The Digital Executive – Episode 1188

Guest: Christina Snyder
Host: Brian Thomas (Coruzant Technologies)
Date: January 26, 2026
Title: Outsourcing as a Growth Strategy

Overview

In this episode, Brian Thomas welcomes Christina Snyder, a veteran leader in global growth and outsourcing strategy, to discuss “Outsourcing as a Growth Strategy.” Christina shares her insights on the evolution of outsourcing, its impact on access to global talent, essential metrics for success, and the emerging intersection of outsourcing and AI. The discussion is practical, data-driven, and future-oriented.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Evolution of Outsourcing Mindset (01:28–02:49)

• Strategic Shift: Outsourcing has moved from a cost-focused, transactional approach to a central strategic initiative for workforce transformation.
• Mainstream Adoption: Now, even mid-sized firms (not just enterprises) leverage outsourcing, with 60% of recent survey respondents outsourcing three or more functions globally.
• Diverse Models: Whereas two decades ago only traditional BPO models existed, today there are more flexible options like dedicated staffing, part-time work, and EOR (Employer of Record), giving companies more choices.

“It used to be as a leader thinking about cost containment… now it’s shifted into a strategic initiative, global workforce transformation.”
— Christina Snyder (01:39)

2. Global Talent Access & The Impact of Remote Work (03:25–05:07)

• Orchestration Over Location: Companies can now “focus on orchestration, not necessarily location,” unlocking offshore and nearshore teams as part of their go-to-market strategy.
• Role-Based Skills On Demand: Businesses gain flexibility and scalability by accessing finance, business intelligence, and AI-enabled experts globally.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Distributed teams enable 24/7 response (“follow the sun” model), improving customer satisfaction independent of team location.
• Data Point: 78% of surveyed enterprises report increased scale and flexibility due to remote capabilities.

“Now companies can focus on orchestration, not necessarily location... you can have a distributed team that follows the sun for faster response times, 24/7 engagement.”
— Christina Snyder (03:32–04:10)

3. Metrics That Matter in Outsourcing Strategy (05:45–07:15)

• Defining Success: Leaders should start by defining what success looks like—whether it’s revenue enablement, customer satisfaction, retention, or speed to market.
• Align Metrics Across Teams: KPIs for onshore and offshore teams should be unified; performance measurement must be equally rigorous for all.
• Matching Metrics to Sector Needs: Metrics should reflect business priorities, like “RCM and speed to cash” in healthcare or “invoice to cash” in finance.
• Critical Link: Connecting talent strategy to core KPIs drives successful outcomes.

“I always say that your KPIs tied to your goals should be the same for your onshore talent and your offshore.”
— Christina Snyder (06:33)

4. Future of Outsourcing: AI, Automation, and Digital Transformation (07:54–10:12)

• Outsourcing as Enabler for AI: AI is both disrupting and expanding the strategic relevance of outsourcing.
• Testbed for Innovation: Outsourcing provides a sandbox for companies to try AI initiatives, leveraging global, highly skilled talent (e.g., data annotation, Snowflake developers).
• Survey Insights: 44% of survey respondents see outsourcing as a way to enhance AI adoption and seek partners with AI tools and talent.
• AI-Ready Talent: Service providers now bring “AI-ready” talent to clients’ doorsteps, enabling rapid scaling and innovation.
• Business Resilience: Embracing outsourcing + AI positions organizations for future agility and workforce resilience.

“AI is a disruptor as well as an enabler. And outsourcing is a key enabler for AI... Rather than diminishing outsourcing’s role, AI is basically expanding its strategic relevance...”
— Christina Snyder (08:08–08:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Changing Mindset:
  “Outsourcing has become rather mainstream, especially in the US… now 60% of our respondents outsource more than three of their functions globally.” (01:54)
• On Customer Experience:
  “The customer at the end of the day doesn’t care where the team sits… as long as the innovation and the customer satisfaction and the brand DNA is accepted and upheld.” (04:28)
• On Unified Evaluation:
  “It’s vitally important that you connect your talent strategy to those KPIs to have success.” (07:11)
• On AI’s Impact:
  “When companies take a step back and think about how do we leverage global talent… and engage that with our adoption of AI, they’re actually setting themselves up to be resilient for the future.” (09:44)

Important Segments (Timestamps)

• 01:28–02:49 — Dramatic shift in outsourcing from transactional to strategic
• 03:25–05:07 — Remote work and global talent access redefining scalability and CX
• 05:45–07:15 — Metrics and KPIs to ensure effective outsourcing outcomes
• 07:54–10:12 — Outsourcing as an enabler for AI and digital transformation

Tone & Style

The conversation is direct, practical, and future-facing, with a focus on tangible business impact, reinforced by recent data and market observations. Christina’s decades of leadership experience lend authority and confidence to her recommendations.

This concise, insight-packed episode is highly relevant for executives, strategists, and those preparing their organizations for the future of global work.