Monday, June 22, 2009

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?

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