Industry news

The arrival of user-friendly large language models has shoved the possibilities of generative AI firmly into the public consciousness.

These capabilities have led some analysts to predict an annual 27% growth rate for AI over the next ten years.

But even their biggest fans would have to admit that these applications are not perfect.

"Computers can do many things way faster than humans, but in this case the state of the art is slow," says Jonathan Ellis, CTO and cofounder of DataStax.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Sopra Steria is set to fully acquire SSCL, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the Group. The purchase price is £82.3m in cash (not far off half of the £200m extra investment that the Government, a few weeks ago, committed to the NHS this winter). So, on top of the savings already realised by UK Government due to back-office improvements (in excess of £750m), there will now be an extra boost to the public purse. For Sopra Steria, SSCL will be “accretive to (the company’s) net result and EPS from Day 1”.

Over the last ten years, SSCL has grown substantially both in terms of customers served and the services on offer. The JV’s foundation customers were DWP, Defra, Cabinet Office, and the Environment Agency

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

There are several key trends in customer care BPO technology. One is the move towards more integrated and automated systems. This means that companies are using more software to automate tasks and to manage customer interactions. This can help to improve efficiency and to reduce costs.

The Customer Care BPO Market report includes players such as Alorica Inc, Foundever Operating Corp, Simply Contact International, Webhelp Inc, Telus International Cda Inc, Arvato, Sykes Enterprises, West Corporation, Infosys BPM, and Concentrix Corp.

Read the full article on Digital Journal here.

More than nine in ten respondents say that ESG subjects are on their organization’s agenda. While environmental topics are recently the ones making headlines, just one-third of respondents rank environmental issues as their organization’s greatest ESG priority.

Survey respondents report that their organizations are not just paying lip service to ESG: many say their organizations are making meaningful ESG changes that have demonstrable benefits. More than two-thirds of respondents say their organizations have achieved broad impact from their ESG efforts in the past three years.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

Brazilian IT multinational Stefanini projects investments of 1bn reais (US$200mn) over the next three years, concentrated on AI development and acquisitions.

Generative "AI is revolutionizing the market,” CEO and founder Marco Stefanini told reporters on Friday.

Stefanini, which competes in services with the likes of Accenture and TCS, is partnering with big techs such as Microsoft on genAI products. Amazon, IBM, Google, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, Siemens and Honeywell are some of its other traditional tech partners.

Organisations are turning to supplier diversity programmes to enhance their brand image, a new study shows.

The study – the State of Supplier Diversity 2023 – is from Supplier.io, an SaaS-based data analytics provider that helps companies optimise and scale supplier diversity programs.

It claims that the business value of supplier diversity remains “strong and broad”, with companies investing in supplier diversity to enhance their brand image (53% of respondents), win new business (46%) and to align with corporate culture and workforce inclusiveness (81%).

Read the full article on SupplyChain here.

Leading supply chain ESG assurance specialist LRQA has launched a sustainability initiative based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals that is designed to help other businesses follow suit.

LRQA consults on, and certifies, the ESG performances of global industries and their supply chains in a broad range of sectors.

Its new initiative – Our Planet, Our Plan – outlines the company’s internal ESG commitments over the next seven years, using verifiable third-party data to substantiate its sustainability claims. Data is made transparent and accountable by an online dashboard that publicly tracks its performance.

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, today announced it has launched a new AI-driven digital solution for clients that enables faster, more efficient, and improved business processes.

TP Configuration is an integrated, unified and scalable platform for managing the end-to-end agent lifecycle and improving operational performance. 

Teleperformance clients using TP Configuration in their programs have seen significant efficiency, accuracy and customer experience benefits across a variety of industries.

Read the full article on PR Newswire here.

EXL , a leading global data analytics and digital operations and solutions company, announced that it has published its fourth annual Sustainability Report, which highlights its progress across key environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance metrics.

"Sustainability holds a central place in our company's mission and purpose and we integrate sustainability into our strategic vision, organizational culture, brand identity, and the solutions and services we provide to our customers," Rohit Kapoor EXL's vice chairman and chief executive officer.

Research carried out by Globality & Art of Procurement has found that nearly two-thirds of procurement leaders want their companies to adopt & invest in AI

Procurement professionals have urged their companies to act now and adopt AI for their businesses, having asked for financial assistance to make this a reality.

The ultimate goal of AI in procurement is to automate various aspects of the procurement process and therefore enable organisations to make better and more informed decisions, optimise resource allocation and drive operational excellence.

90% believe AI adoption will make procurement more strategic

Read the full article on Procurement Mag here.