Firstsource recognised at HFS SaS Awards 2026

Firstsource Solutions Limited, a global intelligence partner has been recognised as the first runner up among the Best 'Services Eating Software' at the inaugural Services-as-Software (SaS) Awards by the independent research firm HFS. Selected from more than 250 submissions from service providers, technology companies and startups worldwide, Firstsource was recognised for Kairos, its operating system for AI-native business operations.

HFS evaluated submissions against criteria including AI-driven delivery, agentic adaptability, outcome orientation, scalable architecture and proven enterprise success. The recognition underscores Firstsource's leadership in transforming traditional services into software-defined, outcome-driven operations powered by Kairos.

Ritesh Idnani, managing director and CEO, Firstsource, said, "This award validates the shift from paying for effort to underwriting outcomes. What HFS is recognising is a working example of what Intelligence That Operates looks like in production. With Kairos, we are encoding 25 years of domain expertise into an operating system for productized services, so intelligence doesn't simply assist the work, but operates it, learns from outcomes and improves. This is the next frontier: fundamentally rethinking how operations are designed, delivered and scaled in an AI-native world."

The recognition comes as enterprises move beyond AI experimentation toward production-scale applications that can execute work, operate within defined guardrails and deliver measurable outcomes. For Firstsource, this reflects a broader shift in how services are designed and delivered: from labour-intensive operations toward AI-native systems that combine domain expertise, technology and human judgement across highly regulated industries.

"Firstsource stood out for showing how quickly the services model is changing. This is no longer about adding more people to solve more problems. It's about using technology, automation and AI to deliver better outcomes with less dependency on labour. That's what we created the HFS Services-as-Software Awards to recognise, and Firstsource is demonstrating what this next generation of services can look like," said Phil Fersht, CEO and chief analyst, HFS Research.

Built on 25 years of deep domain experience, particularly across complex and regulated environments, Kairos codifies operational knowledge into systems that can operate, learn from outcomes, and continuously improve. It enables AI agents to operate with domain context and defined guardrails, while human expertise remains focused on oversight, judgement, and exceptions.

The recognition builds on broader evidence of Firstsource's shift toward outcome-led growth. In its latest report, ‘The Headcount Era Is Fading as the Pivot to Services-as-Software Continues’, HFS Research found that Firstsource was among six providers tracked showing revenue growth outpacing headcount growth for four consecutive quarters.

The trajectory predates today's AI acceleration. Firstsource has been shifting its delivery model toward outcomes rather than seats for several years, with AI now accelerating that evolution.