Business Process Outsourcing is the process of having another company complete your business processes for you. Some of the most commonly outsourced processes are payroll, call centers, and administrative tasks. Allowing an outside company to handle these tasks frees up resources, time, and money within your company, allowing you to focus your efforts elsewhere. Often, an outside company can provide these services at a lower cost than an internal department. The growing trend of outsourcing these business processes alters an organization’s strategy over time.

If you are thinking of outsourcing your business functions, there are a few important tips to ensure success. Having a realistic budget, clear milestones for project completion and detailed guidelines will help you get the most from your BPO provider. The key to outsourcing success is communication. Here are some essential tips to ensure you can communicate with your BPO provider and keep the lines of communication open. 

Project Milestones

Using project milestones to guide the progress of your project can help you achieve your business objectives. For example, a mobile phone company may wish to set milestones for reaching its three-month revenue goal. In addition, feedback on team performance is an essential part of managing your offshore team. Make sure to provide specific and constructive criticism. Otherwise, you risk creating unrealistic deadlines and incurring additional costs. Create a clear list of milestones. In this list, identify the project parameters, names of stakeholders, and preferred mode of communication. This list will help you plan an effective project kick-off meeting. Defining milestones will allow you to meet expectations and ensure that the outsourcing team satisfies them. Clear milestones will also allow you to communicate early and frequently with your service provider.

Detailed Guidelines

Before you begin your business process outsourcing project, there are several things that you need to keep in mind. First, you need to decide what is your company’s core focus. Is it developing better marketing techniques or building business relationships? Then, determine which tasks are not core to your business. You might consider outsourcing these tasks if these are not your primary focus. However, it is important to remember that the success of your outsourcing project will depend on how well you set up the assignment.

Second, you need to know what your customers want. A successful business is not always the most efficient. Rather, it deploys smart processes and matches customer expectations. Business process outsourcing can help you get these results, but you must integrate it carefully and work with quality vendors. If you’re unsure what you’re looking for, check out our detailed guidelines for outsourcing success. 

Realistic Budget

Developing a realistic budget is crucial to achieving success in business process outsourcing. According to John Wong, the Senior Associate Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at Harvard Business School Online, a business’ budget should be based on current business conditions and not on historical figures. Understanding the company’s goals and mission is crucial to developing an accurate budget.