Outsourcing your software development or accounting, payroll, reporting... is a collaborative partnership. This means you’re not handing off tasks and processes to an outside party to be completed without your involvement. Your Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider is a partnership built over time through communication and aligned vision and goals. It is an important investment into the future of your company. In order for your partnership to be successful, there are a few key items that need to be in place. Let’s take a look at the 4 keys to a successful outsourcing partnership.
Clear Communication
Communication is key for any relationship, and it is no different for your outsourcing partnership. As your company goals and objectives change, it is important to regularly meet with your BPO provider to keep your objectives in alignment.
The frequency of progress meetings and status updates should be clearly outlined, keeping each other in a proactive position, so there are no surprises down the road. Work with your BPO provider to come up with a communication plan that will work for all parties.
Set Clear Expectations
It's important to make sure clear expectations are outlined, should there be any confusion or disputes in the future. The right provider will provide all clients with a responsibility matrix - a document clearly outlining the services and responsibilities for each party.
It's also important to manage realistic expectations of your BOP provider. Understanding the capabilities and limitations of work is important in order to manage your relationship effectively.
Transparency
A quality provider should have the ability to communicate mistakes or oversights with you and fix any errors immediately upon discovery. At the same time, keeping secrets from your BPO provider hinders your company's ability to be successful.
This type of transparency creates trust and reliability, strengthening the value of the partnership.
Consistency
Your outsourcing provider is able to achieve the agreed-upon commitments because they are able to streamline and automate processes to efficiently deliver desired outcomes. Stay consistent with your expectations and responsibilities and notify your outsourcing provider if you believe changes need to be made to the existing contract in order to meet your company's needs.
The goal of the right outsourcing provider is to ensure the clients can be as successful as possible with the tools and services. While consistency is key to delivering desired outcomes, the software engineers of providers work closely with clients to provide innovative solutions tailored to fit their business needs.
Bottom Line
BPO is an investment and requires equal trust, communication, and time commitments from you and your BPO provider. Successful outsourcing partnerships are those that work together to solve problems, improve processes, and create long-term solutions that lead to the success of both parties.
