2026 GBS Trends

AI was exploited end-to-end in the recruitment process, from CV screening and candidates’ assessment to post-interviews evaluation and decision support and offer modeling and creation, leading directly to one successful hire.

GBS is uniquely positioned to lead with GenAI. With a cross-functional, holistic view and access to enterprise-wide data, GBS acts as the conductor of the operational orchestra. Forward-thinking organisations leverage GenAI to recast GBS as strategic advisors and value creators, rooted in process redesign to amplify human judgment. Critical to unlocking GenAI’s potential in GBS (GenGBS) is the right human-in-the-loop.

HR Centers of Excellence (CoE) now drive strategic domains including workforce planning, learning, leadership development, and rewards. Within GBS, CoEs act as global accelerators, connecting insights, standardising best practices, and enabling scale.

AI, automation, and digital platforms are reshaping HR at scale. AI-enabled case management, predictive workforce analytics, and global employee experience platforms reduce manual workload and improve service quality. Freed from repetitive tasks, HR teams can focus on business partnering, skills planning, and organisational design.

Employee experience (EX) has moved from a service concept to a business performance lever. Personalised journeys, seamless digital touchpoints, and globally consistent service standards are becoming core elements of HR delivery in GBS.

• HR can rely on GenGBS for administrative support (onboarding, payroll, etc.), freeing HR for human-centered tasks like employee development and culture.
• GenGBS can advise HR on data-driven feedback (sentiment analysis, fairness monitoring, performance trends, compliance, diversity).
• Governance and compliance become more robust with ethical GenAI oversight, managing data privacy, bias, and audit trails.

• Treat GenAI as a strategic capability today rather than a quick automation fix. Build a roadmap linking GenAI use in GBS to business outcomes, not headcount reduction.
• Establish a GBS-led GenAI cross-functional task force (HR, finance, procurement, IT) to prioritise use cases, embed governance, scale adoption, and share best practices.
• Redesign jobs: analyse roles to separate automation-suited tasks from those requiring human judgment, then invest in missing skills.

An SSC buy-out enables organisations to release immediate liquidity through an upfront payment from the selected vendor, converting an internal cost centre into a source of liquidity. This transaction can fund strategic priorities, whether reinvestment into digital initiatives, M&A activity, debt reduction, or margin improvement efforts. Importantly, service continuity is preserved while capital is freed.

Third-party providers operate at scale, often with a global delivery footprint, established automation toolsets, and optimised processes. This enables a structurally lower cost-to-serve. Well-designed contracts embed transparent YoY savings, enabling to forecast costs confidently and track performance against measurable commitments.

Operating an internal SSC requires ongoing management attention, technology investment and operational oversight. A buy-out transfers operational responsibility to an external partner, freeing up internal resources to focus on higher-value priorities such as innovation, customer value, and growth.

Service providers bring proven delivery models, modern digital enablers (AI, automation, analytics), and deep functional expertise. By leveraging these capabilities, organisations can rapidly advance their digital agenda, improve service quality, and drive continuous improvement, without the burden of developing or maintaining the capabilities in-house.

The first step is determining the financial and strategic value of the SSC. This involves analysing a combination of factors, including:

• Current cost and operational efficiency 
• Talent profile and delivery location
• Process scope, complexity, and maturity
• Asset integration with wider business functions

A balanced deal structure aligns the upfront payment with ongoing contractual benefits, such as savings commitments and transition support.

Realistic YoY savings projections are a core part of the buy-out business case. These should be grounded in a clear understanding of:

• Existing and future cost drivers (e.g., labour, technology, facilities)
• Efficiency levers available to the vendor (e.g., process automation, location strategy, standardisation)
• Transformation potential over the contract period

In parallel, a risk-adjusted assessment should be carried out to ensure no service disruptions and business continuity. A robust mitigation plan covering governance, communication, change management, dependencies and contingency should be defined before execution.

Selecting the right service provider is critical to success. A structured RFP and evaluation process should be deployed to assess vendors across:

• Functional expertise and sector relevance
• Geographic coverage and service scalability
• Operational maturity and digital capability
• Cultural alignment and change readiness
• Commercial proposal

Agentic AI combines understanding, planning, and action. It can read contracts, emails, and PDFs; infer intent; follow SOPs; and take actions across multiple systems with human-in-the-loop governance. Crucially, when APIs are unavailable or impractical, agents can operate like trained employees - navigating user interfaces, logging into portals, filling forms, and documenting actions - while using computer vision and LLMs to understand screens and content. Vendors exemplify this shift by enabling agents to execute entire workflows that span web portals, desktop applications, legacy ERPs, and case management systems without waiting for IT to expose new integrations.

Imagine the example of Source-to-Pay; An agent ingests invoices from email and portals, extracts fields, validates against PO and goods-received notes, queries discrepancies, negotiates minor corrections within policy, updates the ERP, and closes the case - with a complete audit trail of every action and communication. If a supplier portal lacks an API, the agent signs in, navigates screens, downloads documents, and updates records like an associate would.

Before jumping into action - beware automating broken processes. Clarify policies, standardise data, and simplify steps before scaling automation. Enforce a central intake and governance for AI initiatives to avoid security and compliance gaps. Treat agent logs and traces as first-class controls; they are your new audit trail.