Outsourcing Evaluation & Implementation

Outsourcing has been a much talked about topic recently.  It has become especially interesting to companies as they attempt to find ways to decrease costs and focus on core competencies.  Key functions that are frequently considered for outsourcing include, but are not limited to, customer service, fulfillment, IT infrastructure, and applications.  While fraught with challenges, outsourcing initiatives can result in significant payoffs.  These challenges include:

• Determining if outsourcing is a viable option

• Determining how to collect the requirements, design the RFP, and handle the submission and evaluation process

• Determining which vendor is best suited to meet your current and future needs

• Determining what you will save by going with an outsourced solution

• Ensuring that you actually receive the anticipated savings and level of service you expected

• Identifying opportunities for improvement

Customer Centricity has a prove methodology to ensure a successful outsourcing initiative enabling our clients to achieve the anticipated results.

Outsourcing: From Evaluation Through Implementation

Customer Centricity works with its clients to ensure the effective and efficient evaluation of outsourcing opportunities.  And, if outsourcing a particular business function is feasible, we ensure our clients experience the best possible outcome during the implementation through ongoing management of the outsourcing relationship.  Our outsourcing evaluation and implementation methodology consists of 4 steps:

Step 1) Top-level Outsourcing Analysis

The first step is to perform a top-level analysis to determine if outsourcing is a viable option to enable your company to more effectively meet gols and objectives.  The objective is to validate the core competencies of the firm and confirm or identify the function(s) to consider for outsourcing.  Finally, top-level research is performed, where necessary, to determine if service providers exist with capabilities to outsource the targeted function.

Step 2) Detail-level Service Provider Evaluation and Recommendation

If the top-level analysis confirms that outsourcing “may” be a viable option, the next step is to solicit proposals from outsourcers that focus, as a core competency, on the area(s) of business under consideration for outsourcing.  The objective of this step is to obtain information from outsourcers that enable the final determination of the cost benefit of outsourcing, including recommended vendor(s) that can meet price/performance requirements.

Step 3) Implementation

Assuming that an outsourced service provider has been chosen, implementation can now commence.  The outsourcer (per the RFP) should be expected to manage the entire process of implementing the outsourced solution.  However, there are several considerations during this phase of the project, including impact on existing staff (both in terms of their direct participation in the implementation and the long-term impacts on their jobs), changes to existing practices and  procedures that need to be documented under the new outsourced relationship, and when old “services” can be turned off or let go.

Step 4) Ongoing Management / Continuous Improvement

A key requirement for the ongoing management and continuous improvement of the outsourcer is the client putting into place a single point of accountability for managing the entire relationship. This ensures that all commitments and expectations are centrally managed and achieved (or exceeded), that there is focus on a daily basis on continuously improving performance, and, most importantly, that the client manages the outsourcer vs. the outsourcer managing the client.

Customer Centricity’s Project Management

Customer Centricity manages the whole process, providing objective analysis and recommendations leaving your resources free to spend the time and thought necessary when considering outsourcing, without worrying about the mechanics of the process for information gathering and service provider selection.  We have helped many companies across a variety of industries successfully evaluate and implement outsourcing relationships – faster and more efficiently than they could have on their own.

If you are considering outsourcing, we can help.  Contact us to discuss your specific situation and requirements and put a plan into place to help determine if it is right for your organization.