There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills
Outsourcing Center, Bruce McCracken, Business Writer
Do you know who’s visiting your Web site? Data mining strikes gold.
Research & Insight
Contract
No Time for RFPs
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Buyers are often in a hurry to outsource so they can implement their competitive strategies. But cutting short the supplier selection process can result in a failed outsourcing relationship. Here’s how to do it right.
When Business Crumbles, Who Ya Gonna Call? A Supplier!
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
What does a business do when its sales crumble? Answer: Turn to your outsourcing suppliers who will do something creative to solve the problem. Here is how…
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Outsourcing Negotiations
Michael E.C. Moss, Gordon & Glickson LLC
Ask anyone how long it takes to negotiate an outsourcing deal, and the answer will likely be the same: much too long. In fact, some would say, the outsourcing will take at least as long to negotiate as you have time available to negotiate, and probably longer.
Reverse Auctions Improve Quality, Price and Delivery of Custom Goods
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Like many manufacturers in America, BOCE is in the midst of a major slowdown, according to Tom Connelly, North American supply manager for the Wilmington, Massachusetts, company. Demand in the semi-conductor industry for its vacuum pumps, turbo molecular pumps and temperature control units is down.
We’ve Only Just Begun
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Jane Drasites, Director, Benefits Delivery for BP Amoco, swears that the first year in an outsourcing relationship is just like a marriage. Some marriages don’t work very well. When Amoco (prior to its merger with BP) signed an agreement in 1993 for Hewitt Associates to handle its HR functions, it was positive it had found the right mate. Unfortunately, they didn’t go for some counseling before they tied the knot, and the honeymoon didn’t last long.
Skill Building Minus the Frustration
Jerri L. Ledford, Business Writer
As little as five years ago, when you needed to train employees, there were three basic options for doing it-sit the employee down with a video, partner that employee with a more experienced employee, or put a group of them in front of an instructor. Those weren’t terrible ways to train employees, but they weren’t the most effective.\x0d\x0aToday, the Internet gives training new meaning, new interaction and new power by leveraging the flexibility of e-Learning.
Outsourcing Helps Trade Center Buyers Get Back in Business
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Outsourcing suppliers are responsive in a crisis. Forty-five minutes after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, Compaq executives were on the phone, putting together a triage of support for its eight financial clients with Recover-All contracts as well as its many other customers headquartered in the twin towers. Tom Simmons, vice president of Compaq Managed Services in Stowe, Massachusetts, says within three hours Compaq had organized a crisis center routing telephone questions to Colorado Springs and opened a walk-in facility near Madison Square Garden manned by its Northeast sales team. A crisis Web site was online that night.
An Ounce of Prevention
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Burlington Resources, Inc., which is involved in the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons, ranks first among U.S. independent oil and gas companies, in terms of proved U.S. reserves. It’s a company with the diverse global opportunities and financial strength of a major oil company, but it is also blessed with the entrepreneurial spirit, flexibility and responsiveness of an independent operator. If there was anything that might impede its ability to grow and remain competitive in its industry, Burlington would take steps to rectify that situation.
Ten Key Questions for Developing Effective Service Level Agreements
Brad L. Peterson, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
The first and most important step in developing an effective SLA is to ask the right questions. This article will give you those questions and some background on how to choose the right answers.