Global Business Services as an Engine of Value Creation

Thank you for participating in this important research. Your responses will drive our thought leadership report exploring how organizations are repositioning GBS from a transactional efficiency driver to a strategic value enabler and value generator. This survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential and will be reported only in aggregate. You will be sent a copy of the report – just check the box in the last question.

Question Title

* 1. What best defines you?

Shared Services (captive)

Global Business Services (captive)

Global Capability Center (GCC, GIC or similar) (captive)

Business Process Outsourcer (BPO)/third party service provider

Technology/Solutions Provider

Consultant/professional services firm

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. How many years has your SSO/GBS been in operation?

<3 years

3<5 years

5<7 years

7<10 years

10<15 years

15 or more years

Expanding Beyond the Back Office

Question Title

* 3. Which of the following functions are currently within scope for your GBS organization? (select all that apply)

Finance & Accounting

Human Resources

Financial Planning & Analysis

Procurement

Supply Chain

Maintenance

Digital & Automation

IT / Technology Services

Tax

Legal & Compliance

Sales & Customer Operations

Marketing & Digital Operations

R&D

Analytics

Master Data Management

Real Estate Operations

Facilities Operations

Engineering

Central user services (e.g. language translation, document design)

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 4. Which of the following front- or middle-office capabilities do you a) either already have in scope OR b) anticipate bringing into your GBS scope within the next 3 years? (select all that apply)

Sales operations and deal support

Customer experience and digital engagement

Marketing operations and content production

Revenue management and commercial analytics

Product operations and launch support

Sustainability and ESG reporting

Other (please specify)

None — we plan to stay in traditional back-office functions

Question Title

* 5. Which of the following cross-functional/transformational capabilities do you either a) already have in scope OR b) plan to bring into scope in the next 18 months? (select all that apply)

Continuous Improvements / Operational Excellence

Innovation

ESG Reporting

Program Management

Change Management

Automation-as-a-Service offered to the Business

Others (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

* 6. What is the single greatest barrier to expanding GBS into front- and middle-office functions? (select best answer option)

Lack of stakeholder trust in GBS capabilities

Insufficient talent with commercial / customer-facing skills

Technology limitations

Organizational resistance / cultural barriers

Governance and accountability ambiguity

Budget and investment constraints

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 7. What is the most compelling reason/business case for GBS to bring these front- and middle-office functions into scope? (select best answer option)

Proven success in current services

Necessary capabilities are underrepresented elsewhere in organization

GBS’ digital leadership/capabilities are instrumental to improving performance in these front- and middle office functions

GBS leader’s influence/strategic value is recognized at board level

Internal repositioning of GBS as enterprise capability vs transactional efficiency driver

Other

Value Protection vs. Value Creation

Question Title

* 8. How would you characterize your GBS’s current strategic mandate? Please allocate 100 % across the two dimensions below.

% allocated to Value Protection (cost reduction, compliance, efficiency, productivity)

% allocated to Value Creation (revenue enablement, CX improvement, innovation, time-to-market)

Question Title

* 9. Which value-creation outcomes has your GBS organization demonstrably delivered in the past 24 months? (select all that apply)

Improved customer satisfaction scores (NPS, CSAT)

Reduced time-to-market for products or services

Accelerated revenue cycle / deal closure

Improved employee experience scores

Enabled new digital or AI capabilities at scale

Enhanced brand consistency across markets

Quantified revenue contribution

Quantified value leakage reduction contribution

Quantified working capital reduction contribution

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

* 10. How do your primary stakeholders (e.g., CFO, CEO, business unit leaders) currently measure the success of GBS? (select all that apply)

Cost per transaction or cost-to-serve

SLA / KPI adherence

Customer / user satisfaction scores

Revenue influenced or enabled

Automation and AI adoption rates

Speed-to-market metrics

Employee experience / Net Promoter Score

Risk reduction and compliance metrics

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 11. To what extent does your GBS organization have a formal framework for quantifying value creation (beyond cost savings)?

