On October 3rd, 2024, Pro Progressio hosted the annual Follow the Leaders event in the Tri-City area of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia in north-central Poland.
BPO Bullhorn was fortunate enough to attend and moderate a panel at the BSS Conference, one of three events happening simultaneously. Taking place on the 34th floor of the Olivia Star building in Gdansk, the conference was a font of valuable information for businesses looking to learn about the trends influencing BSS, BPO, GBS, and contact centers.
Here’s what we learned during the event:
📈 GBS and Shared Services
With around 1 million people working in shared services across Europe and a global total of 10 million, the importance of location strategy is reportedly rising. During his opening presentation, Elias van Herwaarden revealed that 51% of center heads expect to address “location” in the next three years. Europe continues to perform well, with its 3,200 delivery centers showcasing high productivity, cultural know-how, and an ability to operate across languages, making it a formidable player in the global BSS landscape.
🚀 Upskilling is the future
Continuous learning and a learning culture are necessary for growth in the evolving GBS industry. The conference highlighted structured learning pathways, knowledge sharing, and collaboration as the cornerstones of innovation in GBS. Leadership plays a vital role here, inspiring teams to embrace continuous improvement.
🌍 The hottest BSS locations of 2024?
At the closing panel, moderated by Matt Kendall, participants Kirk Laughlin, Annabell Marie Kreuzer, and Mark Angus highlighted how cost isn’t everything when choosing a service delivery spot. Mark highlighted how several captive centers have started outsourcing themselves, revealing a new angle for BPOs to approach businesses. Rwanda, Kenya, and Colombia were the panelist’s standout locations, with Africa gaining much-deserved attention in the BSS industry.
🤖 Automation and GenAI aren’t going anywhere
No surprises here: many talks focused on how these techs are transforming industries by boosting agility and driving top-line growth. Chris Gillen’s presentation was more grounded than most, reminding us brands need a comprehensive understanding of how AI will impact CX before implementation. He revealed that customers already have a negative sentiment about AI, so there’s no room for error.
📊 Scalability and security
These go hand-in-hand with new tech, especially in highly regulated sectors like banking, where automation is becoming essential for compliance and product expansion. One key example: automation is being used to launch new services, such as loans, and even prevent costly fines by optimizing regulatory processes.
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Follow Wiktor Doktor on LinkedIn to see more updates and insights from the event.