BPO: Business Process Outsourcing

One of the first things to realize about BPO is that it is a form of partnering.

You may have the same BPO provider for many years, and your provider may be interacting directly with your clients and employees. They will have access to sensitive information. They will also need to learn about your particular corporate culture and approach so that they can "fit" with your people and systems.

You may call them a "vendor" or "service provider" and that's fine. But consider the implications of having them work for you on a long-term basis and what type of business relationship that you may want to create with them.

The initial negotiations and request for proposal can give you a great deal of information about future interactions: What do they interactions suggest to you? How does the outsourcing company deal with questions about security, responsiblities, costs and process?

In any relationship there will be problems and sticking points, your initial interactions with your outsourcing provider can give you a sense of how they might handle future complications. Do you like what you see? Do they understand your concerns? Are they learning from their interactions with you?

Business Process Outsourcing Management

A good BPO solution requires management (obviously). But what are the tasks of outsourcing management when dealing with a company that can be thousands miles of way? Perhaps more importantly what are YOUR tasks and what skills sets do you need to retain to make PBO a net gain for your business?

You want a BPO solution to come from a company that has the discipline, focus, and process experience to free your energy to concentrate on your core competencies. Specific process management techniques and concerns are the next consideration.