5 reasons why buying a house is similar to âbuyingâ an outsourced contact centre.

1 - It’s a big decision.

Moving house is expensive and it’s not something you do without a compelling reason. Similarly, moving to an outsourcer is expensive. And, like with a house it’s not just about the explicit costs. There are quite a lot of hidden costs - your time to understand the market, make a decision and ‘move’ in.

The NOA estimates up to 70% of outsourcing deals could deliver much greater results with just a few simple tweaks to the way the deal is conceived, contracted, managed and governed. They state value leakage is one of the most serious issues in outsourcing today and is often due to poor handling of change.

So, if you have outgrown your existing outsourcer, are looking for a holiday outsourcer to manage peaks or are looking to reduce your rates make sure that you have forecast the costs to your business and get the right structure in place to avoid avoidable costs.

2 – It takes 7 minutes

You’ve done the RFI and spent hours moving from a long list to a short list then it’s time for the meaty RFP, or should you visit the short list first?

The smell of the freshly washed agents, the clear polished desks and the fresh flowers in reception.

Just like buying a house, and despite putting lots of ‘head’ factors in place choosing an outsourcer involves quite a bit of heart.

You have to be able to see yourself and your business there. The ‘feel’ factor is intangible but looking at employee satisfaction surveys and spending time with the agents will give you a sense of how happy the existing tenants are.

…also instead of a long winded RFI, we are in the 21st Century, why don’t you just ask for a tick list of your core requirements and then an accompanying video so your short list visits can be really focused.

3 – You need to meet the neighbours

Your home will be the operations floor but there will be supporting teams involved in delivering your service. Meeting with the recruitment team, the trainers, the workforce managers and particularly the client manager will be vital to understand if you are choosing the right place to see your businesses objectives met.

When you meet them make sure you are asking a set of questions which you can use to compare to others in the running and also to expose concerns or opportunities.

4 – You need to read the efficiencies reports

One of the key reasons for outsourcing your contact centre activity will be to save money.

If the outsourcer is

" running old technology"

" experiencing high attrition rates"

" lacking depth in their MI to manage their operation and spot potential gains on your behalf"

" without any accreditation"

then it’s likely they will be leaking your commercial benefits out of the window

Get under the bonnet and make sure you are comfortable that the ship is run tightly.

5 – You need to think about the future.

The kids start school or move to Uni, your commute changes, your neighbours are redeveloping.

The reasons for outsourcing right now might change in the future.

You need to choose an outsourcer who has the ability to change with your growing or shrinking needs. They might show you a room that they have a deal on but don’t just take that as read – if you think you are going to grow then understanding and projecting these costs is a worthwhile investment in your time.

And, if you might shrink (thanks to efficiency gains) understand what impact that will have on your ‘service’ charges.

There are literally hundreds of outsourcers who have their own strengths or specialisms. If you want help there are lots of businesses who can help you find the home that makes you happy you moved.