By Stijn Lathouwers, CEO, Custom Connect
Looking back at 2025, I find myself reflecting on what was a pivotal year for our industry. The BPO and contact centre world is evolving at a pace we haven’t seen before, accelerated by technology, global workforce shifts, changing customer preferences, and the rising expectations of the businesses we support.
At Custom Connect, operating across Europe, South Africa, and Suriname, we’ve had a front-row seat to these transformations. We’ve also been privileged to help our partners navigate complexity, manage scale, and stay ahead of what’s coming next.
Looking ahead in 2026, I want to share some of the key learnings from the past, as well as the expectations and predictions that I believe will shape the next chapter of our industry.
This is not just a forecast for BPO providers but rather a blueprint for every organisation that relies on contact centres to deliver exceptional customer experience, operational resilience, and business growth.
1. The year AI matures: From novelty to operational backbone
2024 and 2025 were the years of noise, with AI announcements, pilots, optimism, and occasional uncertainty.
2026 will be the year AI becomes infrastructure.
The organisations embracing AI most effectively this year will not be the ones experimenting on the edges, but those integrating it directly into operations, transforming workflows, decision-making, and agent support with confidence and clarity.
At Custom Connect, we’ve invested heavily in building a future where AI supports people, not replaces them. Our new platform, Myia, launched globally in 2025, is built on that conviction. It’s a quality, coaching, and performance engine designed to help teams get better every day—not by dictating, but by guiding.
Here’s what I believe will define AI’s role in 2026:
- AI will shift from generative gimmick to operational utility.
Businesses want accuracy, not novelty. Consistency, not spectacle. - AI will sit quietly inside workflows, not loudly outside them.
Teams don’t need new systems. They need smarter systems inside the tools they already use. - AI’s biggest impact will be on coaching and continuous improvement.
Spotting performance gaps automatically, triggering learning moments, and tracking behavioural change. - Hybrid teams will depend on AI for real-time insight and alignment.
With teams distributed globally, AI becomes the connective tissue keeping performance predictable.
In 2026, AI won’t be a discussion point. It will be a differentiator.
2. Human-centricity will decide who thrives and who struggles
For all the advances in automation and digitisation, the contact centre is still a people business.
Always has been. Always will be.
What’s changing is the depth of care, culture, and leadership required to attract and retain talent. Workforce expectations continue to evolve, especially in the markets we operate in. South Africa and Suriname, for example, remain powerhouse regions for customer engagement, however the competition for skilled talent is intensifying.
Three truths will matter more than ever in 2026:
- People want to feel coached, not managed.
The era of measuring performance only through compliance is long gone. Agents want, and deserve, development. - Psychological safety will become a strategic asset.
When people feel safe, they create better customer outcomes. When they don’t, performance drops instantly. - Culture will outweigh compensation in retention.
Salary gets talent through the door. Leadership keeps them there.
The BPOs winning in 2026 will be those who put people at the centre of every decision; in hiring, training, technology investment, and client partnerships.
People-centricity isn’t a buzzword, but good business.
3. The rise of “Smart Outsourcing” and outcome-based partnerships
More clients than ever are approaching outsourcing with a clear expectation:
Help us grow, not just operate.
The era of traditional, transactional outsourcing is steadily fading. In 2026, we will see the rise of “smart outsourcing, ” partnerships defined less by cost, and more by capability, technology, and outcomes.
This shift is already influencing buyer behaviour:
- Clients want predictable performance, not merely available talent.
- They want a partner, not an order-taker.
- They want technology enablement, not manual solutions.
- They want shared accountability, not a simple handover.
The most forward-thinking brands are now selecting BPO providers based on:
- Technology maturity, especially AI and automation integration.
- Cultural alignment -how the provider leads its people.
- Experience intelligence – the ability to turn data into decisions.
- Global resilience and flexibility – the ability to scale responsibly.
- Speed – markets move too fast for slow partners.
BPO relationships in 2026 will resemble joint ventures more than vendor contracts.
4. Customer experience will be defined by “minimal effort, maximum clarity”
Customers no longer benchmark service providers against competitors but rather benchmark them against the easiest experience they’ve ever had.
In 2026, customer expectations will focus on three things:
1. Effortlessness
Customers should not waste energy chasing resolutions.
The best contact centres will reduce friction at every layer: routing, verification, escalation, and closure.
2. Speed with accuracy
Speed alone is no longer enough.
Customers want fast answers that are right the first time.
3. Cross-channel consistency
The same tone, same message, same outcome regardless of the channel or advisor.
Companies that master these three pillars will see major gains in NPS, CSAT, and loyalty.
Those who fail to simplify will see rising costs and customer churn.
5. Data will become the new operational currency
In 2026, the BPO industry will be driven not by volume, but by intelligence.
The most valuable deliverable a contact centre will provide to its clients is not labour but insight.
The winners this year will be the organisations who use data to:
- Predict customer behaviour
- Identify failure points in processes
- Reduce contact demand
- Optimise workforce planning
- Automate low-value interactions
- Personalise service experiences
With the launch of Myia, we are doubling down on this vision. Quality, performance, coaching, analytics; they all feed each other. A loop. One intelligent ecosystem.
This is where the industry is heading and where we intend to lead.
6. Multiregional delivery will become a non-negotiable strategy
In 2026, resilience will become a core buying factor in outsourcing decisions.
Clients want:
- Geographic diversification
- Cultural versatility
- Language flexibility
- Time-zone coverage
- Economic stability
Our multiregional footprint, Europe, South Africa, Suriname, has proven to be a strategic advantage. It gives brands agility, continuity, and access to diverse talent pools.
In uncertain economic climates, a distributed model isn’t just smart but essential.
7. Brand experience will extend beyond the customer
More clients are realising a powerful truth: Your BPO provider is an extension of your brand.
In 2026, this will become even more pronounced.
Clients will expect:
- Brand-aligned language
- Brand-aligned behaviour
- Brand-aligned values
- Brand-aligned digital experiences
This is why we invest heavily in advisor training, culture-building, and leadership development. When our people speak to your customers, your brand is the one they experience.
Looking further ahead: 2026 will be the year of intelligent, people-first growth
If I were to summarise this year in one sentence, it would be this:
2026 will be defined by the companies who master the blend of AI and humanity.
Not one or the other.
Both.
At Custom Connect, we have prepared for 2026 with intentionality:
- A refreshed brand and new global website
- The global launch of Myia, our AI-powered quality and coaching platform
- Expanded multiregional capacity
- New partnerships built on performance, trust, and shared ambition
- Continued investment in people, learning, and leadership
We’re entering a new era of outsourcing, one where the value of a BPO is measured not by hours delivered, but by impact created.
And we are ready for that future.
Thank you to our clients, partners, teams, and leaders across all our regions.
2025 was a remarkable year, and 2026 is set to be transformational.
Let’s build the future, together.
Stijn Lathouwers
CEO, Custom Connect