Today's guest blog entry is by Amy McCarty, Senior Advisor, TPI Contact Center Services
Outsourcing is an attractive proposition in today's economic climate. Using contact centers for outsourcing projects allows companies to shift their cost structures from fixed to variable and avoid large technical investments. Companies benefit by taking advantage of a large service provider's buying power and broad industry expertise through its multi-client - multi-industry approach.
While these benefits are hard to argue with, it's important to do your homework first. The time and energy investment upfront can make outsourcing a positive, successful, and financially beneficial experience. The top five issues to consider are:
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Creating solid, well structured contracts - In my experience, a poor or loosely defined contract structure can lead to confusion and poor execution. The lack of structure leads to varying interpretations of the contract's original intent as personnel changes over time.
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Managing an ongoing service provider relationship - Identify the right person to manage the relationship on a full time basis to ensure successful delivery by your service provider. Lack of oversight in the relationship will cause long-term dissatisfaction with the service provider if communications are fragmented and internal client goals are not met.
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Aligning vendors with corporate goals and values - Service providers should have the same goals as your organization. Differing goals can lead to varied expectations, misunderstandings, and general dissatisfaction with the process.
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Defining your contact center's strategic vision - Your strategic vision should be defined and communicated internally prior to executing a contract with a service provider. Once defined, the vision can act as the guide for selecting a service provider and developing a beneficial contract. Without a vision, a mismatch can only be discovered once the contract is executed and implementation is underway.
- Identifying the right (qualified) service provider - Each service provider has an area of expertise. There are no one size fits all service providers. A client should spend time researching the right service provider before moving forward to prevent a bad outsourcing experience.
It has been my experience that far too often there are critical factors missing from a contract. Doing the due diligence from the start and making sure your address the five points outlined above can result in a positive outsourcing relationship and a return on investment. I'm interested in learning about your past/present contract experiences and how you may have tried to repair the relationship.
