Stan J. Lepeak, global research director of management consulting at worldwide professional services and auditing firm KPMG , agrees. This is especially true for start-ups growing at a rapid pace. To help curb this dissatisfaction, Tarsh encourages companies to consider how their needs might change over time when selecting an outsourcing partner. By ensuring the outsourcing company has capabilities beyond your initial need, companies can avoid having to re-start the time consuming and costly sourcing process prematurely.
According to Deloitte, 46 percent of outsourcing providers wait to be told that improvements need to be made rather than making proactive suggestions. However, the very terms and conditions of an outsourcing agreement might inadvertently force providers into a reactive position, by being too limiting or overly focused on cost efficiencies.
They need to be built and nurtured, with expectations established upfront. Lepeak suggests monitoring for proactive service throughout the outsourcing relationship. One of the core expectations of outsourcing is that the new relationship will help the company stay ahead of competitors. This requires fostering innovation, but Deloitte reports that 33 percent of companies find that outsourcing partners lack the innovation to keep up with changing business needs.
Tarsh suggests spelling out the terms for innovation in the agreement. Instead of putting the outsourcing company in the awkward position of working against its own best interest, companies should build-in incentives which promote innovation. Innovative initiatives should be collaborative, with clear governance on both sides, he adds. The right outsourcer will focus a lot of attention and resources on ensuring employees are continuously supported and engaged.
For a BPO provider like TELUS International, which operates contact centers around the world, that means ensuring the programs the company offers in its regional locations are in line with the aspirations of the local workforce. The results of this people-first approach is increased agent engagement, loyalty and superior performance. Many companies competing in the global market choose to go with IT outsourcing, even knowing about the pitfalls that come with it.
A seemingly risky decision like this can be explained by the fact that it can be problematic to build a cost-effective team when your hiring search is restricted to a single talent pool. Moreover, outsourcing has become a necessity for companies who want to outpace their competitors and win time-to-market. Decision-makers are super skilled at their core business, but they aren't entirely immune to mistakes when it comes to an outsourcing strategy.
Thus, the question arises - how to overcome outsourcing mistakes? If you're interested in finding out more about the nature of outsourcing mistakes, below is a list of the most exasperating ones and recipes to avoid them. Without a home-based core team, your project can hardly stand a chance to endure. Outsourcing a line of work assumes little oversight on the customer's end, which is typically associated with some risks.
Outsourcing your core competence may put your company at an even greater risk of losing control over the entire project. Thus, hiring someone offshore for your core business activities isn't the best idea.
No matter how dedicated, your hires may lack the right kind of expertise to set your company in the right direction. Another important thing is that only your core team knows how to build proper communication with customers, as it profoundly understands their needs. As such, if you need more resources to fulfill your core strategy, it's best to expand your in-house team.
The synergy of the team lies in communication between its members. Hard skills matter, but successful virtual teams communicate extensively and in an effective manner. Besides, team members should feel comfortable working together, strive to deliver information in the best way possible, and work on goals as one.
Your virtual employees need to have a wealth of skills , including the ability to get a message across clearly, report and discuss problems, offer feedback, to name a few. With this in mind, choosing candidates purely for their hard skills is one of the most common outsourcing mistakes.
It's probably worth making an exception for candidates with rare competencies. Still, it's best to remember that solid communication skills play a vital role in your outsourced solution. The requirements for candidates for the same position tend to vary across countries.
For example, the requirements for a senior candidate in the US may differ from those in Eastern Europe. Thus, it's essential to stay in the driver's seat during the recruitment process. Making a hiring decision should be on you as well. Otherwise, you might end up with employees who aren't a good fit for your organization. The bottom line here is not to make one of the most biting outsourcing mistakes: Letting the vendor hire team members without screening them yourself.
Periodically measuring performance will help adjust any necessary functions. Once again, expectations should be clear in writing, and standards should be defined beforehand in order to be able to corroborate.
Trust your partner, but always verify. Some entrepreneurs get outsource-happy and begin outsourcing everything and anything they can in an attempt to cut costs.
Just as important as choosing what and when to outsource, is who you choose for your outsourcing needs.
0コメント