With AI and automation, we have achieved 30-50% cost savings for our clients: Natarajan Radhakrishnan, Hinduja Global Solutions

Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) is at the forefront of AI and automation-driven transformation in the IT-BPM sector. In an exclusive interaction with Express Computer, Natarajan Radhakrishnan, President and CIO, HGS, shares insights on how the company is leveraging AI, automation, and cloud technologies to enhance operational efficiency, customer experience, and cost optimisation. He discusses the role of AI-driven personalisation, predictive analytics, and generative AI in reshaping BPM services, as well as the company’s strategic investments in innovation and workforce upskilling.

How is Hinduja Global leveraging AI and automation to enhance BPM efficiency, and what transformative outcomes have you observed in terms of cost reduction and operational agility?

AI and automation have enhanced efficiency, agility, and customer experience in contact centres as well as back office processes. At HGS, we have looked at every process and project to incorporate these technologies to improve agent productivity and deliver innovative outcomes.

HGS Agent X is a first-of-its-kind holistic contact centre solution that integrates AI for intelligent experience management. Agent X significantly enhances agent performance by automating repetitive tasks, providing real-time assistance, and reducing average handling time (AHT). With its deployment, we have achieved 30-50% cost savings for our clients. Additionally, its speech analytics-powered session summary notes streamline after-call work (ACW), further improving efficiency.

Beyond Agent X, our Cognitive Contact Centre leverages AI-driven chatbots and conversational bots to handle first-level inquiries. These bots intelligently manage call volumes without the need to scale human resources up or down. When a query exceeds the bot’s capabilities, it seamlessly transfers the call to an agent. Crucially, the bot learns from agent interactions, continuously enhancing its ability to resolve similar queries autonomously over time.

In the back office space, we have combined platforms, AI, domain knowledge to deliver service as a software.

AI-driven personalisation and predictive analytics are reshaping customer interactions. Could you share how Hinduja Global is using AI to improve customer experience and drive better client outcomes in the IT-BPM sector?

AI-driven personalisation and predictive analytics are transforming customer interactions, making them more seamless, intuitive, and proactive. We leverage AI to deliver hyper-personalised experiences while enabling smarter, data-driven decision-making that enhances customer satisfaction and business outcomes.

One of the biggest frustrations for customers is repeating their concerns across multiple channels. HGS Agent X eliminates this pain point with its Customer 360° view, providing agents with real-time access to customer history, preferences, and prior interactions. This ensures that every interaction is contextual and personalised, allowing agents to resolve queries efficiently without asking customers to repeat information. Additionally, our AI-powered solutions support real-time language switching and accent recognition, ensuring seamless communication and inclusivity across diverse markets. By analysing historical interactions and real-time data, Agent X helps agents proactively resolve issues before they escalate. Advanced analytics provide actionable insights, allowing businesses to identify trends, optimise processes, and enhance overall operational efficiency. Real-time dashboards equip stakeholders with valuable insights. 

Beyond personalisation, we have deployed predictive/cognitive analytics in a variety of use cases spanning retail (shelf management, warehouse safety, etc.), BFSI (anti money laundering, fraud analytics), telecom (first call resolution) etc. data, enabling them to make informed decisions that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty.

With cloud becoming a cornerstone for modern business processes, how is Hinduja Global embracing cloud technologies to scale its IT infrastructure and ensure seamless, secure, and flexible service delivery?

HGS is leveraging a robust, cloud-first strategy to transform its internal IT infrastructure as well as client facing contact centre work. We have also deployed cloud finOps to optimise the spend by as much as 50-60%. Our approach centres on a hybrid cloud model—integrating both public and private cloud environments—to deliver:

• Scalability & flexibility: Rapid provisioning and dynamic resource allocation enable us to swiftly scale services up or down based on demand, ensuring continuous, uninterrupted delivery.
  
• Enhanced security & resilience: With state-of-the-art security protocols, end-to-end encryption, and disaster recovery measures, our cloud platforms safeguard critical data and maintain high availability.
  
