Melissa O'Brien holds the position of Research Leader and Head of Research Operations at HFS Research. In this role, she oversees the organization's research initiatives for all things customer experience, including areas such as contact centers, digital marketing and sales, CX design, and conversational AI. Her research scope extends to examining critical service dynamics within the retail, CPG, travel, and hospitality sectors. Melissa is also responsible for managing operations across all research coverage areas, contributing to the realization of HFS' overarching vision of OneOffice.

Bringing a wealth of hands-on industry and analyst experience to her role, Melissa previously led IDC's Worldwide Customer Experience Management Services program. In this capacity, she conducted analyses on the evolving landscape of contact center business process delivery and consumer communication trends. Prior to her time at IDC, Melissa held various positions in the contact center BPO industry, where she was involved in new client implementation, program design, and training development for contact centers in Manila and Cebu, Philippines. Melissa has demonstrated her expertise by leading plenary sessions at events such as HFS FORA, NASSCOM, IDC Directions, and various other service provider and industry forums.

Melissa graduated with honors from the University of New Hampshire, earning a BA in English and Communication. She is a distinguished member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. As a native of the Boston area, Melissa enjoys exploring new destinations, participating in kickboxing, and spending quality time outdoors, particularly through walking and hiking activities with her two playfully mischievous hounds.

This information was extracted from HFS Research’s official website. HFS is a leading global research and analysis firm trusted at the highest levels of executive leadership.