February 19, 2026
CX Leaders Reassess Outsourcing Partners Despite Positive Results
Customer experience outsourcing is entering a new phase of maturity, according to the latest SupportNinja survey. Outsourcing has shifted from a tactical function to a central pillar of CX execution, yielding high satisfaction scores. Nevertheless, many organisations appear to be reconsidering their partnerships, in pursuit of deeper transformation and stronger strategic support.
According to the CX outsourcing solution provider’s study, based on a survey of 422 director level or higher CX and operations leaders in the United States, outsourcing performance is broadly positive. Eighty three percent report higher satisfaction with their outsourcing arrangements.
Good Results; Great Expectations
Despite this approval, however, 79 percent are considering changes to their current delivery models. Organisations are looking for modernisation, workflow redesign, and strategic expertise, SupportNinja suggests. Unfortunately, only 17 percent were found to currently receive that level of strategic guidance. The key takeaway here is that while companies are satisfied with operational performance, the pace of evolution to the outsourcing models is not matching the pace of the change within the broader industry.
Craig Crisler, CEO of SupportNinja, explains the shift clearly. “Outsourcing has moved from the sidelines to the centre of CX execution. As AI moves deeper into workflows, organisations need strategic partners who can redesign how the work gets done.” He adds that closing the transformation gap means treating outsourcing as “a strategic lever for modernisation and scale, not a staffing solution”.
While cost does still matter, with 65 percent rating it as very important, only 22 percent see it as the primary driver of outsourcing decisions. On the other hand, 94 percent prioritise value-driven partnerships. Jacob Moelter, SupportNinja COO and CFO, believes there has been a shift in mindset: “When outsourcing becomes embedded in core operations, pricing takes a backseat to governance, transparency, and measurable outcomes.”
Despite the rising demand for the latest outsourcing solutions, the report also found wide-spread industry challenges integrating them. A resounding 84 percent of leaders say their AI initiatives are meeting expectations, but only 23 percent have fully operationalised AI across core CX workflows. Many organisations are experimenting successfully, yet struggling to scale due to barriers within integration, governance, and operating model designs.
Supply and Demand
Many of these findings align with market analysis elsewhere. Research from Daedal Research estimates that the global CX outsourcing market will grow from $107 billion in 2023 to $172 billion by 2028, representing growth of more than 60 percent. This expansion, it explains, is being driven by increasing technological complexity and evolving customer expectations shaped by digital-first behaviour and social media influence. AI has helped to catalyse this movement, but it has also responsible for growing, as well as solving, customer expectations.
Zendesk’s recent report paints a picture of what a customer pre-empts experiences will involve. It found 70 percent of customers now expect immediate service, with almost 60 percent valuing speed and empathy equally. As a result, enterprises seek out outsourcing partners capable of making the necessary efficiency and effectiveness gains via multi-channel support, social media management, and chatbot integration. In turn, providers must find new and better ways to integrate AI, automation, and cloud technology to keep afloat, let alone compete.
Keeping Up with AI
Outsourcing is expanding in value, influence, and strategic importance, as customers move between multiple channels of online communication channels. At the same time, providers must also evolve to keep pace with escalating enterprise and customer expectations. The sector is no longer simply growing. It is being fundamentally reshaped by AI-driven change.
This transformation is not new. SupportNinja reported last year that 87 percent of outsourcing companies were integrating or exploring AI to improve operational efficiency. It is clearly intensifying, however, as CX teams and their providers must keep up with the high-speed setting that technological advancements have yielded. BPO partners have now changed from a cost-cutting measure to indispensable customer experience enhancements, but they will need to prove themselves individually and year in, year out.
