Analytics Buyers Wishlist for 2014

When HfS Research released its Enterprise Analytics Services Blueprint in Q4 2013, we comparatively evaluated the analytics execution and innovation capabilities of key outsourcing providers including Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, EXL, Genpact, HP, IBM, iGate, Infosys, TCS, Wipro and WNS. As a part of the Blueprint research methodology, we spoke to many analytics buyers to understand on-the-ground performance measures and experiences. These interviews provided a mixed set of feedback on analytics delivery today. While service providers have gotten a lot of things right, there is significant room for improvement and growth in this service area. The HfS "BPO On The Brink of A New Generation" study we recently released revealed a similar outcome (see below); while most buyers trusted providers to deliver insights and talk about outcomes, only a quarter really considered them to be analytics experts that could impact overall business operations.   In this document, we delve deeper into the collective responses of the analytics buyers from our Blueprint study to understand these industry performance gaps and missed opportunities. These themes serve as guidance for buyers and service providers to drive more successful analytics initiatives in 2014.