Everest Group predicts enterprises will express preference for GICs and make significant shifts in their locations strategies in the year ahead.
Although 2018 will see a modest increase in demand for global services overall, some leading service providers in select segments will experience a double-digit surge in revenues this year, according to Everest Group. Labor-arbitrage focused service providers will continue to create a drag on the market; however, digital-focused service providers will more than offset that, especially in key segments such as engineering services, business process outsourcing (BPO), and consulting and systems integration.
“Throughout 2017, outsourcing transaction activity was driven by an increased adoption of digital services, and this trend will continue in 2018 as more enterprises move beyond exploration and pilot projects to large-scale digital implementations,” said Salil Dani, vice president, Global Sourcing, at Everest Group. “The industry is ready to act: enterprises have undertaken copious research and testing, service providers have invested in acquiring the digital capabilities needed, and the market is being lifted by availability of funding, cheap capital, tax cuts in the United States, and low interest rates.”
Global In-house Center (GIC) setup activity was at an all-time high in 2017, and Everest Group predicts that the Do-It-Yourself, in-house model will become even more popular in 2018, with small and mid-sized enterprises driving Global In-house Center (GIC) setup activity.
Moreover, large enterprise outsourcing adopters will begin to undertake significant, long-term shifts in their location strategies, including the following:
- Large-scale consolidation of services, as technology takes away huge sections of demand through straight-through processing (STP), self-service and automation
- Rebalancing of work across locations
- High-degree of co-location as growing technology and digital adoption blurs the boundaries between IT, non-voice business processes and voice processes
- Creation of niche onshore and offshore centers of excellence to handle complex, exceptions-based work
- Increased focus on onshore delivery due to regulatory changes and the need for agile, co-located innovation teams
- Gradual shift of offshore centers from delivery of transactional to complex work through upskilling and cross-skilling talent bases.
These findings and more are discussed in Everest Group’s recently published report, “Market Vista™: 2017 Year in Review and Outlook for 2018.” This annual report covers the key forces and metrics defining the global sourcing market, including trends in outsourcing, digital adoption, and Global In-house Centers (GICs), as well as insights into location activity in offshore and nearshore geographies. The report also reviews 25 leading service providers on their annual performance, capability enhancements, merger and acquisition landscape, and other key events.
***Download a complimentary abstract of “Market Vista™: 2017 Year in Review and Outlook for 2018”.***
