2020 forced many businesses to accelerate their digital transformation and experiment with different technologies as more of their employees working from home. Despite vaccines becoming available, most consumer studies show that people hope to continue working remotely. 

Among the many impacts of the pandemic on economic life has been the need for brands and customers to figure out how to better interface with one another from a distance. In the short term this usually meant greater reliance on phone and chat-based interactions, however in 2020, the world quickly learned that these services - typically delivered via tightly packed contact centers - were themselves untenable.

It’s safe to say that 2020 has been an extraordinary year for people around the world. The pandemic served as a catalyst of change for people and businesses alike. It brought challenges that transformed the world around us, and in doing so it strengthened our resolve to be an organization that puts people first, incubates innovation, and celebrates diversity. 

One of the more compelling but least examined impacts of the pandemic relates to how the surge of remote work has shifted the labor market and altered the criteria talent acquisition professionals employ when evaluating the suitability of potential candidates.

The Experience Economy was in full effect, with 76% of consumers agreeing they would rather spend money on experiences over material items. But almost overnight, the pandemic upended this. Consumers now seek out brands who use technology to make their experiences with products and services seamless and contactless, while still retaining a human touch. We are entering the virtual experience economy.

An April 2020 Deloitte poll found that 32% of businesses believe the end of the pandemic will bring with it a reduction in outsourcing. Deloitte says that this may be due to the inflexibility -- perceived or real -- of hard contract terms imposed in response to the sudden changes that the crisis presented. Might this portend the long-anticipated BPO industry disruption?

It’s a central challenge confronting CX operations: how to economically retain the most qualified and experienced talent when single client support demand fluctuations may not justify their year-long employment? This is an especially thorny mess to untangle when working to retain notoriously difficult-to-recruit licensed agents whose certifications are indispensable, though maybe only a few months at a time.

Globally, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry was valued at 88.9billion in 2017 and is projected to grow to USD$262.2 billion by 2022. 8.5% of that growth is expected to come from the Asia-Pacific region, where BPO is fast becoming the main contributor to employment and economic growth.

With the promise of automation, faster output and better results, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will affect the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) in the Philippines. Everise, however, downplayed the fear of people in the call center and customer experience industry on the possibility of job loss due to this advancement in the industry.