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Global capability centers (GCCs) have grown from their back-office origins to strategic hubs that drive innovation, efficiency, and international scale. For companies aiming to cut costs and boost performance, these shared service offices offer more control and integration than traditional business process outsourcing (BPO) models.
As extensions of your enterprise, they offer specialized talent, long-term goal alignment, and consistent support for many functions.
This article explains the top outsourced services to GCCs and why they are critical to global operations today. Read below to learn more!
10 top outsourced services to GCCs
From IT support to finance operations, companies turn to GCCs to handle critical business functions more efficiently. These top 10 outsourced services reflect where organizations see the most value in leveraging GCC expertise.
1. Core IT and software development services
IT and software development are among the top outsourced services to GCCs, supporting everything from application development to infrastructure and 24/7 tech operations. In 2023, the IT services segment accounted for 39.60% of the outsourced GCC market.
GCCs are especially effective in this industry because they can access highly skilled tech talent in innovation hubs such as Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. Rather than merely executing tasks, these distributed engineering teams work closely with global product and IT leaders to align directly with your company’s technology roadmap.
As software environments and business needs rapidly evolve, GCCs help you stay ahead. They adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), microservices, container orchestration, and edge computing. You can build the infrastructure for long-term digital growth with these global in-house centers.
2. Financial services and accounting processes
A GCC can be your business’s financial center to maintain consistency, control, and accuracy across global markets. It can centralize several key finance functions, such as:
- Accounts receivable and payable
- Treasury operations
- Tax compliance
- Financial planning and analysis (FP&A)
Unlike what BPO typically handles, GCCs can manage more strategic financial work. Their standardized tools and robust processes offer better visibility into your global cash flow. They expedite month-end closures and provide reliable financial reporting.
Centers build financial models, conduct scenario planning, and support investor reporting. This allows your team to focus on high-level strategy.
3. Human resources and talent management support
HR is one of the top outsourced services to GCCs for good reason. Managing a global workforce is complex. However, these centers for excellence can simplify it and improve efficiency, compliance, and scalability:
- GCCs can centralize hiring, payroll, and employee support. In the process, HR becomes consistent across regions and better aligns with local labor laws.
- Your company can access unified data and generate insights that innovate hiring and boost retention.
- Many GCCs also manage global learning and development (L&D) programs. They offer leadership training and digital upskilling to enhance workforce readiness.
- Tech-driven teams utilize AI to screen applications quickly, anticipate attrition risks, and personalize employee experiences.
This transforms HR from a transactional function into a strategic, insight-driven operation that scales with your business.
4. Data analytics and business intelligence
Because of its growing role in critical decision-making, data analytics is now one of the top outsourced services to GCCs.
These centers bring together expert analytics teams that clean, process, and interpret data. They can turn raw inputs into actionable insights that improve business performance in sales, marketing, finance, and operations.
As organizations become more data-driven, GCCs embed data analytics into daily operations, especially in fraud detection, churn prediction, and demand forecasting.
In India, about 27% of GCC work involves data science. This underscores the critical role of the service in enhancing your competitive advantage.
5. Customer support and experience management
Your customers expect quick, helpful, consistent support. GCCs are purposely built to deliver this. They:
- Handle high volumes of inbound inquiries to manage escalations through their multilingual, omnichannel customer service.
- Measure customer satisfaction (CSAT), analyze sentiment trends, and proactively address pain points.
- Use AI-driven tools to predict customer churn, recommend upsells, and personalize engagement strategies.
GCCs are directly tied to customer experience (CX) KPIs in many industries. That means they’re resolving issues while driving revenue and loyalty.
6. Research and development (R&D) innovation
Research and development is emerging as one of the top outsourced services to GCCs, especially for businesses that depend on continuous innovation. Today’s nearshore or offshore centers are more than operational hubs. They serve as agile R&D spaces where companies:
- Explore new technologies
- Design prototypes
- File patents
- Enhance product features
These centers work closely with global product and engineering teams. For example, a GCC-based AI team might develop machine learning models for fraud detection. At the same time, a pharmaceutical company might conduct clinical documentation and early-stage drug research entirely within its GCC.
What makes this model so effective is speed and cost efficiency. GCC R&D teams often complete projects faster at a lower cost because of their agile and modular structure. This allows your business to experiment, iterate, and scale innovation with reduced financial risk.
7. Digital transformation and automation services
As digital transformation evolves, your GCC can be the launchpad for automating internal processes, digitizing customer interactions, and transforming legacy systems.
GCCs are home to specialized digital teams that handle everything from robotic process automation (RPA) to system migrations and API integrations. They also help unify your tech stack, reduce tool sprawl, and roll out enterprise platforms across borders.
These services can optimize workflows and processes for maximum return on investment (ROI).
8. Supply chain and logistics optimization
Supply chains are more volatile than ever due to political instability, inflation, and climate change. GCCs help restore predictability. They give you visibility and control over global vendor relationships, logistics, and inventory.
Advanced centers use analytics to map supplier risk, optimize order patterns, and forecast demand spikes. Many even support contract negotiations, customs documentation, and last-mile delivery strategies.
A GCC’s role in supply chain continuity is invaluable. You can run simulations, identify bottlenecks, and quickly pivot without losing operational efficiency.
9. Marketing, branding, and digital content creation
Marketing and creative operations have become top outsourced services to GCCs, allowing businesses to expand their brand presence while maintaining consistency. These centers now host dedicated marketing teams that develop digital content, manage campaigns, and ensure brand compliance.
GCCs work with digital marketing specialists, ad operations professionals, and content writers to localize campaigns while aligning with your global branding. They use tools such as HubSpot, Google Analytics, and Adobe Creative Suite to analyze performance, optimize content, and deliver cohesive, data-driven campaigns.
A GCC setup is especially valuable for product launches, seasonal promotions, and localization efforts. It helps you respond quickly in key markets while maintaining centralized quality and creative control.
10. Risk management and compliance support
Every business faces regulatory, operational, or reputational risks. GCCs help reduce exposure and foster accountability across your global operations. They support compliance with key industry regulations and standards such as:
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)
- ISO
They stay updated on regulatory changes, maintain audit-ready documentation, and train teams on ethics and conduct to keep your operations compliant.
For example, 81% of respondents in India identified transfer pricing as the top regulatory priority for GCCs, followed by special economic zone (SEZ) and software technology parks of India (STPI) regulations (67%) and labor laws (60%). These findings highlight how region-specific frameworks are shaping compliance functions within these centers.
More importantly, GCC compliance teams work with cybersecurity and legal to prevent risks. They help implement predictive monitoring systems and strengthen governance frameworks so your business can anticipate threats and adapt quickly.
The bottom line
GCCs are no longer just about lowering costs. They’re about adding value, building resilience, and scaling faster in a global economy. Whether you’re aiming to improve customer experience, accelerate product development, or modernize operations, your GCC is the strategic engine that makes it possible.
Want to explore how to unlock more value from your GCC? Let’s connect and discuss aligning your business goals with the right global capabilities.
