Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported revenue of approximately $2.48 billion, an increase of 2.6% year on year on a constant currency basis and 4% year on year as reported [11][12] - Non-GAAP operating income was $305 million, which was below the guidance range due to excess capacity and investments in cybersecurity [12][15] - Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $359 million, with a margin of 14.5% [15] - Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $2.78, $0.02 below guidance, while GAAP net income was $88 million [15] - Adjusted free cash flow increased to $179 million, up about $44 million year on year [15][19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from banking, financial services, and insurance clients grew 8% year on year, while media and communications clients grew 7% year on year [12] - Retail, travel, and e-commerce clients saw a 3% increase, primarily driven by travel [12] - Technology and consumer electronics, as well as healthcare verticals, were essentially flat [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is experiencing strong demand for integrated offerings and adjacent solutions, particularly in banking and financial services [12] - The demand for AI technology platforms is increasing, with nearly 40% of new wins incorporating AI solutions [7][9] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to combine AI, customer experience (CX), and IT services to create integrated solutions that differentiate it in the market [4][9] - The strategy focuses on capturing growth opportunities in the evolving market landscape, particularly through the IX AI technology suite [6][9] - The company is committed to returning over $240 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends [19] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in modest sequential margin improvement over the next few quarters despite current margin pressures [5][20] - The overall demand environment remains positive, with expectations for revenue growth in Q4 and fiscal year 2025 [17][19] - The company anticipates continued growth in free cash flow and plans to prioritize debt repayment while supporting dividends and share repurchase programs [19][64] Other Important Information - The Board has authorized an increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.36 per share [16] - The company reduced off-balance sheet factored accounts receivable to approximately $127 million [16] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you unpack the margin guide down and the impact of excess capacity? - Management indicated that excess capacity was primarily due to tariff-impacted clients and that normalization is expected over multiple quarters [22][25] Question: How is the IX suite ramping and what is the demand? - Management reported that 40% of new wins include the IX technology, with a mix of discrete billing and bundled offerings [28][29] Question: What is the outlook for margins and the impact of one-off items? - Management confirmed that the current margin pressures are one-off items and expects to return to historical margins as new deals ramp up [36][38] Question: Is the sales pipeline healthy and broad-based? - Management expressed satisfaction with the sales pipeline, noting broad-based momentum across strategic verticals and regions [48][49] Question: Can you discuss the decision criteria for transformational investments? - Management emphasized long-term relationships with clients and the expectation of reciprocation in terms of volume and opportunities from transformational investments [52][54]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported revenue of approximately $2.48 billion, an increase of 2.6% year on year on a constant currency basis and 4% year on year as reported [11] - Non-GAAP operating income was $305 million, which was below the guidance range due to excess capacity and investments in cybersecurity [12][15] - Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $359 million, with a margin of 14.5% [15] - Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $2.78, $0.02 below the guidance range [15] - Adjusted free cash flow was $179 million, an increase of about $44 million year on year [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from banking, financial services, and insurance clients grew 8% year on year [12] - Media and communications clients grew 7% year on year, driven largely by clients outside of the U.S. [12] - Revenue from retail, travel, and e-commerce clients grew 3%, with travel being a strong vertical [12] - Technology and consumer electronics, as well as healthcare verticals, were essentially flat [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is gaining market share and securing new wins by integrating AI, CX, and IT services [4] - Almost 40% of new wins this year included AI technology platforms as part of the solution [7] - A study from MIT indicated that externally sourced AI projects with strategic partners succeeded about 67% of the time, which is higher than internally built projects [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to establish itself at the forefront of industry changes by combining practical AI with human intelligence [6] - The IX AI technology suite is positioned to address clients' needs for both full and partial automation [7] - The strategy is focused on capturing growth opportunities in the AI space while maintaining strong cash flow [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in modest sequential quarterly margin improvement over the next few quarters [5] - The overall demand environment remains positive, with