system is better.
The other, which, you know, is playing out with Google and OpenAI a little bit, full stack AI. We think full stack AI is the way to like integrating all the way from GPUs to models to data to the apps, right? With an AI trusted in between, that is the stack of the enterprise for the next foreseeable future. put a wrapper, a thin wrapper on top of technology. Those two things I think I’m very excited about because they will show early signs this year, but in my view, they’ll be the trends for the next, this whole wave, you know?
Liz Glagowski: Right, right, right. And then I’m asking everyone for their Tech Insights series, if you and I were to talk again a year from now, what kind of things would we be talking about?
Ashish Nagar: I think we would be talking about all the projects which got underway now and the, tremendous ROI. And I know it’s like a salesy answer, but the tremendous ROI, most of them were able to deliver and the learnings from some of them, I really feel there will be, it will become really differentiating for brands to have these kind of voice agents be front and center for customers. It’ll become really differentiating for brands to have one integrated customer journey. And those, stories are still not prominent, but they will become front and center by next year at large scale.
Liz Glagowski: Yeah. And that will help the overall experience for consumers as well.
Ashish Nagar: That’s the biggest thing. For you and I, it makes it, yeah, ultimately we are all consumers of this tech.
Liz Glagowski: Yeah. Excellent. All right. Well, thank you so much, Ashish. Thank you. And I look forward to our conversation next year.
An unpredictable business climate has many brands doubling down on the customers they already have.
We recently asked in a LinkedIn poll, “Which CX outcoming matters most to your organization right now?” In the poll, 40% named customer retention as their top priority while 28% said their main focus is brand trust and loyalty. Another 21% said revenue growth matters most to them, while 11% cited cost and efficiency savings.
The results point to a shift in how leaders are thinking about customer experience. Retention, loyalty, and trust now outweigh short-term efficiency gains, signaling that organizations see CX less as a cost center and more as a long-term growth strategy.
Strengthening customer relationships has become a critical hedge against uncertainty.
Future-proof your CX strategy
Adaptability, agility, and resilience have become major contributors to CX success.
Brands that thrive aren’t reactive – they’re agile. Reacting costs time, money, and headaches. Companies are increasingly investing in technology and processes that enable them to act quickly, anticipate challenges, and pivot seamlessly, all without sacrificing CX.
For example, AI-powered insights help CX operations work smarter and faster. New tools can help you understand customer habits better than ever, spot patterns, and identify roadblocks in real time.
For more on resiliency in CX, check out our CX Trends 2026 report.
In the first installment of the CX Pod’s Tech Insights series, Sean Minter, CEO of AmplifAI, joins host Liz Glagowski to discuss how AI is revolutionizing contact center performance. Learn why traditional QA falls short, how to identify true top performers, and what it takes to turn AI data into real business results.
Listen to the full interview
Transcript
Liz Glagowski:
Hi, and welcome to the CXPod. I’m your host, Liz Glagowski of the Customer Strategist Journal.
We’re launching a new series here on the CXPod called tech insights, where we interview tech leaders about key topics in customer experience and in the business. And we’re pleased today to welcome Sean Minter, founder of and CEO of AmplifAI, as our first guest. Oh, thank you very much. Welcome. And this is also our first time doing the podcast as video and audio, so we’re very happy to be able to share it on multiple channels. So thank you for participating.
Sean Minter:
Oh, you’re welcome. Great. Thanks for having me.
Liz Glagowski:
Absolutely. So AmplifAI is a powerful platform that helps contact center employees and leaders really optimize their performance. So before we get into the CX conversation, can you give us a little intro about AmplifAI?
Sean Minter:
Yes. AmplifAI platform that’s really going to focus on bringing in and understanding the data around what your contact center associates are doing holistically from a productivity, quality, compliance, customer experience, sales, everything kind of they’re being measured on, understand what the top performers are doing, and then using AI to persona them and drive actions to get everybody else to do what the top performers do.
Liz Glagowski:
Great. And you partner with TTEC on the TTEC Perform solution, know.
And that really does focus on using AI and other tools to really pinpoint top performers, optimize performance, get information to the leaders and the and the employees when they need it. So just to step back then, how would you define a high performer, a top performer in a contact center? Is that different from client to client? Is it pretty standard? And then has it been evolving as tools change?
Sean Minter:
Yeah. That’s a really good question. And, yeah, the definition of a top performer also changes even for a client.
So our view of top performers are people that can do everything you need them to do at a high level of performance. They can be productive.
They’re reliable, they come to work on time, they provide good customer experience, they generate good customer results and they do things in a quality and compliant fashion. So that’s a lot of data, a lot of measurements to understand for one top performer.
Interestingly, it has to be done that way because there’s a lot of correlations between the different things. Like the person that’s the most productive with the lowest handle time might be your worst CSAT person. So you can’t look at it individually. So AmplifAI creates a scorecard across all the different metrics and clients actually get to weight what’s important to them.
