Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Biggest Challenges in Maintaining Superior Service Levels in Outsourcing Relationships

Outsourcing rookies, of course, face many challenges in achieving their desired return on investment because their deals often lack one or more elements that are foundational to success. And all outsourcing relationships encounter challenges that arise in unanticipated situations. But what about experienced buyers and relationships that are more mature? What issues arise in their …

BPO Study’s Surprising Findings on Value and Long-Term Intent in Outsourcing Relationships

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Buyers of outsourcing services want their service providers to invest in technologies that bring continual improvement to the outsourced processes. Providers want to invest only where it is also beneficial to their margins in the long run. Therein lies a conflict. Are there reliable predictors of a buyer’s intent for a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship …

Small U.S.-Based Finance and Accounting Outsourcer Delivers Value of Large Providers | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

The bulk of most companies’ operational costs are in manpower, says Ragu Bhargava, CEO of Global Upside, Inc., a finance and accounting (F&A) service provider. That’s one of the reasons companies in all industries are increasingly bucking the long-held practice of retaining full-time F&A staff in house. Mountain View, Calif,-based Global Upside, Inc. provides services …

Ten Pitfalls in Outsourcing Transitions | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

There’s no shortage of methodologies and advisories on best practices and risk mitigation strategies for the transition phase of outsourcing relationships. Even so, many buyers encounter situations they didn’t foresee when structuring their arrangement, which cause costs to rise and delay time to value. Outsourcing Center studied these types of situations by surveying companies nominated …

Level of Trust Impacts Effectiveness of Outsourcing Communication | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Ask 10 buyers of outsourcing services for their keys to success in communicating with their service providers, and you’ll hear 10 different answers because, of course, the effectiveness of communication depends on the individuals involved. Some will also say it depends on whether they’re communicating about day-to-day operations, conflicts or opportunities. Others will comment that …

Seven Examples of Resolving Financial Conflicts between Buyers and Providers of Outsourced Services | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

At the point where outsourcing service providers or their customers have a conflict that will result in a monetary loss to either party, they’re walking a fine line. If they manage to resolve the issue with a mutually beneficial solution, their relationship will be even stronger than before the conflict. If not, the party that …

Action Plans for Managing Attrition in an Outsourcing Service Provider’s Resources | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Change sometimes brings unintended consequences. When outsourcing relationships several years ago took on the characteristic of delivering services from one or more offshore locations, an unintended consequence was “talent wars” and attrition. Unmanaged attrition among a provider’s ranks leads to unsatisfactory service delivery and higher costs. How can the parties manage this dilemma? Should they …

What Happens When the Outsourcing Business Case Stops Working? | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Organizations that turn to outsourcing to achieve their business objectives first develop a business case that includes such components as cost savings and avoidance objectives, business value benefits, and risk assessment of potential negative impacts. But what happens when the initial business case stops working because of unanticipated impacts? Both a Deloitte Consulting study and …

Start-up Healthcare Company Overcomes Risks and Captures Success in Outsourced R&D | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Innovation is the lifeblood of entrepreneurial companies such as Inherited Health™, an online resource for information about health risks, but it’s also imperative that such companies deliver new products to the market in a short time frame and at the lowest cost. Those were the business challenges – along with having only a handful of …

Upcoming Changes Point to Need for Buyers of Outsourcing Services to Alter their Way of Thinking | Article

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Outsourcing Center asked leading outsourcing service providers about their predictions as to the biggest changes that will impact outsourcing buyers over the next five years. Their answers clearly point to a need for buyers to alter their thinking about how, when, and why they engage with providers of outsourced services. Extreme performance requires elasticity Joanne …

Research & Insight

Author archives

Small U.S.-Based Finance and Accounting Outsourcer Delivers Value of Large Providers | Article

Ten Pitfalls in Outsourcing Transitions | Article

Level of Trust Impacts Effectiveness of Outsourcing Communication | Article

What Happens When the Outsourcing Business Case Stops Working? | Article

Let’s talk more

Consult Form

Contact Outsourcing Center

Let’s talk more

Consult Form