Deciding What to Outsource
Dr. Wendell Jones
Outsourcing relationships have a better chance for success if they have an internal champion who believes in the cause. Find out what you need to know.
Research & Insight
Contract
Prepared to Answer
Chris Pryer, Business Writer
Customer service is a term that rolls easily off the tongue of almost every corporate mogul you hear interviewed or quoted these days. They talk about the fierce competition they face in their chosen industry and that the distinguishing factor that separates the leaders in their field from the also-rans is how they service their customers after the sale. In the remote environment of eCommerce, it can be particularly difficult to maintain a satisfying relationship between the buyer and seller, whether it’s B2C or B2B. This has spawned a whole new generation of companies that specialize in helping other companies manage interaction with their customers over the Internet. Ziptone is such a company.
Risky Business
Chris Pryer, Business Writer
The issue of how liability is addressed in an outsourcing agreement is very real. The ultimate goal of any outsourcing arrangement is mutual satisfaction. The outsourcing entity hopes to acquire a higher level of performance in a particular aspect of its business that was not attainable in the past and be cost effective while doing so. The outsourcer leverages its expertise and economies of scale in the hopes of meeting the client’s expectationss and making a profit in the process. But it doesn’t always work out that way.
Breaking News: Outsourcing Gets Great Press in the Newspaper Industry
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Reducing cycle time is a powerful business strategy. Here are two examples from the newspaper industry that demonstrate how outsourcing was the only way these companies could take advantage of a great opportunity.
Rendezvous with ELLA
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Clark explains that, prior to Rockwood, he was selling an insurance product called employment practices liability (EPL), whereby companies can be insured for wrongful termination, sexual harassment and discrimination. These acts were considered to be uninsurable before 1992 because they were things people did on purpose. But the laws changed, and Clark set about creating awareness that there was an insurance product available for these exposures. Even as he sought ways to promote EPL, he was also trying to reduce the risk of writing a company that would turn out to have bad employment practices.
Managing the Liability Bogeyman
Chris Pryer, Business Writer
CH2M Hill is an international engineering company that serves municipal governments in the areas of water and wastewater management, energy, telecommunication, environment and nuclear management, transportation, industrial facilities, and a host of umbrella services. To say that CH2M Hill is adept at managing risks is like saying monkeys are adept at climbing trees. Neither could survive if they weren’t.
Five Tips for Vendors
George Atis, Chairman, Outsourcing and Technology practice groups, McMillan Binch LLP
George Atis provides some pointers for vendors that should go a long way towards impressing buyers and expediting the closure of a deal.
The Big Picture
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Solutions for Public and Private eMarketplaces “Major multinational companies will buy software solutions,” says James Hatcher, vice president of business development for ECNet. “But when you go to the supplier base, only 10 percent of them will buy software. So what do you do with the rest of the guys? An eMarketplace needs to scale …
As Safe as Fort Knox
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Ruesch specializes in business-to-business cross-border payments, basically supplying various payment instruments and foreign currencies for companies that need to pay their bills in various countries around the world.
Nobody Does It Better
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Quickly growing. Unlimited potential. Unpredictable. Each of these words conveys the business environment in Russia today. Global executives eye developments in the world’s largest country and speculate on each aspect of the emerging business scene.