The world of business process outsourcing (BPO) is at a crossroads, dramatically changed by the relentless march of artificial intelligence, especially generative AI. For businesses that use BPOs, this is a seismic shift that demands attention. Forget the old notion of BPOs as cost-cutting measures. The new era, led by innovative BPOs, positions them as strategic partners in an AI-driven future.
Guillaume Laporte, Chief AI Officer at one of the largest BPOs, Foundever, appeared on the VUX World podcast to talk bout the company’s transformative journey.
Traditionally, BPOs relied heavily on human agents for customer interactions. But with generative AI offering rapid and cost-effective automation, the landscape is changing. Companies can now bring services in-house, entirely bypassing BPOs with AI-powered solutions. This is a big problem for the traditional BPO model.
Foundever, with its 150,000-strong workforce across 49 countries, exemplifies the scale and complexity of this challenge. Agents often juggle an average of 17 different tools, working across varied systems, languages, and clients. Legacy software, fragmented tech stacks, and disparate CRMs make wide-scale transformation difficult. Add to that the speed at which AI advances, and the gap between what’s possible and what’s practical for most enterprises continues to grow.
There is also a huge opportunity for evolution and growth. As Guillaume Laporte, Foundever’s Chief AI Officer, says: “Enterprises – both BPO providers and their clients must adapt to these changes or be left behind.”
The Foundever Blueprint: A Three-Pronged Approach to AI
Foundever, a global BPO with 150,000 employees across 49 countries, faces the massive complexity of integrating AI into an environment where agents handle up to 17 different tools across multiple systems and languages. Instead of resisting AI, Foundever has chosen to embrace it with a clear three-pronged approach:
- Augmenting human agents: the super-agent
Imagine a contact centre agent, bogged down by repetitive tasks and fragmented systems. Foundever’s “Ever Assist” tool transforms this reality by amplifying human productivity. Features like AI-generated call summaries, speech-to-text dictation and real-time assistance make daily tasks faster and less stressful.The results are already impressive: early data shows a 15% reduction in average handling time (AHT) across phone, chat and email interactions. But the benefits go beyond efficiency. Increased productivity means reduced mental load for the employee, which in turn leads to higher customer satisfaction through faster and more accurate service delivery. This acknowledges that AI isn’t here to replace humans entirely, but to change how work is done, and those who embrace augmentation will thrive. - Deploying AI agents: the digital workforce
Foundever is building its own agentic agents – digital assistants that can handle basic tasks like call routing and data collection. This frees up human agents to focus on more complex, nuanced issues. They are also partnering with established AI vendors to bring in broader capabilities when needed. This tiered approach ensures that simple, repetitive questions are handled quickly and cost-effectively, and the flow of customer interactions is optimised. - Driving internal Efficiency: Leading by Example
The impact of AI goes beyond customer-facing roles. Foundever is using AI to optimise its own internal operations. A prime example is building an internal GPT-style tool instead of paying OpenAI $45 million a year for ChatGPT access across its entire workforce. This internal solution achieved 80% of the functionality at a fraction of the cost.
To underpin these initiatives, Foundever created an internal “LLM Foundry”. This dedicated team tests and tunes large language models for speed, cost and accuracy, so the right models are deployed for the right tasks and new developments are integrated quickly. This in-house expertise gives Foundever a competitive edge, allowing it to control latency, cost and accuracy based on brand needs.
Real results: why you should care
The shift to AI is delivering tangible results for Foundever:
- 15% productivity gain across key contact centre metrics.
- Improved employee satisfaction by reducing mental load and repetitive tasks.
- Higher customer satisfaction, through faster and more accurate service delivery.
- Cost savings through the intelligent use of open-source models and internal tools.
- Faster onboarding and quality coaching, through AI monitoring and support at scale.
Beyond the tools, Foundever is building agile teams, with engineers, product managers and LLM specialists to support rapid AI deployment. While recruiting this specialised talent is a challenge, Foundever’s global scale and cutting-edge projects make it an attractive prospect for AI professionals.
How you should act
Whether you’re a BPO provider, partner or client, the message is clear: AI is changing the business landscape and ignoring it is a risky strategy. You must acknowledge several key facts:
- AI is here to stay: It’s not a fad, nor is it about replacing humans entirely. It’s about changing how we work, and augmentation is the key.
- Change is slow but inevitable: Many companies struggle with internal resistance, governance issues and lack of AI literacy. The gap between AI capabilities and business adoption is growing daily.
- Strategy is key: AI applies to everything from customer service to complex internal processes, but many companies lack the vision to fully exploit its potential.
- Doing nothing is not a strategy: A passive approach leaves BPOs open to being cut out entirely as clients go directly with AI.
The BPO industry stands at a crossroads. AI is a transformational force that will define the sector’s future. Enterprises that invest early, experiment smartly, and adapt quickly stand to gain the most. Foundever’s approach offers a practical blueprint: enhance people, deploy automation strategically, and build internal AI fluency.
