How to Choose the Best Technology and Business Services Providers Based on CX Scores

Choosing the right technology and business services providers can be a daunting task, especially in a fast-changing and competitive market. You want to work with providers that can deliver high-quality services, meet your expectations, and help you achieve your goals. But how do you know which providers are the best for your needs?

One way to evaluate providers is to look at their customer experience (CX) scores, which measure how satisfied their clients are with their services. CX scores can reveal a lot about a provider’s performance, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as how they compare to their competitors.

In this blog post, we will share some insights from the 2023 Annual ISG Star of Excellence™ CX Insights Report, which summarizes how enterprises rate their ITO, BPO and as-a-service outsourcing providers across six dimensions: Execution and Delivery, Governance and Compliance, Collaboration and Transparency, Innovation and Thought Leadership, People and Cultural Fit, and Business Continuity and Flexibility.

We will also give you some tips on how to use CX scores to choose the best providers for your specific needs and goals.

What are CX Scores and Why Do They Matter?

CX scores are the weighted average of client satisfaction scores and importance scores across six dimensions of service delivery. They are based on ISG’s continuous Voice of the Customer survey research, which asks customers to rate the importance of each dimension and then rate their service provider/vendor on each, on a scale of 1-100.

CX scores matter because they reflect how well providers meet or exceed their clients’ expectations, how they handle challenges and changes, and how they add value to their clients’ businesses. CX scores can also indicate how likely clients are to renew their contracts, recommend their providers to others, or switch to another provider.

According to the 2023 Annual ISG Star of Excellence™ CX Insights Report, enterprise CX scores increased from 2022 in all six dimensions, with the largest gains in ratings for Governance and Compliance and Execution and Delivery. This shows that providers have improved their performance to meet rising expectations in the areas that enterprises consider most important.

Which Providers Have the Highest CX Scores?

The report tracks CX scores for 17 technology areas, such as Application Development and Maintenance (ADM), Contact Center — Customer Experience, Payroll/Benefits Administration, and Supply Chain Services. It also ranks the top technology vendors for CX and subcategories of what enterprises want from providers.

The report shows that the highest CX score among technology areas was for ADM, which received a score of 81.5, moving up three places from the prior year. ADM is becoming essential to achieving enterprise cost optimization and business objectives, especially given the rise of cloud-native and AI-based applications, the report says.

The second-highest CX score was for Contact Center — Customer Experience, which received a score of 80.0, with enterprises increasingly focused on improving CX. The lowest CX scores were for Payroll/Benefits Administration (71.6) and Supply Chain Services (74.5), as firms grappled with changes in hiring trends and supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The report also reveals that midsized providers (those with annual revenues of $1 billion–$3 billion) received the highest average CX scores of any revenue segment, followed by large providers (those with annual revenues of more than $10 billion) and small providers (those with annual revenues of less than $1 billion).

The top technology vendors for CX in 2023 were Accenture, IBM, Cognizant, TCS, and Infosys, according to the report. The report also identifies the top providers for each of the six dimensions, as well as for each industry, region, and technology domain.

How to Use CX Scores to Choose the Best Providers for Your Needs

CX scores can help you narrow down your list of potential providers and compare them based on their performance, strengths, and weaknesses. However, CX scores are not the only factor you should consider when choosing a provider. You should also take into account your specific needs, goals, budget, and preferences, as well as the provider’s reputation, expertise, portfolio, and references.

Here are some tips on how to use CX scores to choose the best providers for your needs:

• Identify your priorities and expectations. What are the most important dimensions of service delivery for you? What are your desired outcomes and benefits? What are your pain points and challenges? How do you measure success and satisfaction?
• Research the providers and their CX scores. You can use the 2023 Annual ISG Star of Excellence™ CX Insights Report as a starting point, but you should also do your own research and look for other sources of information, such as online reviews, testimonials, case studies, and awards. You can also contact the providers directly and ask for references, demos, and proposals.
• Compare the providers and their CX scores. You can use a spreadsheet or a tool like ISG Provider Lens™ to compare the providers and their CX scores across the six dimensions, as well as across industries, regions, and technology domains. You can also compare the providers’ subcategory scores, which show what enterprises want from providers in each dimension. For example, in the Innovation and Thought Leadership dimension, the subcategories are: Proactive Innovation, Co-Innovation, Thought Leadership, and Future Roadmap.
• Choose the best provider for your needs. Based on your comparison, you can select the provider that best matches your priorities and expectations, and that has the highest CX scores in the dimensions that matter most to you. You can also consider other factors, such as the provider’s price, quality, flexibility, and compatibility with your culture and values.

Conclusion

Choosing the right technology and business services providers can be a challenging task, but CX scores can help you make an informed and confident decision. CX scores measure how satisfied clients are with their providers’ services, and how well providers meet or exceed their clients’ expectations.

By using the 2023 Annual ISG Star of Excellence™ CX Insights Report, you can get insights into how enterprises rate their ITO, BPO and as-a-service outsourcing providers across six dimensions of service delivery, as well as across industries, regions, and technology domains. You can also learn which providers have the highest CX scores and what enterprises want from providers in each dimension.

By following the tips in this blog post, you can use CX scores to choose the best providers for your specific needs and goals, and to work with providers that can deliver high-quality services, meet your expectations, and help you achieve your goals.