Outsourcing is Changing Faster Than Most Strategies

Join us May 7, 2026 at Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond for an exclusive, one-day executive briefing designed for CX leaders navigating the next era of outsourcing.

 This one-day, in-person executive briefing brings CX leaders together to examine how outsourcing is evolving in an AI-accelerated environment. Rising costs, increasing regulatory scrutiny, shifting customer expectations, and rapid automation are reshaping how leaders evaluate partners, manage performance, and protect brand trust.

You’ll explore real-world examples, exchange candid perspectives with peers, and leave with practical frameworks to strengthen governance, performance, and customer outcomes.

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A Message from the Host

As organizations race toward autonomous resolution at scale, the real breakthrough isn’t in the technology itself; it’s in redesigning entire support ecosystems where AI owns diagnosis, routing, and resolution while people become force multipliers for the moments that demand empathy, judgment, and trust. The companies getting this right aren’t just deploying chatbots; they’re treating AI as an operating philosophy that reshapes workflows, escalation paths, and even organizational culture. Resolution, not deflection, is the true measure of progress, and the future belongs to those who understand that escalation is a feature of care, not a failure of automation.

Briefing Overview: Why Attend

Outsourcing has moved from a cost lever to a strategic growth engine. AI acceleration, regulatory complexity, rising customer expectations, and increased board scrutiny have elevated it to the center of brand accountability.

AI is transforming customer operations not by replacing people, but by redesigning work. Agent assist, automated quality intelligence, intelligent triage, and knowledge automation are elevating human performance while shifting talent toward high-complexity interactions where empathy, judgment, and contextual decision-making matter most.

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of brands utilize external agents within their CX operations.

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of companies have applied or plan to apply AI in their contact centers.

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productivity gains unlocked by AI-enabled customer operations.

 

According to Execs In The Know’s 2026 CX Leaders Trends & Insights: Corporate Edition report, 69% of brands utilize external agents within their CX operations, and 91% of companies have already applied or plan to apply AI within their contact center organizations. With McKinsey reporting that AI-enabled customer operations can unlock productivity gains of 20–40%, it’s clear that AI will have a profound impact on the way BPOs operate. But automation without governance, workforce redesign, and cultural alignment erodes trust.

At the same time, omnichannel maturity is giving way to full-journey orchestration, where continuity and context outweigh channel expansion. Success now depends on aligning AI, a right-sized talent strategy, better governance, and commercial accountability into one cohesive CX ecosystem.

CX leaders today face simultaneous pressures: deliver productivity gains, integrate AI responsibly, strengthen compliance posture, reduce risk exposure, and improve loyalty in increasingly digital relationships. Outsourcing sits at the center of that complexity.

This executive briefing offers the opportunity to step away from operational noise and engage in substantive, peer-level dialogue at Microsoft Headquarters alongside leaders navigating the same inflection point.

You will leave with:

  • A sharper framework to recalibrate existing BPO partnerships
  • Clearer criteria for future provider selection
  • Stronger governance guardrails to protect brand trust
  • A disciplined lens for balancing efficiency with experience
  • A forward-looking perspective on where CX outsourcing strategy is heading in 2026 and beyond

The organizations that proactively modernize their outsourcing strategy will define the next era of customer experience performance. This briefing is designed to support that leadership.

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AGENDA

Designed for Leaders Navigating Change

This is not a presentation-based event. The day is built around open dialogue, shared learning, and practical discussion with leaders actively working through these decisions in real time.

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Arrival & Networking Breakfast
Connect with fellow CX and operations leaders as the group gathers to kick off the day.
9:00 AM Opening Remarks
Chad McDaniel, President & Co-Founder, Execs In The Know
Setting the stage for the day’s discussion and the key shifts shaping outsourcing in an AI-driven environment.
9:30 AM Executive Perspective
Pete Mallot, General Manager – Modern Solutions & Support, Microsoft
A look into how one of the world’s leading organizations is approaching customer operations, performance, and transformation.
9:45 AM Interactive Panel Discussion
A candid conversation with industry leaders on how outsourcing strategies are evolving, where AI is delivering value, and where new complexities are emerging.
12:30 PM Lunch & Peer Exchange
An opportunity to continue conversations, share perspectives, and connect with peers in a more informal setting.
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Executive Roundtable Discussion
Led by Chad McDaniel
A peer-driven working session focused on real-world challenges, open dialogue, and shared insights from leaders in the room.
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM Microsoft Contact Center Tour & Networking
Go behind the scenes inside Microsoft’s contact center environment, followed by time to connect and continue the conversation with peers.

Outsourcing Topic Highlights

Together, we will explore the critical themes shaping modern outsourcing strategy in an AI-enabled CX landscape.

Human-Centered by Design

Ensure AI, automation, and outsourcing elevate empathy, judgment, and the human element of CX.

From Headcount to Outcomes

Shift from volume-based contracts to performance-aligned partnerships.

AI in the Operating Model

Embed agent assist, automated QA, intelligent triage, and real-time analytics to elevate performance.

Journey Orchestration

Move beyond channel expansion toward seamless, context-driven customer journeys.

Governance as Advantage

Elevate cybersecurity, compliance, and third-party oversight into strategic differentiators.

Delivery Model Resilience

Rebalance nearshore, offshore, and hybrid strategies amid geopolitical risk and specialization demands.

Quality as a Performance Engine

Transform QA from oversight to continuous performance optimization.

Talent as Strategy

Advance agent wellbeing, speed-to-competency, and workforce redesign as core drivers of CX impact.

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Have Attended Past Events

Microsoft Headquarters:
Inside a Culture of Innovation

Hosted at Microsoft’s global headquarters, this briefing immerses you in a culture of innovation and reinvention. Attendees experience an environment built for experimentation, disciplined execution, and responsible AI. Location matters—and this conversation happens at the center of enterprise innovation.

Travel with Ease

Airport proximity: Fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), then enjoy a drive of less than 40 minutes to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond.

Recommended hotel: Our recommended hotels are all within a 5 to 10 minute drive of the Microsoft campus.

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