Communication is Key

In an industry wherein business processes are outsourced, communication is the very essence of survival. Choosing to have a function or two outsourced to an overseas company may be risky, but only if there is no constant communication.

There is a difference between communication in the sense that you have your calls (whether outbound or inbound) outsourced, and communication defined as the bridge between decision making levels. When you engage in the business process outsourcing, you not just hand your functions to a stranger. You make sure that the business you’re transacting with is as reliable as the sun rising come break of dawn.

To some extent you allow the business process provider to make decisions for the benefit of your company; these decisions maybe as miniscule as extending the coffee breaks of the agents, to as massive as penetrating a neighboring market. To be able to make the right decisions, your provider must know you all-through out. One mistake and your company will feel the total weight of consequence.

Communication is the backbone of every BPO service provider. Without it there is simply no use for the industry. How can you be sure that there is enough communication transpiring between you and your BPO provider?

Here are several tips in maximizing communication.

1. Arrange a daily report between management levels of your company and your BPO service provider. Both companies have busy schedules but a 30 minute quick reporting at the end of the shifts wouldn’t hurt.

2. Make sure that problems have been outlined and expressed in each daily report. Have your service provider enumerate the most recurring problems no matter how small they are.

3. Add a weekly brainstorming meeting between you and your BPO provider. This is the time where you put all cards on the table and ask for theirs.

4. Don’t hesitate to ask for ideas from your BPO provider. They are working with your business functions; you should be assured of the direction this is leading to.

5. Assign a monthly review of your short-term and long-term goals. It’s never too early to build expectations for the next month, or the next year. Make sure that it is clear where you want to take your company.

Maintaining an open and constant communication with your BPO service provider may be tricky especially if you’ve gotten used to them making decisions for you. This is one flaw companies outsourcing should avoid. In the end, wouldn’t you want to know how your business processes are doing in the hands of an offshore company?

Quality Assurance in Outsourcing

A company’s most important responsibility is quality delivery. In every product or service offered, there is always the risk of faulty production. Failure to adhere to strict consumer codes can result in harming the clients at the least and society at most. Consumers are not the lone recipient of this harm; the company itself is positioned at the forefront.

In business process outsourcing, the clients are not mere individuals, rather companies, in full trust of your services, as a whole. This trust is not meant to be belittled or ignored no matter the size of the campaign. The fact that your clients are outsourcing their processes and functions to you should never be a gamble. A business process outsourcing service provider should be able to guarantee its clients utmost care in handling its campaigns.

Quality has different attributes measurable in an amount of ways. Excelling in some of these attributes wouldn’t mean much unless you excel in all. Companies can invent/re-invent whole quality modules, but the end result should always spell customer satisfaction.

Being a BPO provider means you work hand-in-hand with your clients to achieve a goal. Unlike other industries, the service BPO provides doesn’t end in fulfilling the scope of work. It is not a produce-and-sell industry, rather a constant review of performance to ensure that the best service is provided. Don’t look at the delivery date as the end of service, for each service will always have a long term effect on your client.

Quality assurance should always be a big component in your transactions. The industry provides endless opportunities for diversifying your services. Having a number of services to offer wouldn’t always be productive for BPO providers if there is lack/no focus on quality. Instead of offering to do everything all at the same time, BPO companies should develop its core services which in turn would open doors for the niche market. Remember it is better to have few satisfied clients, than to have lots of disappointed ones.

Opportunity Amidst Global Crisis

Big players in the Call-Center industry have gone through lay offs of as much as 900, 600, 200 agents at a time since the global recession hit. Some companies have closed; others opted to shrink incredibly in size and manpower.

There have been numerous forecasts of how long will this recession be felt. What we need now are risk takers ready to up the economy. Surely this is a crisis felt by the entire globe, but are the days truly numbered? In this time, few of us could see the opportunity that flows with the economic trend.

How can we take advantage of this phenomenon?

Small BPO Companies!

There are certain advantages open to small BPO companies especially in this time of crisis. Among the many are:

1) Campaign Flexibility – a company sized to handle smaller campaigns could find opportunities from SMEs looking to outsource their operations abroad.

2) Quick Minds, Quicker Feet – smaller companies can deploy information and decisions faster because of the shorter communication routes.

3) Maximized Seats – having a 10 seater operation could be more productive than having 500 seats these days. Think law of diminishing marginal utility; knowing how to match your agents with your campaigns to fit perfectly would reduce (hopefully eliminate completely) idle time.

The BPO industry is seen to surge through the crisis as Oscar Sañez, the new PHILEXPORT trustee for the information technology (IT) services sector, sees a robust 20 to 30 percent growth this 2009 on the back of non-voice outsourcing sector’s increasing share to total revenues. Additionally, Sañez said the call center sector will continue to be the main driver of growth contributing two-third to the industry’s revenues, while that of the non-voice sector has been growing.

Business Process Outsourcing is here to stay, crisis or not. It is up to us to materialize this growth forecast. There is opportunity in every bend, bump, or pothole we encounter.

Why Go for Co-Lo?

A straight from the mold office space is not enough to give BPO companies the right facility for efficient production. Technical problems, prolonged downtime, and sketchy connections could cost you money, and clients. If such problems sound familiar to you, then why not go for Co-Lo?

Our Co-Location Services

Our co-location service provides you with prime local market presence. As a co-location client you not only receive a prestigious business address but also the complete and solid call center infrastructure that is fully-redundant, supported by our own IT and technical support team.

Not all BPOs are the same, each need specific solutions tailored to their needs.

We at Global Hotline Philippines work hand in hand with our clients. We are not merely landlords but business partners. Our goal is to provide you a secured environment, moreover an extra pair of hands.

With our operational expertise and diverse background in end-to-end back office outsourcing, we understand the risks that come with the industry. We assume a proactive stance to provide our clients with outstanding services.

Co- Location Facilities

· PEZA accredited

· Redundant energy systems

· Superior power & data cables distribution systems

· Redundant & precise HVAC system

· Fire detection & suppression system

· Customer centric environment

Our Co-Lo solutions include various prime locations to choose from including PEZA accredited commercial spaces in Makati and Fort Bonifacio Global City. Your pick on suite sizes to fit your growing company, along with 24x7 I.T. & technical support, administrative assistance, security & surveillance video monitoring, and housekeeping & maintenance. We do our best to make sure that your company assumes a steady and hassle-free operation.

Contact us and get a free quotation today!

For inquiries please email us at colo@globalhotlineinc.com