The outsourcing landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation driven by the rapid integration of artificial intelligence. According to a recent SupportNinja survey, 87% of companies are actively engaged in implementing, testing, or strategising the use of AI to enhance operational efficiency.
This surge in AI adoption has also redefined vendor selection criteria. As many as 77% of CX leaders now consider AI capabilities a “must-have,” up from 73% just a year ago.
This shift is particularly evident in the fastest-growing outsourcing categories: customer success, customer support, and call centre operations. Companies increasingly leverage AI and outsourcing to enhance customer experience (CX), with 87% actively implementing or planning to use AI in their CX strategies.
This focus extends to full-lifecycle CX, as businesses prioritise outsourcing for various customer-facing functions to improve service consistency, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive cost efficiency.
Huge outsourcing budgets
In addition, outsourcing budgets remain robust, with 61% of companies increasing their investments this year. Notably, the number of companies reducing budgets has halved, dropping from 8% to 4%. This improved economic sentiment is fuelling a strategic scaling of outsourcing, with 90% of leaders anticipating a larger role for outsourcing as they grow.
The emphasis has shifted from “growth at all costs” to long-term sustainable growth, reflecting a more mature and strategic approach.
Moreover, 86% of leaders believe that AI and humans working together deliver better results than alone. This highlights the importance of AI-enabled outsourcing partnerships that combine human expertise with intelligent tools.
“The future of CX isn’t just about automation; it’s about human-AI collaboration. Our solutions ensure companies can scale efficiently while maintaining the customer empathy that sets brands apart,” said Craig Crisler, CEO of SupportNinja.
The need for strategic alignment
AI adoption in CX is accelerating, with 45% of companies already incorporating AI into their programs and another 42% planning to do so soon. However, successful AI implementation requires strategic alignment, with 82% of companies acknowledging that their vendors provide AI capabilities, though many are not fully utilised.
This shows that vendors must demonstrate how they apply AI to bring value to client accounts rather than simply reduce costs.
Looking ahead, 66% of respondents expect AI and automation to enhance their outsourcing needs, particularly in the tech sector, where long-term sustainable growth is now the top guiding principle.