expectations for revenue growth as the company enters the final months of 2025 [19] - The company is optimistic about 2026 and plans to provide detailed guidance in the next call [20] Other Important Information - The Board has authorized an increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.36 per share [16] - The company returned approximately $64 million to shareholders in the quarter, including share repurchases and dividends [16] - The company plans to prioritize debt repayment while supporting dividends and share repurchase programs [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you unpack the margin guide down and the impact of excess capacity? - Management indicated that excess capacity was primarily due to tariff-impacted clients and that normalization is expected to take multiple quarters [22][25] Question: How is the IX suite ramping and what does the pipeline look like? - Management reported that 40% of new wins have integrated technology, with a mix of discrete billing and bundled offerings [28][29] Question: What are the expectations for margins moving forward? - Management stated that current margin pressures are one-off items and that they expect to return to historical margins as new deals ramp up [36][38] Question: Is the sales pipeline healthy and broad-based? - Management confirmed a healthy pipeline across strategic verticals and regions, with good momentum in major deals [48][49] Question: Can you discuss the decision criteria for transformational investments? - Management emphasized long-term relationships with clients and the expectation of reciprocation in terms of volume and opportunities [52][54] Question: What is the outlook for free cash flow and capital returns? - Management remains optimistic about increasing free cash flow in 2026 and plans to balance capital allocation between debt repayment, dividends, and share repurchases [60][63]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported revenue of approximately $2.48 billion, an increase of 2.6% year-on-year on a constant currency basis and 4% year-on-year as reported [11][12] - Non-GAAP operating income was $305 million, which was below the guidance range due to excess capacity and investments in cybersecurity [12][15] - Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $359 million, with a margin of 14.5% [15] - Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $2.78, $0.02 below guidance, while GAAP net income was $88 million [15] - Adjusted free cash flow increased by about $44 million year-on-year to $179 million [15][19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from banking, financial services, and insurance clients grew 8% year-on-year, while media and communications clients grew 7% year-on-year [12] - Retail, travel, and e-commerce clients saw a 3% growth, primarily driven by travel [12] - Technology and consumer electronics, as well as healthcare verticals, were essentially flat [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is gaining market share and securing new wins by integrating AI, CX, and IT services [4][9] - Almost 40% of new wins this year included AI technology platforms as part of the solution [7] - A study indicated that externally sourced AI projects have a success rate of about 67%, which is higher than internally built projects [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to establish itself as a leader in solutions that combine practical AI and human intelligence at a global scale [6] - The IX AI technology suite is expected to be accretive as it ramps up, providing a competitive differentiation [7][9] - The strategy focuses on capturing growth opportunities in the current environment while improving margins [11][19] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the demand environment and expects modest sequential margin improvement in the coming quarters [20] - The company is focused on long-term relationships with clients and believes that investments in transformation will yield long-term benefits [53][54] - The outlook for Q4 revenue is projected to be between $2.525 billion and $2.550 billion, with full-year revenue guidance increased to 1.75% - 2% constant currency growth [17][18] Other Important Information - The Board has authorized an increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.36 per share [16] - The company plans to prioritize debt repayment while supporting dividends and share repurchase programs [19][63] Q&A Session Summary Question: Margin guidance down due to excess capacity and transformation programs - Management acknowledged that excess capacity and transformation investments impacted margins, but they expect normalization over the next few quarters [22][24][26] Question: IX suite ramping and pipeline - Management reported that 40% of new wins include the IX technology, with a mix of discrete billing and bundled offerings [28][30] Question: Future margin expectations - Management indicated that current margin pressures are one-off items and expect to return to historical margins as new deals ramp up [36][39] Question: Consolidation situation in the industry - Management believes consolidation will continue, driven by clients seeking fewer partners and deeper relationships [46][47] Question: Risk management and investment criteria - Management explained that investments are made with long-term relationships in mind, expecting reciprocation in volume and opportunities [52][54] Question: Free cash flow guidance and capital returns - Management remains optimistic about free cash flow growth in 2026 and plans to balance capital allocation between debt repayment and shareholder returns [60][63]