| Outsourcing used to be something that only larger | | | | 3 potential partners in India a service, send at least on |
| companies did. A call center or software development | | | | person to India for at least 2 weeks so one employee |
| center for Dell or IBM was considered the norm, | | | | can spend at least 3 days on each site to get a real |
| Today mid-sized companies are taking advantage of | | | | feel for how the partner does business. |
| outsourcing. By being selective on what they | | | | Interview employees from the partner sites. |
| outsource and to what partner they select these | | | | Finally, consider bringing the potential managers of the |
| smaller companies are expanding into the outsource | | | | service that you are outsourcing to one of your team |
| world. | | | | building exercises. There is probably no better way for |
| Successfully outsourcing is not as simple as negotiating | | | | these manager to see your company culture than to |
| a contract and letting the service run. The success of | | | | share a team building exercise with you. |
| an outsourcing project is highly dependent on the | | | | Mind The Gap |
| relationship developed between the the company | | | | Cultural gaps exist. |
| outsourcing and their partner. | | | | To lessen the impact of the culture gaps, make sure |
| A recent report I read stated that over 65% of | | | | your contract clearly states that changes in service |
| outsourcing relationships fail partially or totally. the | | | | managers require hiring company approval. Having |
| primary reason these deals fail is due to a lack of | | | | completed the vetting process will serve no purpose if |
| understanding between the outsourcing company and | | | | the people you hire change the key personnel. |
| they partner, as well as poor management. | | | | Important changes could be equivalent to never having |
| The cultural differences that cause these relationships | | | | done the prior steps. |
| to fail are not simply because "they" are different than | | | | If you are outsourcing a service to your own country, |
| "us". Each company has its own culture and these | | | | assign an experienced employee from your company |
| company cultural ideas and beliefs have to be taught | | | | as a site Account Manager (AM). this AM would be in |
| to the partners just like they are taught to new | | | | site during normal working hours and report only to the |
| employees. And just like with new employees these | | | | hiring company. |
| values have to be continually reinforced. | | | | If you are outsourcing to distant shores, have the AM |
| If you have a company that believes working 9 to 5 is | | | | present full time if possible. If you can't, or choose to |
| enough you will have one type expectation of your | | | | not, do this have your AM on site for at least one full |
| partners. If your company believes that working on a | | | | week each quarter. |
| problem until it is resolved regardless of the hours, then | | | | Only with a person from the hiring company present |
| you have to make sure that your partner will accept | | | | on site can yo have a real understanding of your |
| to work in the same manner. | | | | partner and how they do YOUR business. |
| When Culture Collide | | | | Meet Client Expectations |
| To make sure that work culture don't collide (or collide | | | | In all cases your partner must supply ongoing training |
| with a smaller impact) there are several steps that you | | | | related to the products and services they are |
| can take. | | | | supplying and supporting. If the partner is in a country |
| First, do a formal Request For Proposal (RFP) for any | | | | where they don't speak the same language as your |
| service that you are outsourcing. In addition to defining | | | | client, language courses are also a requirement. If the |
| the services that you want supplied, include a detailed | | | | language level is sufficient, language courses may still |
| section on the reporting details that you require. Some | | | | benefit to work on accents. |
| cultures want to avoid confrontation and place a high | | | | Every service provider must have a clear |
| vlue on "saving face:. Make sure that the reporting you | | | | understanding of your client expectations. |
| receive will include reference to the results from clients | | | | Realistic expectations must be defined in the original |
| that were not satisfied with the service that they | | | | RFP and measured against the Service Level |
| received. | | | | Agreements (SLA). An SLA can include any form of |
| Second, in the RFP, include a section that describes | | | | measurement that you decide is required. This can |
| your company culture and your values. An outsource | | | | include the maximum time a client can be on hold, the |
| partner must adapt to your values because the client | | | | maximum time to complete a call or service, the |
| who speaks to your partner will only associate good | | | | maximum level of clients that define themselves as |
| or bad results with your company - not the partner. To | | | | dissatisfied with the level of service that they received. |
| a client, a partner does not exist, the client is dealing | | | | This last is often recorded by asking the client to |
| with your company. | | | | complete a survey after the service has been |
| Third, when you have a shortlist of potential partners, | | | | delivered. |
| go to their site. You need to get a real feeling for the | | | | This is just a beginning on how to overcome some of |
| company and how they operate. If you are considering | | | | the cultural differences in the outsourcing process. |