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Are you considering working with a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider, but still weighing what you’ve heard about outsourcing pros and cons? We get it. There’s a lot of confusion out there, and a big step like this absolutely merits a thoughtful approach. We’ve worked with countless companies as their strategic business partner, and have been privileged to learn exactly what makes a mutually rewarding relationship – and what doesn’t.
In order to make your BPO engagement thrive, here are three mistakes to avoid making (and the success tips to remember).
1. Viewing the relationship as a vendor/customer.
Technically, an outsourcing provider is in fact a vendor. But when you view your BPO partner as a vendor, you’re discounting the immense value they can provide and essentially cheapening the relationship. A vendor merely delivers products or services; a partner, however, adds value and provides strategic insights. The reason this matters so great is that if you continue to view your BPO provider as an external company, rather than an extension of your own, you’ll miss out on some of the best aspects of having this type of relationship.
Think about it this way. If you view your BPO company as a vendor and ask for customer service personnel to help you through some periods of peak demand, they will supply you with that. It might be helpful, but it’ll be a transactional exchange with no further value than the short-term support. On the flip side, if you invite your BPO provider into a true partnership, and are open to their guidance, you’ll get much more. You’ll, of course, get the support you’ve requested for that short-term need, but you may also get feedback about why your Net Promoter Score (NPS) scores are so low, and some possible explanations for why your revenue has stalled.
Which scenario of these would you prefer? Of course, we’d all want the latter, and it all starts with how you treat the relationship. You want a partner, not a vendor, so you can set the stage for that from the get-go.
2. Holding onto the reins too tightly.
CEOs who have built their businesses from the ground up are notorious for wanting to maintain control. And it makes sense – you put in the funds, passion and sweat equity; you can’t just hand everything over to someone else and hope they treat it as well as you do. But you’re also not superhuman. At some point, when your company is rapidly growing, you have to be honest with yourself and admit that you can’t make every single decision and execute on every single plan on your own. If you try to, you’ll completely hinder your ability to grow.
When we work with CEOs who are zealous about their companies and afraid to give any control over to us, we initiate very candid conversations where we try to address their fears. Are you worried we won’t work as hard as you, or that the people we’re supplying you won’t be a good representation of your brand? Once we find out the root of your anxiety, we can usually provide ample proof (through case studies, testimonials, and our track record) to help you feel comfortable and gain trust in us. It’s never easy to bring in a partner and give up any level of control, but what you’ll gain in return is worth the initial discomfort – in spades.
3. Worrying that a BPO provider is going to outshine (or replace) you.
When we work with support operations managers as our main point of contact at a company, we’ve noticed a trend. They either see us an ally, and our engagement can blossom, or they see us as a threat, and it gets in the way of achieving their goals. In your role, the quality of your company is on your shoulders, along with pressure from the CEO. It’s not easy, and it can feel like an outsourcing provider will be competing directly with your efforts to date. But it’s not a competition, and a good BPO partner will never threaten your job.
At Conectys, we want to make our clients the heroes at their companies. We’ll find out your specific goals, and see how we can support them and make you shine. It will take a little trust on your end to make this work, but we promise you’ll love the results. We’re not here to outshine or replace you; we’re here to make your company grow – and empower you to get the credit you deserve.
So as you think about outsourcing pros and cons, and go about making your decision, we invite you to rethink a BPO partnership. We want to be your strategic business partner. Will you let us? Contact us any time to learn more.
