When businesses talk about customer experience, the conversation almost always focuses on the end user. That’s understandable, but dangerously narrow. In modern service ecosystems, particularly those governed by service integration and management (SIAM), the customer experience depends just as much on those behind the scenes: employees delivering the service and suppliers supporting it. Yet, too often, these groups are treated as an afterthought. As organizations pursue efficiency, reduce costs, and delegate responsibilities to third parties, they risk overlooking the people who are crucial to delivering service quality.

During my 30-year career in the information and communication technology industry, I’ve seen this shift up close many times, and I’ve been part of various large-scale outsourcing initiatives, both as the initiator and as an affected employee. Many staff activities are outsourced to business process companies. And subsequently, not long after these transitions, the work is offshored again, with roles moving to locations such as India or the Philippines. Employees whose activities were outsourced face losing their jobs due to redundancy.

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