Cost Effective Solution: Outsourcing

Outsourcing is done to save money, improve quality, or free company resources for other activities. Outsourcing was first done in the data-processing industry and has spread to areas, including call centers. Outsourcing is the wave of the future. The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering firm costs, redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to make more efficient use of worldwide labor, capital, technology and resources. Call centers are considered as one of the most common outsourced task for companies. In fact, it is also regarded as the first tasks to be outsourced. Peter Ryan, an analyst for Data monitor explained this statement saying that:

"The call center industry is now looking to adopt more third-party customer care services than ever before. This means that their horizontal functions will be shifting to more profitable requirements. Additionally, the need to satisfy demand from multiple contact channels as opposed to strictly voice-based services will be crucial for success over the long term.

Benefits of Outsourcing: -

Outsourcing is successful in increasing product quality and substantially lowering firm and consumer costs. Because outsourcing allows for lower costs, even if quality reduces slightly or not at all, productivity increases, which benefits the economy in aggregate. Outsourcing can also present compensation to less developed, typically non-Western states.

Some benefits of outsourcing are given below: -

1. A good outsourcing firm has the resources to start a project right away. Handling the same project in-house might involve taking weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the support they need.

2. Outsourcing is control capital costs. Cost cutting may not be the only reason to outsource, but it's certainly a major factor. Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs, releases capital for investment elsewhere in your business, and allows you to avoid large expenditures in the early stages of your business.

3. Outsourcing always increases efficiency. Companies that do everything themselves have much higher research, development, marketing, and distribution expenses, all of which must be passed on to customers. An outside provider's cost structure and economy of scale can give your firm an important competitive advantage.

4. Outsourcing is reducing labor costs. Hiring and training staff for short-term or peripheral projects can be very expensive, and temporary employees don't always live up to your expectations. Outsourcing lets you focus your human resources where you need them most.

5. Every business investment carries a certain amount of risk. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change very quickly. Outsourcing providers assume and manage this risk for you, and they generally are much better at deciding how to avoid risk in their areas of expertise.

6. Outsourcing can help small firms act "big" by giving them access to the same economies of scale, efficiency, and expertise that large companies enjoy.

7. Outsourcing can help your business to shift its focus from peripheral activities toward work that serves the customer, and it can help managers set their priorities more clearly.

Outsourcing Relationships: -

The relationship is based on skill sets held in both the outsourcing company and the company that is doing the work. To have a successful outsourcing experience then the skill set between both companies should be similar, and the trust relationship should be acknowledged. As well, there are social and political reputation issues on both sides of the contract that should be managed as well to ensure that the outsourcing process is successful for both companies.

If there is a good understanding and strong working relationship between the key management personnel of both teams, then such relationships often tends to last long.
Also maintaining one point of contact will avoid confusions. Companies can keep one project manager per project or per client.
Well-defined performance criteria have quantifiable objectives, service quantities, quality, and customer satisfaction and are measurable against other providers.
Successful outsourcing relationships involve setting up of special executive committees or boards that draw out the best strategies for smooth & effective handling of outsourcing relationship.
For a successful outsourcing relationship, it is better to have frequent formal review meetings. These meetings can discuss what both teams are working towards and a high level view of the future goals and objectives. Product reviews and deliverables can be discussed at such meetings.

That's what I mean by when recommendations are followed, the outsourcing company and the company that is doing the work will each increase within few months, which represent a statistically significant.