1 — No formal framework; value is anecdotal

2 — Nascent; some ad hoc measurement

3 — Developing; value tracking in select areas

4 — Mature; consistent cross-functional value metrics

5 — Leading practice; integrated into enterprise performance management

1 — No formal framework; value is anecdotal

2 — Nascent; some ad hoc measurement

3 — Developing; value tracking in select areas

4 — Mature; consistent cross-functional value metrics

5 — Leading practice; integrated into enterprise performance management

GBS as an Enterprise Enablement Platform

Question Title

* 12. Which of the following platform capabilities has your GBS organization deployed at an enterprise scale? (select all that apply)

End-to-end workflow digitization

AI-enabled automation fabric (RPA + AI agents)

Reusable digital capabilities (identity, document understanding, integration layers)

Data governance and insight-as-a-service (incl. process and task mining)

One-stop-shop portal

Single knowledge / case management platform

AI copilots or conversational assistants for employees

Other (please specify)

None of the above at enterprise scale

Question Title

* 13. How would you rate the maturity of your GBS organization's AI and automation capabilities today?

1 — Piloting; isolated use cases, limited scale

2 — Scaling; multiple use cases in production

3 — Embedded; AI/automation integrated into core workflows

4 — Differentiating; AI driving measurable competitive advantage

5 — Enterprise-wide AI operating model in place

1 — Piloting; isolated use cases, limited scale

2 — Scaling; multiple use cases in production

3 — Embedded; AI/automation integrated into core workflows

4 — Differentiating; AI driving measurable competitive advantage

5 — Enterprise-wide AI operating model in place

Question Title

* 14. Which of the following statements best describes your GBS organization's role relative to AI deployment across the enterprise? (select best option)

GBS is a passive recipient – AI is deployed by IT or business units

GBS is a co-owner – we collaborate with IT to deploy AI

GBS is the primary accelerator – we drive AI adoption across functions

GBS is building and operating AI capabilities as-a-service to the enterprise

We have not yet defined this role

Monetizing GBS — Revenue Enablement & Generation

Question Title

* 15. Does your GBS organization currently operate any of the following revenue-enabling or revenue-generating models? (select all that apply)

Deal Desk as a Service (faster quoting, pricing support, contract acceleration)

Commercial Analytics (pricing optimization, churn prediction, upsell support)

Content & Localization Factory (accelerating product or campaign launches)

Data as a Service (customer, product, or partner master data monetization)

Platform Services Chargeback (AI copilots, workflow, integration as internal services)

Working capital or cash flow optimization services

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

* 16. Over the next 3 years, how likely is your organization to formally recognize GBS as a revenue contributor (not just a cost center) in your enterprise operating model?

1 — Very unlikely

2 — Unlikely

3 — Possible, but not a current priority

4 — Likely

5 — Already underway or planned within 12 months

1 — Very unlikely

2 — Unlikely

3 — Possible, but not a current priority

4 — Likely

5 — Already underway or planned within 12 months

Question Title

* 17. What is the most significant enabler for GBS to evolve into a revenue-generating function? (select best answer option)

Access to better enterprise data and analytics

Stronger commercial acumen within the GBS leadership team

Stakeholder mandate from the CEO or Board

Technology platforms (AI, automation, data products)

A proven business case or internal ROI model

External partnership / ecosystem co-creation

Other (please specify)

Talent, Leadership & the 'Enterprise Athlete'

Question Title

* 18. Which of the following leadership competencies are most critical for your GBS organization over the next 3–5 years? (select all that apply)

AI and digital fluency

Product and platform thinking

Commercial mindset (revenue influence, monetization)

Customer and employee experience design

Enterprise orchestration across functions and geographies

Change storytelling and stakeholder influence

Data literacy and insight-driven decision-making

Ecosystem and partner management

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 19. How is your GBS organization addressing the talent gap required to support value-creation activities? (select all that apply)

Upskilling and reskilling current GBS employees

Hiring externally for commercial / digital roles

Rotating talent in from business units

Leveraging partner ecosystems / managed service providers

Building centers of excellence with specialized talent

We have not yet addressed this gap systematically

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 20. Given the new capabilities needed, is your GBS organization initiating location changes (adding, closing, shifting centers) due to lack of knowledgeable talent in current locations?

