Why get married if you are already planning the divorce?
The above may seem a strange question but so often in our experience, when companies make the decision to outsource to a third party provider they start by consuming themselves in endless internal meetings poring over legal contracts intent on trying to ensure they can withdraw or penalise the provider the first time things de-rail.
We call this reverse outsourcing.
At Allington & Associates we have supported many clients in helping them outsource their customer operations either in whole or part thereof. As with a contact centre set up we believe this process begins by understanding the key drivers behind the decision to outsource in the first instance.
Only with a clear understanding and an alignment of thinking can any outsource tender process be conducted. And only full transparency by the client will result in finding a suitable partner. Outsource relationships need to be about partnership, utilising each others strengths and sharing knowledge with a clear shared goal as the ultimate aim.
Allington & Associates bring a wealth of industry knowledge to our clients, but most importantly we bring an independence and impartiality which ensures that there is no bias or skewed selection process toward any one supplier. If a client tells us that they are running a tender process merely to tick a box with internal procurement and have already decided who they want to work with, we will politely walk away from taking on such an assignment. Our goal is to take your requirements to the market and leave no stone unturned in seeking out a suitable partner that can drive your business forward. Some people say we are a dating agency between customer and supplier which is an interesting analogy. However for outsourcing to work there has to be a healthy relationship between both parties from the outset.
In running an outsource tender process we can manage the entire process end to end or provide strategic intervention to an existing process. We do not represent any individual BPO company, though through our years of working in the industry have knowledge of a wide range of suppliers (UK based and international) who we may feel appropriate to invite to tender in accordance with the requirements laid down by our client.
Our specialist skills in this area enable us to provide the following services.
- Definition of client requirements and strategy pre process
- Tender Management
- Drafting a comprehensive RFP to entice the best prospective suppliers
- Recommend suitable prospects based upon a written set of requirements
- Advise and support on submission scoring and shortlisting
- Drafting the ITT
- Supporting the business on supplier selection
- Contract negotiation
We have also supported clients in the past with the management of third party outsource contact centres on their behalf. This frees the client up to focus on their core business activities and ensures the outsourcer is managed by industry experts with a wealth of experience in understanding operational issues. This service also provides a safeguard for both parties, that in the unfortunate event that something may go awry, there is an independent body such as ourselves to act as the mediator ensuring a sensible practical solution is found.
Should you be about to embark on a journey of outsourcing some or all of your customer contact centre operation, or simply need support in managing your existing supplier(s), why not contact us for a confidential no obligation chat?