Is CSAT more important today than productivity? Is contact resolution more important as they wait the different things that matter to them in a particular waiting? AmplifAI then takes all the data and says, okay, based on these weightings, here are the top performers. And they can change that waiting at any given time because business changes, right? Sometimes cost savings is important and other times customer experience is important. They can change their weightings to define a top performer at any time.
Liz Glagowski:
So to that end, are there major consumer trends or business challenges that are driving the need to look at that performance at such a deep level?
Sean Minter:
Yeah, I think the primary trend, to be honest with you, is to be able to provide the employees a good experience and be consistent across your environment. Because if you can’t define a top performer, then how does a leader really understand which one of their people is a top performer? You could leave that up to opinion. Everybody could define that for themselves. You could then have challenges in how you’re treating your employees, how they’re being treated fairly and equally, who you’re coaching, what are you coaching them on? It could all become a big variation across your enterprise unless you really understand what is a top performer.
So in order to really get to that level of understanding, you talk a lot about conversation intelligence versus that traditional QA. So can you talk about maybe what’s the difference, why it matters, and where that market is headed?
Yeah, so actually an interesting part about top performer is even though like theoretically you could have metrics that define someone to be a top performer, without good conversational intelligence, you don’t know if what they’re actually doing and saying and if it’s resulting in good metrics that are being delivered are actually the things you want them to do and say. So you have to be able to combine understanding from a conversation analytics perspective, what your folks are doing and saying on a conversation with their end result metrics, and that gives you a holistic view of a top performer.
And unfortunately for traditional QA, with limited manual resources at most, you’re maybe having one or two evaluations per agent per week. Well, an agent is taking seven fifty to a thousand calls in a month. The sample size is not enough to really understand whether somebody is doing a good job or not. And so much action is taken off those one or two evaluations.
It’s really not a good way of using time, but unfortunately you can’t throw labor at that problem because it would require too many people to listen to all the conversations to get a decent sample size, which is where AI can come in and actually augment. Nobody can say you can eliminate the quality team because somebody has to then train the AI and oversee it and how it’s doing. So now the job of the quality team changes to not actually monitoring what the frontline agents are doing, but monitoring how the AI is evaluating frontline agents and tuning it.
So you’ll never get, you might reduce some costs on that side, you’ll get higher volumes of interactions, but you’ll have to have your quality team now focus on improving the AI, not improving the agents.
Liz Glagowski:
And you really get that deeper level of insight because of the scale that AI.
Sean Minter:
One hundred percent, like you’ll be able to really understand what’s going on in your environment with higher levels of confidence in your data versus only sampling one per person per week.
Liz Glagowski:
So then you’ve identified these top performers, you’re making improvements to others to kind of emulate those top performers. When you’ve got that level of performance improvement, how does that impact the business and how does that impact customer interactions for customers and people actually calling into the contact center?
Sean Minter:
One of the core problems we’re solving in doing this is reducing the variation you as a business will see based on what one of your agents might take a customer interaction. Because you may have good average performance, for example, but you may have some really, really good agents and really, really bad agents and they average out to average what you want it to be, but half your customers are still getting a negative experience. So the goal of AmplifAI is once you understand this top performer view and action it, you can reduce the variation between your population of people. So you can be confident that every customer conversation is generating a level of experience that you want versus having a big variation and you could have really, really good and really, really bad, but that averages out to okay.
Liz Glagowski:
Right, right. That’s great. We’re at the beginning of the year, that’s a question everyone asks, what are you most excited about for 2026?
Sean Minter:
I think the ability to use AI to understand what’s happening in the data, there’s bad and good. AI is generating so much more data, so it’s causing people to not really know what to do with it because people have invested in all these AI projects and now they have all this data and now there’s not enough people to go understand when we go action.
Being able to use these technologies now to overlay that activity and understand how to action that data, which is I think the next business challenge for AI is now I’m generating so much information about what’s going on, how do I action it properly? Because I can’t just throw humans and looking at all the data and reporting, but that’s now going to be more cost. So being able to leverage AI to be able to understand how to use that data in a way that actually drives a business result, because there’s no point in generating data unless you can get a business result from it. Otherwise, you’re just generating data for the sake of generating data.
Liz Glagowski:
Right, right. So because this is our Tech Insight series, I’m going to ask everybody the same question and so you get to be the first one to answer it.
If I talk to you this time next year, what would we be talking about?
Sean Minter:
I think we’ll be talking about like, I think from last year or this year, the big difference has been AI had a lot of hype and that hype is now going away because people have piloted stuff and it’s not really delivering what you want. I think next year, we’ll be able to talk about some real use cases that actually worked. Because it’s a lot of deployments happened and it was over hyped, just as it’s normal technology cycles, things come out and people overhype it, but then ultimately it starts working in use cases that make sense. And I think next year we’ll be able to talk about some real use cases that are working very specifically and generating some real value for businesses versus just pilots and POCs and how are they going?
Liz Glagowski:
Yeah, well, I look forward to having that conversation next year. So thank you so much, Sean. Great conversation. You’ve really started us strong with some tech insights. So good luck in the new year.
