Australian businesses lean into global strategic partnerships (GCCs) for next wave of outsourcing

The Australian corporate landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation in how it sources talent and innovation. While businesses have traditionally looked offshore for recruitment and customer support, a new wave of strategic global operating models or so-called global capability centres (GCC) is rapidly expanding its footprint into core business functions. 

This evolution, driven by the rise of GCCs, is transforming back-office support hubs into organisation-wide strategic high-value engines of innovation, decision-making, and growth by offering an array of services including Finance & Accounting (F&A), Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO), Workforce Management (WFM), Training as a Service (TaaS), Analytics as a Service (AaaS) and IT/software as a service. 

The global capability centres (GCC) or global business services (GBS), as it is widely labelled, have transitioned from a "provider" mindset to a "partner" mindset. These hubs are now central to any enterprise strategy. Acknowledging this transition, the Australian organisations are open to outsourcing key functions to avail the specialized, customized value-added services to meet their organisational and financial goals

“Australian businesses have been comfortable outsourcing recruitment and customer service for years, but what we’re seeing now is the next evolution - the offshoring of core business functions like HR, payroll, finance, workforce training, and technology,” Valente said.

“This isn’t about simple cost-cutting anymore. It’s about scaling specialized capability.”

For Australian businesses facing ongoing skills shortages and rising operational costs, the GCC/GBS model offers a compelling alternative to traditional hiring. Rather than struggling to find and retain talent locally, organisations can build global capability that operates as an extension of their business. “It’s a smarter, more agile way to access specialised skills - particularly in areas like data, AI, finance and HR,” Valente said.

A recent study highlighted that nearly 20% of Global Capability Centers now hold significant strategic authority, compared to just 5% a decade ago. This shift signifies that global leadership roles are increasingly being established within these offshore hubs to drive enterprise-wide transformation. Valente said the model is gaining traction in Australia as businesses look to remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.

GCC and GBS models allow Australian companies to tap into highly skilled talent at scale while also accelerating innovation and digital transformation

“We’re seeing traditionally outside teams move closer to the customer and the business,” Valente said. “They are now working more directly with stakeholders, solving complex problems, and contributing to enterprise strategy rather than just executing tasks.”

The rise of generative AI is further accelerating this shift. “Global teams are no longer just supporting AI initiatives by embedding AI into customer service, internal workflows and enterprise platforms. They are building and running them, fundamentally changing their role within the organisation. 

This human-plus-AI approach ensures that while technology drives efficiency, human empathy remains central to delivering results that are simpler, faster, and safer. “AI is a major catalyst here,” Valente said.

However, Valente adds that success depends on a mindset shift – moving away from viewing outsourcing as a transactional function and toward seeing global teams as integrated, strategic partners. The companies that will succeed are those that stop thinking about “sending work offshore” and instead focus on “building global capacity” by embedding these teams into the DNA of the organisation. 

 Australian businesses that embrace this shift early will be better positioned to compete on a global stage.

As the model continues to evolve, Valente concludes that the question for Australian organizations is no longer whether to adopt these models, but how quickly they can scale them to stay competitive in a digital-first world.

Teleperformance in Australia is part of the TP Group, a global leader in digital business services which consistently seeks to blend the best of advanced technology with human empathy to deliver enhanced customer care that is simpler, faster, and safer for the world’s biggest brands and their customers. The Group’s comprehensive, AI-powered service portfolio ranges from front office customer care to back-office functions, including operations consulting and high-value digital transformation services. It also offers a range of specialized services such as collections, interpreting and localization, visa and consular services, and recruitment process outsourcing services. The teams of multilingual, inspired, and passionate experts and advisors, spread in close to 100 countries, as well as the Group’s local presence allows it to be a force of good in supporting communities, clients, and the environment. 

For more information: www.tp.com.