What’s Behind HGS’s 90-Day AI ROI Push? CEO Explains

For Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), the promise of artificial intelligence is no longer about long-term transformation; it is about creating measurable impact within a quarter.

“We call it 90-day ROIX, which is a play on the idea of intelligent experiences, return on intelligent experiences,” HGS Global CEO Venkatesh Korla tells AIM in an exclusive interview.

At the heart of this approach is a structured deployment model that looks to deliver tangible gains in a compressed timeline. HGS begins by embedding a forward deployment engineering team within the client organisation to identify processes ripe for transformation.

“We deploy a forward deployment engineering team, which comes in and works with the company to identify the processes that they want to transform,” Korla says.

The company then prioritises high-impact use cases.

“We would then identify the top five or 10 items… pick the top one or two that have the most value with the fastest return on investment,” he explains.

Execution follows quickly. Within 30 days, HGS deploys agentic AI using its proprietary tooling named Agent X.

The next phase focuses on adoption and optimisation, training teams, and fine-tuning models over another month. “Beyond that, we then deploy it, educate the team members how to use it and then fine-tune the models over the next 30 days,” he notes.

By the end of 90 days, the company expects measurable outcomes. “The customer should be able to see the first 10-15% improvement in either efficiency or reduction in costs or… driving additional revenue,” Korla says, adding that the model is already working.

From BPO to ‘Intelligent Experience’ 

Korla’s elevation to Global CEO in June last year signalled a deliberate shift in HGS’ identity, from a traditional BPO to an AI-led services firm. He succeeded Partha DeSarkar, who had been at the helm of the company since 2006.

“We were a BPO. We were building the digital technology services capability… they put me to transform HGS into a data and AI provider,” he says.

The strategy hinges on combining process expertise with technology. “We are taking our core skill… process management skill and combining it with our technology capabilities… bringing it together [as] a process automation and an intelligent experience company.”

Korla believes the real opportunity lies not in building AI itself, but applying it.

AI Disruption

Korla acknowledges that disruption is inevitable—and already underway. “The fact is history has shown that AI or any disruptive technology will create new jobs… the only challenge… is the speed at which the change is happening,” he says.

He warns that reskilling may not keep pace. “The speed at which the change is happening does not give enough time for people to reskill and get redeployed.”

While AI will simplify development and customer interactions, adoption will lag. 

This gap, he argues, creates a role for companies like HGS.

“That adoption requires stewards… who understand technology [and] business processes to help businesses transform.”

Hiring Shifts

The changing nature of work is already altering hiring patterns, with AI replacing entry-level roles. 

This creates a structural challenge for workforce pipelines.

“If you don't get juniors who are trained, how will you have seniors… the world is going to have a problem,” Korla notes.

HGS is responding by prioritising AI-native talent.

“We are looking for hiring freshers who are risk takers… who behave like AI natives… and mid-level people who understand the industries,” he adds.

The emphasis is on mindset. “You need to assume you have an AI team member with you… very few people do that today.”

Pricing Shift: From Time to Outcomes

The move toward measurable ROI is closely tied to a broader industry shift in pricing models.

“The industry is talking about outcome-based pricing… but the procurement teams and contracting are not there yet,” Korla explains.

He argues that traditional billing models no longer reflect value creation.

“In the past, the unit of measure was time… today, if I can do 10 times as much work in the same amount of time… how will I get remunerated?”

Outcome-based pricing, he said, aligns incentives. “It is based on the value I create for you… both the customer's objectives and our objectives are aligned,” he adds.

However, defining outcomes remains a challenge. Until then, hybrid models persist.

“There will be cases… then we would do standard time and material or fixed fee type pricing,” Korla posits.

AI as Infrastructure, Not a Revenue Line

Korla also pushes back against the idea of isolating AI revenues. “I personally believe people calling out AI revenues… is a misnomer… AI is like electricity… it is going to be embedded into everything that you do.”

Instead, impact shows up in efficiency and margins. “We have been able to improve gross margins by around 30%… that was using AI,” he reveals.

But the transition comes with trade-offs. “It is causing some revenue cannibalisation… because we are still on the older contracts… from an efficiency terms we're seeing [improvement],” Korla admits.

The company earned ₹1,076 crore in revenue from operations in Q3 FY26, up 1.1% year-on-year. Its total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation stood at ₹133 crore.

Its shares closed at ₹412 on the NSE on April 27, down 10% year-to-date.

HGS’ 90-day ROI pitch is ultimately a response to a deeper shift in enterprise expectations—from effort to outcomes, and from long cycles to immediate impact.

As Korla sums it up, the challenge is not whether disruption will happen—but how companies respond to it.