Phil Fersht
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HfS Research, the leading global research analyst organization covering global sourcing strategies. Acclaimed Industry Analyst and Consultant who scribes the leading blog for the services industry "Horses for Sources". Previously worked at AMR Research (Gartner Inc), Deloitte Consulting’s BPO Advisory Services, the Everest Group and IDC . In 2010, Phil was named “IIAR Analyst of the Year” by the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR). This is the most coveted global award for industry analysts in technology and services.
Goodbye Denial… we’ll miss you!
Don’t you just love being in Denial? That wonderful place where all you have to do is show up for work, do the same old, same old… and everything just keeps on ticking along. Isn’t it so cool to wake up in the morning and proclaim to the world that you’re just so excited to […]
Why is Gartner spewing such irresponsible and unsubstantiated data about “robobosses”?
Clients are being subjected to such a load of nonsense about the impending impact of robotics and cognitive computing on enterprise jobs, many are literally terrified. Conversing with the “head of automation” for a F500 organization today, is akin to meeting a Secret Service agent in a clandestine alleyway. These people do actually exist, but […]
Beware men in gray suits: Clients want more senior women, more real client stories and less automation hype
We set out a few weeks’ ago, with support from NASSCOM, to test the views of service buyers, advisors and providers on what the BPO industry needs to do to make the leap from delivering mere efficiency to one that can provide genuine strategic value to clients (if this is indeed possible). As we filter […]
You can bet your mortgage-as-a-service on Accenture, Wipro, Cognizant and TCS
Perhaps the best example of the evolving As-a-Service delivery model that immerses all the value levers of global delivery; namely offshore talent, cognitive automation tools, analytics and the digital customer experience, can be found in the burgeoning mortgage processing industry. With banks going all out to sell highly competitive mortgages at record low interest rates, the […]
Social media has turned us into a society of gibbering digital morons
As someone who has profited very nicely from social media (I helped build an analyst company with blogging and social at the heart of our culture), I am probably not the most appropriate person to speak out against the negative side of social media’s impact. But, as Gerald Ronson once famously espoused to the editor […]
Did Randstad just pay $429m too much for Monster?
Usually when there is an acquisition in the tech / services space, you can always appreciate why the deal was done, no matter how cynical you try to be – there is always some gold in there to dig out. However, in the case of Dutch staffing giant Ranstad, buying the shriveled remains of a […]
Welcome to the era of outsourcing stability. Now let’s automate stuff
Question: Why are we becoming so obsessed with Automation and As-a-Service relationships? Answer: Because outsourcing has worked so effectively, we can now look to new levers to pull to find that next threshold of value Question: Will the next person who says “Outsourcing is just so Passé” get a punch in the face? Answer: Yes […]
We are all outcome workers, whether we like it or not…
If you run any type of business operation or P&L, you’re quickly realizing your number one challenge is getting your people to help you achieve the results your business needs to be successful. Your strategy has to be about promoting a mindset where people focus on what they are contributing to the business, not the amount of […]
The HfS BPO Top 50: ADP, Xerox and Accenture lead the way
Ever wondered who the leading 50 BPO providers are across the globe, when we add up all relevant revenues? Well, you need look no further: Source: HfS Research 2016 estimated from services provider financials. Revenues are fitted to nearest calendar year. We attempt to make the BPO services numbers as close to HfS definitions as […]
It’s cognitively conjugal as Amelia and Accenture renew their vows
The most “tangible” value of cognitive automation, in today’s consumer-centric enterprise, is the use of the virtual agent, where customer engagement is increased without heavy incremental investments in support staff. This isn’t about simply replacing a real customer service rep with an avatar, it’s augmenting the existing customer experience, usually using the same or similar […]
