0844 846 0800
welcome to the first issue of open outsourcing on effective engagement
-
"Change is the only constant in this business and the contract must be a living, breathing document – not set in stone. As a true partner, you can’t sit back and say ‘hang on, we never agreed to do that in that way’" Debra Maxwell, Global BPO Director, arvato
-
While the majority of BPO clients are happy with the delivery of their programme (80%), 87% feel there is something limiting the relationship. Only 2% believe their BPO provider is currently very engaged, while 60% believe a greater level of engagement would improve the relationship
-
"Like many companies looking to outsource, we wanted a combination of things. A cost effective solution was one driver but trust was also vital. We had to trust arvato to look after our retailers and artists as we would do." Clive Smith, Director, Supply Chain, Universal Music Group
-
"When you're choosing a partner you need to know they think like you. It isn't about whether you like them as people; you need to know whether, given the same critical information, they would take the same decision as you would." Margaret Rawding, Head of Corporate Finance and ICT, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
effective engagement
Engagement seemed a logical place to start our Open Outsourcing journey. At its heart, business outsourcing is about relationships – those between the partners of an outsourcing agreement, and those between the partnership and its customers or employees.
Effective engagement is about creating an agile approach to outsourcing that allows the right type of partnership to develop. One that focuses on delivering the best results for both partners and one that can evolve with changing needs. But, how does this approach differ across sectors, services, objectives and company types? Are there commonalities that we can all learn from? And, fundamentally, does effective engagement make a difference to the impact of a business outsourcing programme?
- Our clients Microsoft, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, Bosch, Chesterfield Borough Council and Universal Music Group share their experiences and honest views on what engagement means to them, and how it’s improved the impact of their outsourcing programmes.
- We outline the findings of an industry study where our research partner asked 100 senior BPO clients probing questions about where their outsourcing relationships are today and what they’d like to see in the future.
- Industry experts from academia, consulting firms and industry analyst organisations share their observations on the importance of partnership in outsourcing.
- Finally, we draw some conclusions from the perspectives in this report and our own experiences.
Delivering results clearly matters and programmes wouldn’t last long if the basic targets weren’t met. But we believe that the way in which results are delivered and the potential to add value beyond simple percentage increases is critical to business outsourcing reaching its full potential.
Exploring the topic from a number of points of view highlights the differences in diverse outsourcing agreements. But the recurring themes such as trust, collaboration, understanding, flexibility and commitment help explain the common roots of success.
We hope you enjoy reading the report!
Share your feedback
We welcome your thoughts on the issues raised in this first report and would like to hear how you’ve opened outsourcing in your own organisation. We also invite you to share suggestions on topics for future issues of Open Outsourcing. Please get in touch by email at openoutsourcing@arvato.co.uk.