Operations
Agent scale, onboarding, scheduling, and support.
2026 Industry Report · CX & Back-Office Networks
CX networks have bought the back office. Agents still feel the friction.
CX and back-office networks are the most-invested vertical in the survey. The remaining pain now shows up in agent pay experience, payment methods, fees, and confidence under scale.
Wingspan Survey of 500+ leaders
CX & Back-Office Networks
52%
have invested in a system built for 1099 management.
The highest investment rate of any industry Wingspan surveyed.
What's inside
- 01 Where CX and BPO networks lead the survey.
- 02 Why contractor experience still trails back-office investment.
- 03 What the most-invested operators are fixing next.
- CX/BPO respondents
- 142
- Total sample
- 500+
- Company size
- ~39% have 1,000-4,999 employees
- Source
- 2026 Future of Flexible Work Report
Who this is for
For teams running 1099 agent networks.
Built for CX, BPO, and back-office networks managing large agent benches.
Finance
Interval pay, bonuses, deductions, and payment methods.
HR and talent
Contractor experience, retention, and tax documentation.
CX leaders
Confidence, audit readiness, and system satisfaction.
Full report
Get the full CX & Back-Office Networks report.
Use the PDF to see the full benchmark table, rank context, methodology, and operating priorities for cx & back-office networks.
From page 1
CX leads on investment, bench size, and agent-facing complaints.
The first data page shows a mature operating model with a different problem: the system exists, but agent experience still creates friction.
52%
have invested in a 1099 management system.
The only execution-heavy vertical above 50%.
28%
manage 1,000 or more contractors at any given time.
#1 of seven verticals.
37%
of invested operators report being very satisfied today.
A 34-point swing over the evaluating cohort.
The takeaway
CX networks have already bought the back-office systems. The next move is closing the contractor-experience gap.
Download the cx & back-office networks report
Get the benchmark tables, methodology, and operating priorities for CX and back-office networks.
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