A rapidly changing and challenging business environment is forcing brands into a two-front battle against technology disruption and unpredictable market volatility. To succeed, leading businesses are turning to disruptive outsourcing partners, who help mitigate their risks through a portfolio of offshore delivery centers equipped with product support experience.

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?

Historian Yuval Harrari told Noema Magazine in June that the world is going to be “fluid and malleable”. As we draw near to the end of 2020, this remains true. Organizational resilience continues to be contingent on employing mindful risk mitigation strategies while retaining an entrepreneurial spirit.

Leading APAC bank, Hong Leong Bank (HLB), has been growing substantially over the years. Much like scaling customer support, HLB had to build a large Helpdesk team that required a substantial investment of time and resources by the Human Resource Department (HR) who handled over 23,500, often repetitive, email & phone enquiries.

In the pre-pandemic world, we can probably agree that business was done differently. Meetings were held in bland conference rooms with lukewarm coffee and maybe a slightly stale doughnut tray. We shook hands, sat face-to-face, and made small-talk before reviewing that fancy PowerPoint deck from a drop-down screen or a large monitor; this was a typical scene in offices worldwide.

Working from home was just one of the many necessary adjustments caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. What was once a sought-after perk of working, suddenly became part of the new normal. Before the spread of COVID-19, the number of U.S. employees that regularly worked from home was relatively small. 

Businesses of all sizes were greatly affected by the effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The structure of the economy drastically changed within a matter of months, and even well-established companies had to re-evaluate their strategies to survive within an uncertain business environment.