Future Forward: Mid-Year Reflection on AI, Growth, and TP’s Frost Radar™ Recognition

At the end of last year, I wrote that APAC was approaching a turning point. Midway through 2026, it’s clear we're now living through that watershed moment. 

Across the region, the question we hear most from clients is no longer whether AI works. It's how to run it at scale, align commercial models with the outcome it delivers, and support it with the right mix of technology and people. That question is now shaping where we invest and where we show up physically in the region.

This momentum reflects what we envisioned when we introduced Future Forward, TP's roadmap for the next era of customer experience — one that’s shaped by AI orchestration, trusted data, operational excellence, and global expertise. 

From possibility to production 

The competitive frontier is shifting from experimenting with AI to deploying, governing and continuously improving agentic systems at enterprise scale. For us, that starts with data. It also means investing directly in the workflows where AI is applied, not just in the tools that support them. This year, we are increasing investment in agentic workflow capabilities so the systems we build for clients can continue to improve after going live, not just at launch. 

In May, we expanded TP.ai Dataservices across APAC, strengthening the capabilities organizations need to build, train, and deploy AI at scale. The expansion reflects a lesson that has become increasingly clear as enterprises move from experimentation to production: AI is only as powerful as the data behind it. 

We're already seeing what that can look like in practice. Our TP.ai Dataservices team recently built customized, annotated warehouse video data for a client's real-time worker safety risk detection model, delivering the project in just three weeks. It's one example of how the right combination of technology, data, and human expertise can turn an AI ambition into a working solution. 

But data is only one part of the equation. Organizations also need to orchestrate AI consistently across workflows while managing governance and risk. 

That's the role of TP.ai. rather than treating AI as a collection of standalone tools, TP.ai brings together AI orchestration, automation, analytics, responsible governance, and industry expertise. Frost & Sullivan specifically highlighted its Responsible AI Control Center as addressing governance barriers that have constrained enterprise adoption. 

We're taking those capabilities into increasingly complex processes too. From agentic quality assurance to agentic collections, the goal isn't simply to automate individual tasks. It's to rethink end-to-end workflows around what AI and people can accomplish together. 

Creating value in new ways 

I’ve also been noticing a change in the way organizations regard value. Increasingly, the question isn't simply what resources are required to deliver a service, but what value that service creates.  

That shift is also changing how services can be structured commercially. In Revenue-as-a-Service (RaaS), TP brings together sales expertise, technology, data and operations to help clients acquire, grow and retain customers. Rather than focusing only on the resources required to deliver the work, some RaaS engagements can align commercial models more closely with measurable business outcomes, including revenue growth and customer retention. 

This reflects a broader move toward partnerships built around shared outcomes rather than activity alone. Today, around 7% of TP’s revenue already comes from RaaS. It is one of our fastest-growing areas and one we are continuing to invest in as clients look for partners that can contribute more directly to growth. 

We're also finding growth in new directions geographically, as recognized by Frost & Sullivan. Our ChuHai strategy supports Chinese companies as they expand internationally, combining TP's global footprint with the local market knowledge these businesses need as they enter new regions. We're extending that geographic push closer to home too. This year we are opening new branches in Malaysia (Johor Bahru)  and Vietnam, two markets moving at very different speeds on AI adoption and workforce cost, and both central to how our clients are restructuring their regional operations and looking for nearshore options. 

Recognition by Frost & Sullivan 

It's against this backdrop that our recent recognition from Frost & Sullivan is particularly meaningful. 

TP was recently named a Visionary Leader in the 2026 Frost Radar™ for Customer Experience Management Services in APAC, with the highest combined Innovation and Growth scores among the 21 benchmarked companies. Frost & Sullivan also recognized TP as 2026 Asia-Pacific Company of the Year, its highest regional honor based on an independent evaluation of best practices. 

TP's capability architecture reflects an accelerated transition from a traditional, scale-driven CX management provider to an AI-led digital services partner combining consulting, automation, AI, and data services. — Frost & Sullivan 

What stands out to me isn't simply where we placed on the Radar, but what those two indices represent. Innovation and growth have traditionally been treated as separate measures of business performance. Today, they are increasingly interconnected. The ability to put AI into production, build the data foundations behind it, and rethink how value is delivered is opening entirely new avenues for growth. 

That's the connection we've been working to build through Future Forward. 

Looking to the second half 

The first half of 2026 proved that innovation and growth can no longer be pursued independently. Better data enables more capable AI. More capable AI creates opportunities to redesign operations. New operating models make new commercial models possible. And those models create new avenues for growth. 

Three commitments follow from that logic for the second half of 2026. We are opening new branches across APAC, including Johor Bahru and Vietnam, to put delivery closer to where our clients are growing. We are increasing investment in agentic AI workflows so the systems we deploy keep getting better after launch. And we are moving further into outcome-based pricing, so more of our commercial relationships are built around the results we deliver, not the hours we staff. 

That's the promise of Future Forward — and the opportunity we're focused on realizing with our clients in the second half of 2026 and beyond.