Survey results highlight operating model and AI-enabled discipline, not staffing location, as key drivers of service quality.

DALLAS, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As organizations scale customer experience, technical delivery, and business operations, leaders are rethinking how work gets done without expanding internal headcount. The question is no longer whether work can be delivered externally, but whether quality, accountability, and continuity can be preserved as complexity increases.

New Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey data from The Functionary suggest that an embedded delivery model, reinforced by AI-enabled quality and process controls, can meet the same performance standards expected of in-house teams.

The survey, conducted across active client programs, produced an NPS score of +74, with over 80% of respondents rating satisfaction a 9 or 10 out of 10. Client feedback consistently emphasized partnership, responsiveness, and proactive engagement, indicating close alignment between delivery teams and client organizations.

“For most organizations, the hesitation around scaling delivery isn’t about capability,” said Sam Darwish, Founder and CEO of The Functionary. “It’s about maintaining ownership as operations grow. Embedded delivery allows teams to operate inside the business, with the same visibility, standards, and accountability as internal staff.”

Rethinking Traditional Outsourcing Models

Conventional outsourcing and staff augmentation models often struggle as scale increases. Teams may sit outside the organization, institutional knowledge can erode, and quality becomes harder to manage across distributed environments. These challenges are not inherent to outsourcing itself, but to how delivery is structured and governed.

Embedded delivery takes a different approach by integrating teams into client workflows, governance structures, and performance expectations from the outset.

At The Functionary, embedded teams are supported by AI-assisted quality assurance, knowledge validation, and workflow monitoring. These capabilities help standardize execution, surface issues earlier, and reinforce consistency without replacing human judgment. The result is a delivery model that combines human expertise with system-level discipline across customer experience, operational support, and technical delivery.

Survey respondents frequently described The Functionary as a trusted partner, citing proactive communication, responsiveness to feedback, and a shared sense of responsibility for outcomes.

What the Data Signals About Scalable Delivery

The NPS findings reinforce a broader shift in how organizations scale services. Performance is driven less by location or labor model and more by how people, processes, and AI work together.

Client feedback highlighted several recurring drivers of satisfaction:

Clear ownership of outcomes, supported by shared accountability
Operational discipline, reinforced by AI-assisted quality controls
Continuity and tenure, preserving business and customer context

“When delivery scales without structure, quality drifts,” said David Hostetler, Vice President of Operations, Global Services at The Functionary. “AI helps us enforce consistency and surface gaps, but it’s the embedded model that ensures teams act on that insight.”

Scaling Without Service Tradeoffs

As organizations prepare for increased automation, higher service expectations, and continued cost pressure, delivery models must evolve. Embedded, AI-supported delivery provides a framework for scaling customer experience, staff augmentation, and business operations without sacrificing quality or control.

The NPS results offer early validation that this model can support growth while preserving service standards. These findings will inform an upcoming announcement from The Functionary focused on how AI-enabled embedded delivery is shaping the next generation of scalable operations.

About the Functionary

The Functionary is a global outsourcing and technology solutions provider supporting customer service operations, software engineering, and artificial intelligence (AI) automation for clients worldwide. The company delivers customized services across more than 19 countries through nine delivery hubs, employs more than 1,600 people globally, and maintains 97% SLA delivery and 98% client retention. Recognized on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the third consecutive year and named a 2025 Bronze Stevie Award winner for Fastest Growing Company, The Functionary partners with organizations including Amazon, McGraw Hill, Gallo, SimplePractice, Sony, Connection, CSC, Insight, Denali Advanced Integration, and Scale Computing.

Media Contact
Heather Peyton, CMO, The Functionary
[email protected]