Outsourcing Major Concerns
General September 9, 2009, Comments OffWhy outsource ??
says what i intend to say . The simple reasons for outsourcing are in fact very “simple” to the core
These factors are the key to rapid growth of Information technology Enabled Services in a country like India . India has an added advantage when it
stands second in the English speaking population behind United States. This has enabled them to rise above the expectation of the global economy and
process which are ‘Banglored’ turns out to the trump cards in leading the race .
The Business process Outsourcing enables you to concentrate more on your internal process, thereby increasing the throughput with a calculated average
stats of over 25%. It gives the business a competitive edge, while you can still work on “increasing” the “growth gap” between you and your immediate
competitor. And you still save BIG !!!
Is it Safe and Secure to give away my sensitive information ?
glitters is not GOLD ” , never fall for the sweet words and make sure you analyze the company , get referrals if the company is relatively new. You can even get information from the government website for registrar of companies if it is absolutely required .
Few things you have to keep in mind while contacting a small to mid-sized companies are
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Whether the provider is ready to provide service over signed documents ?
All companies which have a proper system in place, will definitely have a Service Level Agreement and a Non Disclosure Agreement in place . If any
company is not ready to go over signed documents, its better to avoid those.
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How is sensitive information stored and how are they protected from employees which need not be concerned about it ?
The method of storing customer information is as important as serving the customer. Certifications like ISO/IEC 27001 which deals with Information
involved in these certification and while trying to hire them, it is important that you have a clear picture of how data is stored.
Effective Client management Systems are required for customer data arrangement with authenticated separation between people ot person handling it. These systems should never be publically accesible and must be stored within the organization, easliy accesible, but heavily protected .
Can I Trust the Outsourced Service provider with my Job ?
I have always come across this question from potential clients and surprisingly , i do not have answer to this question. Trust is something that you gain over a period of time and it is something which cannot be convinced over a shadowed mind. The only way you can gain trust in a service provider is trying the provider with few low profile process and evaluating the performance over the same. As an when you gain confidence , you can certainly assign critical jobs .
However , in this Internet business, everything works on trust. Its either made or broken .
Will the provider be able to deliver what they promise ?
This is why trial periods are offered by most of the providers. This is a period where you have the freedom to evaluate the provider and accept them if the time lines are met. ‘Deliverability’ of a service depends also depends on how clear your requirements are defined as well. So in short the service is delivered only when you list your requirements and the working methodologies listed. Most companies in this sector does have a requirement analysis queries, which most of the clients tends to ignore, which is not good.
The track should be that of give and take and I am sure you would be able to taste complete success within a short span of time .
Will the new provider be able to transit from from my current provider easily ?
Well this is one point where majority of the discussions takes place. Changing your service provider is like getting a hair cut. Your hair has to grow for a week to get to the right size and shape.
Any new provider will take their time for transition and to adjust to your requirements especially when you have specifically customized kind of services to be delivered . Fitting in to the groove is not that simple when the settings must hit the bulls eye each and every time .So give their time to extract the best out of them,
How can I be sure about the quality of the service provider ?
Again this is something we discussed few paragraphs back. The decision narrows down to the reputation of the company and the reviews backing them up in the internet. Few clients are skeptical about the service quality after couple of months as providers usually take their clients for granted. However companies with proper quality review methods can overcome this easily and deliver the same level of quality year after year .
So far we have seen some of the major concerns, but yes believe me on this “YOU CAN NEVER QUIT DISCUSSING THIS” and “IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON……………………………”
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Samjad OA
Author is Technical director to supportlobby , A 24/7 company catering to Outsourced Hosting Support
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