Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
At the point where outsourcing service providers or their customers have financial conflicts 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 …
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Organizations are recognizing that diversity management in outsourcing makes a measurable difference in the potential return on investment (ROI). The diversity issue extends beyond a differing culture where offshore resources are involved. And it goes beyond ensuring that an organization employs a workforce of multiple races and ethnicities. In outsourcing, managing diversity focuses on getting …
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: …
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 …
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
In outsourcing, “best practices” are a method, procedure, activity, technique, or process known to produce desired outcomes. Who deems them to be the “best?” Often, it’s an industry or association regulation or recommendation. Sometimes, it’s an expert opinion such as those from an analyst or consulting firm; at other times, it’s a service provider or …
Laura Stone, CEO, Stone + Company
Why do outsourcing initiatives fail? I believe poor change management is to blame. Poor change management translates into: Slower speed of adoption Lower ultimate utilization Lower proficiency Together, they all hurt the “return on investment” (ROI) “in an outsourcing effort and are limited to a “past focused” thinking to do the same activities better, cheaper, …
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Unilever Europe has 80 factories in 24 countries. The division used 18 ERP systems and hundreds of different finance processes, which led to high costs and varying reliability. IBM turned the organization upside down. This contract is groundbreaking in the FAO BPO sector in Europe in both size and scope.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
PSEG wanted to increase value on IT spend and tasked CompuCom with providing end-user support services to more than 11,000 users across 85 locations. They’ve worked flexibly together to ensure their interests remain aligned in developing solutions that increase productivity and decrease down time. Within three years, PSEG realized $16 million in IT services cost savings.
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Northern Arizona Healthcare wanted to become one of the top three hospitals in Arizona. Today its executives believe it is as good as any hospital in America. Its new IT system provides easy-to-access, real-time data for its medical staff. The hospital established a $1 million annual bonus if Perot Systems met four stringent financial criteria in its revenue cycle work.
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Springhill Medical Center hired Eclipsys to overhaul its IT. Medication errors fell 80 percent and infection rates fell by two-thirds. ER customer satisfaction soared from 11 to 92 percent. System availability went from 56 to 99.999 percent. And the new electronic medical records helped the Alabama hospital weather Hurricane Katrina.
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