With a phenomenal opportunity to dig into the up-and-coming trends in the outsourcing space, ScaleHub was thrilled to be part of the IAOP Outsourcing World Summit (OWS23) held in Chicago in May.
The return of IAOP’s Summit was the first in-person event since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With a thoughtful relaunch, the 2023 Summit was designed to be a smaller, more intimate gathering. This new format provided an excellent opportunity for industry professionals to connect and discuss the latest trends in outsourcing. As a rising global leader in crowdsourcing innovation, ScaleHub had a notable presence at the event.
The event not only brought together outsourcing customers, providers, advisors and academics, but was also a welcomed opportunity for key ScaleHub members from three different continents to meet in person: ScaleHub’s co-founder and CRO Torsten Malchow from Australia, VP of Partnerships—Americas Peter Mueller from the US, and VP of Partnerships–EMEA Susanne Richer-Wills from Germany.
Global perspectives on outsourcing trends
OWS23 covered a wide range of focus areas, highlighting the ever-evolving trends in the outsourcing landscape. Key areas of discussion:
- Digital transformation and the future of work
- The impact of automation and artificial intelligence
- Best practices in vendor management and governance
- Tackling the talent crisis
- Creating a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
- The emerging opportunity of impact sourcing
How to tackle the talent shortage using AI and impact sourcing
On the first day of the Summit, Susanne delivered a stellar presentation titled “AI and Impact Sourcing: Working together to tackle the talent shortage.” Impact Sourcing is an approach to business process outsourcing that helps global enterprises improve their outcomes while providing opportunities to people from communities with limited work or self-advancement prospects. Susanne set the stage with a thought-provoking speech on technology’s current and potential role in elevating business processing practices, when combined with human intelligence. She explored two major points in her presentation:
- How organizations can leverage technology to bridge the skills gap and create new job opportunities for marginalized individuals
- The benefits and challenges of implementing AI-powered impact sourcing initiatives
Her most-discussed tip on impact sourcing? Gamification for fun and efficient training of BPOs. (Reach out to us for a copy of the slides to learn more.)
ScaleHub honored as a “Impact Sourcing Company to Watch”
A significant highlight was the 2023 IAOP Global Impact Sourcing Awards (GISA), where ScaleHub was recognized as an “Impact Sourcing Company to Watch.” This award acknowledges organizations that have made a significant impact in the field of impact sourcing. ScaleHub has long believed that impact sourcing plays an important role in the future of talent acquisition. Impact sourcing benefits businesses as well as the people they hire: companies are able to reach their goals with a wider pool of talent, and marginalized communities (with untapped potential) get an economic boost.
Debi Hamill, CEO at IAOP, expressed her appreciation for the work ScaleHub is doing, stating, “Over 50 international companies applied for the award this year and it is wonderful to learn about all the good work that companies like ScaleHub are doing to promote impact sourcing in the industry. There were so many deserving programs, the [judging] process was a difficult one for the panel of judges. Congratulations are due for being selected as a finalist and a 2023 Impact Sourcing Company to Watch for the work ScaleHub has done — and is doing — to advance and promote impact sourcing in our industry and for making a difference in the lives of those in underserved communities.”
Celebrating OWS’ big return
Torsten expressed his delight at the return of IAOP OWS and the opportunities it presented, stating, “Debi and her team did a fantastic job organizing an event focused on the fast-growing BPO and Shared Service Center market. As an event sponsor, we enjoyed every conversation with the attendees, along with discussing the possibilities of combining AI and human intelligence for better data accuracy at an infinite scale.”
Peter praised the new format of IAOP OWS, too, highlighting its relevance and topicality: “IAOP OWS is back! The new, more intimate format allowed for consolidation of sessions which in turn brought everyone together to learn, discuss, and network. The program of topics was impressive, and in particular the focus on ESG and digital technologies for outsourcing professionals was relevant and topical.”
An event to remember
Apart from the insightful sessions, IAOP OWS23 offered a fun social program that included activities like indoor golf simulation and the popular Chicago River Architecture Tour. ScaleHub also added to the excitement by submitting German and Australian gins as prizes for a Summit raffle.
Susanne shared her enthusiasm about the event, stating, “OWS23 was a great event. Being the first opportunity after the pandemic for IAOP members to meet in person again, it provided our team with a lot of new information and contacts. The new location and format allowed for lots of networking and making new friends.”
Hungry for more insight into IAOP’s trending topics? Head over to our blog to dig in deeper to all things AI, impact sourcing, and more.
