Research & Insight

Communication

Advice for Outsourcing Buyers in Setting Expectations Around Future Service

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

“What was horrible about our outsourcing relationship in the beginning is that our expectations were unclear. That’s a horrible formula for success.” The person stating this assessment described a troubled – but remediated and turned-around – relationship that Outsourcing Center studied in its annual Outsourcing Excellence and Sourcing Awards program. It led to this post …

Four Tips for Effective Management of the Outsourcing Transition

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

The possible perils that can impact the success of an outsourcing relationship‘s transition phase are well known. These days, most buyers are as aware as service providers of the need for a robust governance framework that facilitates the parties’ identification of challenges and working collaboratively to address them quickly. Most have also read tales of …

New Outsourcing Service: Independent Governance of the Relationship

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

At Outsourcing Center, a frequent comment we hear from buyers of outsourcing services is: “If I had it to do all over again, I would put in place a more effective structure for managing the service provider and the relationship.” The problem is significant enough that it spawns many advice-oriented articles with titles such as: …

Combating the “Hidden” Costs of Managing Outsourcing

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Industry media, especially over the past two years, often points out that a significantly high number of outsourcing arrangements do not deliver the promised cost savings due to “hidden” costs associated with managing the relationship. This is especially true, the reports state, in outsourcing relationships with an offshore delivery component, where administrative costs increase due …

How a Well-Planned Outsourcing Transition Weathered a Changing Economy and Vendor Challenges

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

There are always unanticipated challenges in even the most well-thought-out transition. This relationship faced two major ones. First, a software vendor tried to extract $300,000 from Dell Services by forcing it to pay a licensing fee. Then, the global recession changed everything. The successful solutions were a harbinger of good things to come.

How Outsourcing IT Applications Helps Working Families in Oklahoma

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services used paper claims to process payment to 4,300 childcare providers who watched 43,000 kids. Some had to wait six weeks to get paid! In addition, childcare claims accounted for 20 percent of the workload but took 80 percent of its time. Fraudulent claims totaled $10 million a year. A ground-breaking IT system the department created with ACS fixed everything.

How Outsourcing Buyers Benefit from Benchmarking

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Cost and price. It’s crucial that buyers understand both when it comes to outsourcing. What is the cost of providing business services internally? What elements comprise that cost? What is the price for comparable services from an outsourcing service provider? What cost elements affect the provider’s price? For the service levels it commits to perform, …

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