• Accelerated innovation: Cloud-native architectures support agile deployments and seamless integration of AI and automation tools. This not only improves operational efficiency but also reduces the time-to-market for new offerings.
  
• Cost efficiency: By optimising resource utilisation and reducing infrastructure overheads, our cloud strategy drives significant cost savings while enabling us to reallocate resources to strategic innovation.
  

This strategic cloud adoption underpins our commitment to delivering secure, flexible, and future-ready IT-BPM services.

Generative AI is making waves across industries. What potential do you see for generative AI in transforming IT-BPM offerings, and how is Hinduja Global integrating it to stay ahead in the market?

Generative AI presents significant opportunities in solving complex problems both creative and analytical ones. Use of GenAI for automating rule-based tasks allows businesses to reallocate human talent to more strategic and value-driven activities.

At HGS, we are actively exploring 10-12 pilot projects in conversational AI, loan processing, document processing, and image recognition bots. These initiatives aim to enhance automation, reduce processing time, and improve accuracy for our clients across industries.

We have integrated GenAI in our Agent X platform, specifically in its Smart Agent Knowledge Base. While regular agent training is essential for equipping teams with the necessary skills, Agent X takes knowledge management to the next level. It ensures real-time distribution of business-critical information, enabling quick training and onboarding. Agents can manually search for articles, browse topics, or submit content, but the AI-powered Knowledge Base acts as an intelligent co-pilot—automatically suggesting relevant information during calls.

By embedding GenAI into our processes and platforms, HGS is driving operational efficiency, accelerating decision-making, and enhancing customer experiences, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and intelligent automation.

What major trends do you see shaping the future of IT-BPM in the next few years, and how is Hinduja Global positioning itself to remain competitive and innovative in a rapidly evolving landscape?

The IT-BPM industry is rapidly evolving with AI, automation, and workforce transformation driving change. Here are some key trends shaping the IT – BPM industry.

1. AI as an enabler, not a replacement: AI enhances customer service by automating routine tasks, allowing agents to focus on complex, high-value interactions. By 2026, 80% of customer service organisations are expected to leverage generative AI for improved CX.
   
2. The evolution of customer service with AI: AI will handle simple queries, freeing agents for meaningful conversations. Contact centres will adopt tiered service models, where AI manages basic tasks, and human agents focus on high-value interactions. AI-powered 24/7 service will improve scalability and efficiency.
   
3. AI’s role in workforce transformation: AI will redefine employee roles, requiring adaptability and AI-driven decision-making skills. AI-powered knowledge assistants can reduce training time by 70-75%, improving onboarding and knowledge retention.
   
4. Preparing for an AI-driven workplace: AI should be seen as a collaborative tool, not a replacement. Organisations must invest in continuous learning, structured AI adoption, and responsible AI governance to ensure smooth transitions.
   

Beyond identifying key trends, HGS is proactively positioning itself for long-term leadership and competitiveness by:

• Investing in continuous learning & upskilling: We are committed to building a future-ready workforce. Through targeted training programs in AI, automation, and cloud technologies, our employees are empowered to adapt to evolving industry demands.
  
• Forging strategic partnerships: Collaborations with leading technology providers as well as start-ups ensure early access to cutting-edge innovations. These partnerships enable us to integrate advanced solutions and drive faster digital transformation.
  
• Enhancing data-driven decision-making: Leveraging predictive analytics and real-time insights, we can anticipate market shifts and tailor our service offerings to meet emerging client needs effectively.
  
• Fostering an agile operational framework: Our agile business model allows us to quickly iterate and refine processes, ensuring that we can respond to both opportunities and challenges with speed and precision.
  
• Emphasising responsible AI adoption: With robust governance frameworks in place, we ensure that our AI and automation initiatives are deployed ethically and transparently, thereby building greater trust with clients and stakeholders.

These strategic initiatives enable HGS to not only capitalise on current trends but also to continuously innovate, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the IT-BPM industry.