Melissa O’Brien

Executive Research Leader

Melissa O'Brien is an executive research leader and head of the research innovation team for HFS Research. She leads all of HFS’ research initiatives for customer experience, including contact center, digital marketing and sales, CX design, and conversational AI. Her industry research focuses on key services dynamics within travel and hospitality firms. As research innovation team lead, Melissa also oversees the continuous improvement and re-imagination of HFS’ Horizons market assessments and data management hub.

Melissa brings hands-on industry and analyst experience to HFS. She previously led IDC’s Worldwide Customer Experience Management Services program, which included analyzing evolving contact center business process delivery and consumer communication trends. Prior to IDC, she held various roles in the BPO industry, including new client implementation, program design, and training development in Manila and Cebu, the Philippines. Melissa has led plenary sessions at HFS Summits, NASSCOM, IDC Directions, NRF, Phocuswright and various other service provider and industry events.

Melissa graduated with honors from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor's degree in English and communication and is a Phi Beta Kappa honor society member. She is a Boston area native who enjoys traveling, kickboxing, and spending time outdoors with her adorably mischievous hound dogs.

Melissa OBrien | HFS Research

Content By Melissa O’Brien

Data Viewpoint

TTHL enterprises resets its investment focus from innovation to value creation

TTHL are shifting their focus toward operational efficiency and customer value, with innovation taking a slightly lower priority.

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Data Viewpoint

THL leaders are playing it smart by betting on pragmatism over hype

THL leaders must continue focusing on pragmatic modernization while addressing the need to balance core with edge.

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Point of View

Coforge drives impactful transformations with focused execution intensity

Coforge stands out by scaling enterprise AI through execution, not hype—focusing on real impact over flashy GenAI promises.

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Data Viewpoint

T&H leaders prioritize resilience and stability in partner selection

T&H enterprise leaders are widening the lens from short-term ROI to resilience, talent access, and transformation support.​

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Highlight Report

We need to talk about accent bias—the hidden productivity killer

Biases related to accents in spoken English are a productivity barrier restricting your talent pool - AI can break it down.

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Highlight Report

Hyderabad as a tech hub is scaling the AI ecosystem—enterprises should take notice

Hyderabad is rising fast with low risk, AI talent, robust infra, and cost advantage—rewriting India’s IT growth story.

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Point of View

The Next Frontier: Evolving business services into a growth engine

GBS moves from efficiency driver to trusted growth enabler.

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Data Viewpoint

THL leaders demand strategic depth and holistic value from technology and consulting partners

Customer experience has become a critical battleground and also a competitive advantage for THL leaders.

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