The problem with most BPO technology
Adam O'Connor — Founder, Optimal Nexus
I've spent more than twenty years in this industry.
I've worked in sales, delivery, operations and leadership roles across outsourcing businesses of different sizes. During that time, I've sat through thousands of meetings about technology.
Every system promised the same thing.
More visibility. Better reporting. Improved efficiency. Smarter decisions.
Yet somehow most BPOs still struggle with exactly the same problems.
Sales sells something delivery can't recruit for.
Operations discovers a problem after the client has already noticed it.
Finance knows an account is losing money months before anyone else does.
Talent teams work incredibly hard but have no visibility into what is happening downstream once a candidate is hired.
The issue isn't that people aren't doing their jobs.
The issue is that the business is operating through disconnected systems.
Most BPOs have an ATS, a CRM, workforce management software, QA platforms, finance systems and reporting tools.
Individually they all work.
Collectively they don't.
The information exists.
The connection between the information doesn't.
Commitability
Years ago I started using the term “commitability”.
For me, commitability is simple.
Can the business confidently commit to an outcome and actually deliver it?
Can sales commit to a launch date?
Can recruitment commit to hiring volume?
Can operations commit to service levels?
Can finance commit to margin expectations?
Most organisations cannot answer those questions with confidence because each department is looking at a different version of reality.
That gap costs money every single day.
Not in one dramatic event.
In small decisions that compound over months and years.
A role that takes longer to fill than expected.
A client that becomes frustrated.
A contract that launches under pressure.
An account that slowly becomes less profitable.
Nobody sees the full picture because nobody is looking at the same picture.
The EU AI Act changes the question
Now there is another challenge arriving.
The EU AI Act becomes enforceable in August.
A lot of businesses are treating this as a compliance exercise.
I think that's a mistake.
The real question isn't whether you're compliant.
The real question is whether you understand how decisions are being made inside your organisation.
If a client asks why a candidate was selected, rejected, prioritised or scored in a certain way, can you explain it?
If an auditor asks what influenced a workforce decision, can you show them?
Many businesses cannot.
Not because they've done anything wrong.
Because the information sits across multiple systems, vendors and processes.
Another tool is not the answer
The industry has spent years buying more tools.
I'm not convinced another tool is the answer.
I think the answer is connecting the business properly.
Revenue should understand delivery.
Delivery should understand talent.
Talent should understand outcomes.
Finance should understand all of it.
When those connections exist, better decisions follow naturally.
What the first movers get
The businesses that figure this out first will have an enormous advantage.
Not because they have better software.
Because they have better visibility.
They learn faster.
They spot problems earlier.
They make decisions with confidence.
Most importantly, they build knowledge that compounds over time.
That is what interests me.
Not AI for the sake of AI.
Not another dashboard.
Not another platform claiming to transform everything.
Just helping people businesses understand what is actually happening inside their own organisation.
Because once you can see clearly, everything else becomes easier.