AI and Outsourcing: Shaping the Future of Enterprise Innovation and Customer Experience

“Remove the fear of AI—it’s not the enemy. It should be the Robin to our Batman.”

This was the challenge Larah Sta. Maria, Vice President at Concentrix, posed to HR leaders at the Sprout SaaScon 2025. The session “AI and Outsourcing: Shaping the Future of Enterprise Innovation and Customer Experience” brought together industry experts to discuss key topics, such as job transformation, the evolving role of AI in customer service, and the importance of preparing the workforce for an AI-driven future.

So, let’s address the elephant in the room: Is AI coming for employees’ jobs? 

Ambe Tierro, Country Managing Director and Technology Centers Lead at Accenture, addressed this question by drawing from a study from Accenture exploring how AI will affect different roles in the workforce. According to Tierro, three things will happen with AI in the workplace: parts of a job will be automated, parts of it will be augmented, and some aspects will remain unchanged. 

What does this mean for employees? Yes, certain tasks will be automated, but there’s an opportunity to upskill and focus on the more valuable and complex parts of their roles.

Winston Manapad, Talent Acquisition and HR Director for Process Excellence Reporting and Data Analytics at FoundEver, also has an eye-opening take on AI’s impact particularly on recruitment. What’s really changing, Winston said, is the recruiter’s role. Gone are the days when hiring was based on gut feel or intuition. Today, recruiters are now data-driven, using technology to augment their expertise and make better decisions. 

So, what’s the takeaway from these discussions? 

It’s not about the jobs disappearing but transforming. HR leaders should prepare the workforce for the age of AI, and Tierro highlighted that the key is upskilling, embracing new technologies, and ensuring that employees are prepared to work alongside AI. 

Sta. Maria shared findings from a study that showed customers are open to automation for simpler tasks but prefer talking to live agents for more complicated issues. The solution? Supercharging those agents with AI tools that enhance their ability to handle more complex queries.

Rather than viewing AI as a competitor to human workers, Sta. Maria stressed the importance of AI and human collaboration. AI can handle the repetitive, simpler tasks, leaving human agents to focus on the more nuanced and emotional aspects of customer service. 

A practical example shared by Sta. Maria was from Concentrix’s quality assurance (QA) team. Traditionally, QA evaluators could only review a handful of calls each month. With AI, they can now analyze insights from every single customer interaction. This shift allows QA professionals to move away from box-ticking and instead focus on coaching agents and driving real business value. The result? A more empowered workforce and a much richer customer experience.

Tierro circled back to a crucial point that often gets overlooked in the AI conversation—the need for a strong digital core. She broke it down into three essential elements: robust data infrastructure, cloud capabilities, and strong data security. Without these foundations, scaling AI across an organization is nearly impossible. Many companies, she noted, are still catching up in this area.

So, what does building a digital core look like? It starts with investing in the right technology stack and ensuring that data is clean, accessible, and secure. But it’s not just about the tech. Ambe stressed that reskilling employees is not just about teaching them how to use AI tools but also helping them adapt to the new ways of working that AI will bring.

With a strong digital core, organizations can move quickly, adapt to new opportunities, and deploy AI solutions that actually deliver value. Tierro’s message was clear: don’t just chase the latest shiny tool—build the foundation first.

The panel ended on a note of inspiration, with the speakers offering their thoughts on leadership in the age of AI. They reminded attendees that businesses have a responsibility to create a positive impact on their employees and the broader community. Leaders should anticipate disruption, embrace new technologies, and be prepared to lead their teams through these changes.

Sta. Maria echoed this sentiment, urging companies to remove the fear surrounding AI. She reminded HR leaders that AI isn’t the enemy—it’s a tool that can empower employees to do their jobs better and more efficiently.

Winston also encouraged leaders to take advantage of AI tools rather than penalize employees for using them. He stressed the importance of building a culture where employees feel empowered to leverage AI to enhance their work.

Dominic Ligot, the event moderator, humorously wrapped up the session with a quotable quote, “AI will not replace people. It’s always been HR that replaces people.”

While many worry about AI replacing jobs, the experts pointed out that AI isn’t about replacing people—it’s about transforming the way employees work. For HR, this means reskilling the workforce, integrating AI thoughtfully into business operations, and leveraging collaboration between humans and AI.

That’s where Sprout HR comes in, helping organizations adapt to these changes and build a future that’s both human-centered and tech-driven. It helps you streamline HR processes, enhance employee engagement, and integrate AI-driven solutions to optimize workforce management.

For more insights on how HR and AI are shaping the future, visit Sprout’s blogs.