Yes

Not yet but considering

Please comment on where you are reducing / building up capabilities

Ecosystem, Partners & Alliances

Question Title

* 21. How significant is your reliance on technology/solution vendors providing the foundational platform for your GBS model?

1 — Minimal; we operate primarily in-house

2 — Selective; partners for specific transformation projects

3 — Moderate; ongoing partnerships in several capability areas

4 — Significant; partners are integral to our operating model

5 — Ecosystem-led; external partners co-operate core GBS functions

1 — Minimal; we operate primarily in-house

2 — Selective; partners for specific transformation projects

3 — Moderate; ongoing partnerships in several capability areas

4 — Significant; partners are integral to our operating model

5 — Ecosystem-led; external partners co-operate core GBS functions

Question Title

* 22. How significant is your reliance on consulting firms/delivery partners to design/build/operate your GBS model?

1 — Minimal; we operate primarily in-house

2 — Selective; partners for specific transformation projects

3 — Moderate; ongoing partnerships in several capability areas

4 — Significant; partners are integral to our operating model

5 — Ecosystem-led; external partners co-operate core GBS functions

1 — Minimal; we operate primarily in-house

2 — Selective; partners for specific transformation projects

3 — Moderate; ongoing partnerships in several capability areas

4 — Significant; partners are integral to our operating model

5 — Ecosystem-led; external partners co-operate core GBS functions

Question Title

* 23. What is the primary value you seek from external GBS ecosystem partners today? (select best answer option)

Access to proprietary technology platforms

Delivery scale and labor flexibility

Industry-specific expertise and benchmarks

Innovation co-creation and R&D capabilities

AI and agentic automation capabilities

Transformation design and change management expertise

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 24. To what extent is your GBS organization moving toward using native platform capabilities (e.g., AI embedded in ERP / cloud platforms) rather than building custom solutions?

1 — We predominantly build custom solutions

2 — Leaning toward custom, but exploring native options

3 — Balanced approach

4 — Leaning toward native platform capabilities

5 — Native-first strategy; we only build when no platform option exists

1 — We predominantly build custom solutions

2 — Leaning toward custom, but exploring native options

3 — Balanced approach

4 — Leaning toward native platform capabilities

5 — Native-first strategy; we only build when no platform option exists

GBS Maturity & Forward Outlook

Question Title

* 25. How would you rate your overall GBS maturity on the journey from cost center to value creation engine?

1 — Foundational: focused primarily on cost and efficiency

2 — Emerging: beginning to deliver service excellence and some digital capabilities

3 — Advancing: value protection is strong; value creation initiatives underway

4 — Leading: GBS is recognized as an enterprise value enabler

5 — Transformative: GBS is a strategic value engine with measurable revenue impact

1 — Foundational: focused primarily on cost and efficiency

2 — Emerging: beginning to deliver service excellence and some digital capabilities

3 — Advancing: value protection is strong; value creation initiatives underway

4 — Leading: GBS is recognized as an enterprise value enabler

5 — Transformative: GBS is a strategic value engine with measurable revenue impact

Question Title

* 26. What are the 2-3 most important priorities for your GBS organization over the next 12–18 months, and why?

Thank you for your participation. Your insights will directly shape this thought leadership report, which will be shared with all participating GBS leaders (please ensure you “opt in” with your email address below to receive your copy).

Question Title

* 27. Check the areas you are interested in learning about:

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