GCCs (Global Capability Centers) have come a long way. In the early 2000s, most were set up as extensions of headquarters—back-office engines focused on scale and efficiency.
Fast forward to today, and their role has radically evolved. They are no longer just cost centers. They are now value creators – driving innovation, improving customer experience, and contributing directly to business outcomes.
The Evolution of GCCs
Let’s break this down.
2005–2010: GCCs shifted from being isolated outposts to scaled-up delivery centers. The focus was on moving back-office work—tech and ops—to India and building volume.
2010-2020 – GCCs created Centers of Excellence (CoEs) – scaling up Tech and Operations, running large BI/Analytics, Data and Core Biz platforms from India. Operations and platform ownership began transitioning to India.
2020–Present: Especially post -COVID, there’s been a pivot. GCC’s have become strategic assets driving greater innovation, agility, and customer-centricity.
India, in particular, with its rich talent ecosystem and ability to adapt quickly, has emerged as a powerhouse and become an integral transformation engine.
2020–Present (especially post-COVID): We’re seeing a pivot. GCCs are now seen as strategic assets. GCCs are driving greater innovation, agility, and customer-centricity.
What Drives Value Creation in GCCs?
Everyone’s talking about value. But how do we actually enable it? There are the foundational shifts that help move from volume to value.
1. Strategic Alignment with Parent Org and Organization Business
There must be a clear understanding—between GCC leaders and executive sponsors—of business goals and how the GCC can help achieve them. Without this alignment, we’re just busy, not effective.
2. A Mindset Shift
Every role, every task in the GCC must be tied back to a business or customer outcome. Whether it’s a developer pushing a feature, an ops team handling withdrawal, or a data pod running ML models—the question should always be:
“What value does this add for our end customer?”
This mindset, when internalized across all levels, can fundamentally change how a GCC operates.
3. Understanding Strategic Bets and Taking Ownership
It’s critical for GCC leadership (down to N-2 or N-3 levels) to clearly understand the enterprise’s strategic priorities and identify 2-3 areas where the GCC can uniquely contribute – and go deep.
This could mean:
o Taking ownership of user experience and design
o Driving GenAI-led innovation
o Building core capabilities on foundational platforms.
Focus matters more than footprint. When a GCC takes ownership in high-impact areas, it moves from being a support function to a transformation partner.
Where Can GCCs Add the Most Value?
From our own journey, here are areas where GCCs can lead and differentiate:
• Customer Experience & Design
India has incredible depth in UI/UX talent, design studios, and product thinking. We’ve leveraged this to rethink how users interact with our platforms—making them faster, simpler, and more intuitive.
• Data & GenAI
You can’t do modern innovation without data. In the last 18 months, we’ve built integrated Data, Data Science and GenAI pods that are solving real business problems.
• Core Platform Transformation
Platforms like Omni are the backbone of our business. In India, we’ve built practices for the core platforms that not just maintain them but also help transform them. This has helped us to accelerate the Go to market, win new business (One America) and service our customers in more cost prudent way.
• Business linked Intelligent Automations
Through initiatives like self-serve tools and chatbots, RPA outcomes, we’ve reduced call center volume significantly – improving experience and optimizing costs.
Value in the Everyday
Let’s be honest — value doesn’t always come from shiny innovation. It also comes from doing the basics better, we call this “Grassroots Innovation – GRI.”
Every team can contribute to this by:
o Simplifying processes
o Automating the repetitive
o Delivering the same output faster, more prudently
o Reimagining the features, processes and methodologies.
Innovation isn’t a department. It’s a mindset.
But It’s Not Without Challenges
There are a few hurdles that every GCC faces:
o Lack of deep business understanding
o Leadership misalignment between HQ and GCC
o Difficulty sustaining value-focused efforts across teams
o Measuring value creation in clear, tangible ways
The good news? All of these can be addressed—with focus, consistency, and leadership commitment.
Our Journey at Voya India
If I were to chart our evolution, it would look like this:
• 2019–2021: Setting up the foundation—processes, AD teams, Ops – WPS formation
• 2022–2024: Scaling across functions— Data CoE, Application Maintenance & Infra Support infra, Investment Management – becoming fully owned GCC
• 2025 and beyond: Going deeper—building capability, solving end to end business problems, coming together of technology and operations to deliver real outcomes
Our mission remains the same: Help Americans retire better—through better health and wealth management.
A Seat at the Table
Today, we’re not just supporting the business. We’re shaping it. We have earned a seat at the table by delivering consistently, owning outcomes, and embedding value creation into how we operate. And we’re just getting started.
