SourcingMag.com recently ran an article on getting the service levels you expect with outsourcing that resulted from a Gartner interview and contained some good tips that are worth repeating.
- Define Realistic Expectations
If you’re an efficient organization, don’t expect 30% savings from outsourcing. It’s going to take time for them to learn your business, and even when they do, the economy of scale they offer will only go so far. - Realign Expectations Annually
Demands change. Markets change. You need to make sure your expectations change accordingly. - Define the right measurements and metrics.
Make sure they measure against your goals. - Make sure you have a consensus opinion from senior management.
This insures you define appropriate goals and relevant measures. - Prepare.
Make sure everyone understands where service is going to be increased, decreased, and what they need to do to support the transition. - Outsourcing is not a solution.
If you have a problem, you have to solve it before you can outsource it … otherwise, you’re outsourcing a failure waiting to happen. - Build in Flexibility.
Long(er) term agreements need to be structured to anticipate the change that’s inevitable in business and technology. - Relationship Management, and Respect, is Critical.
You can’t just hand the process off and expect a miracle.