Businesses hire business process outsourcing (BPO) firms for myriad reasons. And it’s rare that there’s only one reason.
A business might want to reduce costs, improve scalability, gain new expertise, increase agility, or achieve several of those goals all at once.
To manage all your goals, you need the right partner—one that will share your definition of success. As you explore outsourcing options, vet them on these factors.
Many BPOs have rigid processes that force clients into predetermined solutions that don’t account for the unique aspects of their business and its relationship with customers. Ask potential BPOs about their discovery and implementation processes before hiring them.
The right BPO will approach your challenges with a flexible mindset, designing a bespoke solution that adapts to your needs and delivers an authentic brand experience.
By pairing operational expertise with experience in your industry, a good BPO partner will customize your solution and be ready to implement it quickly with well-trained teams and technology that elevates all efforts.
Finally, make sure a BPO has all the bases covered, even if you don’t need all the bells and whistles from Day 1. This means your BPO partner will be ready to adjust your solution over time, so it’s continuously tailored to your needs, not a one-size-fits-all solution.
A true partner keeps an eye on developing trends and regulations in the areas you outsource to it. By working with a BPO that does this, you can achieve peace of mind without wading through reports and regulatory updates.
For instance, customer experience (CX) BPOs in fintech have to respond to new—and future—regulations on data security and compliance. They also understand how to adapt to evolving customer preferences, improving the delivery of your CX.
BPOs that serve healthcare clients know the ins and outs of Medicaid requirements and state regulations that inform revenue cycle management. And the best BPOs will stay ahead of the curve when it comes to AI integrations that supercharge operational efficiency and improve outcomes.
The right BPO partner must provide proven ROI and should deliver it in multiple ways. This includes cost savings related to technology, headcount, and successful fraud prevention and recovery.
It should also reduce churn rates and reduce call-handling time to improve your bottom line quickly. Another source of ROI and increased revenue numbers can come from strategic cross-selling and upselling efforts while serving customers. Every touch point is an opportunity.
Ask every BPO you talk to for references, testimonials, and case studies. Look for a long history of success—and how quickly the BPO improves its clients’ operations.
As you evaluate a BPO’s experience, you should get a better picture of demonstrated ROI through various avenues and what partnering with it will look day to day and week to week.
Has the BPO adjusted to its clients while designing outsourcing solutions, or does it seem to pressure clients into a process that enforces the BPO’s own way of doing things?
When you first hire a BPO, it may be for a focused need. In that case, you might only assess its ability to meet that specific requirement. But keep this in mind: As your business, your industry, and your customers change, so will your goals and your outsourcing needs.
The right BPO partner can expand its delivered solutions to meet your evolving goals. Hiring a BPO partner with full capabilities from the start saves you time in the long run. Your partner can augment its services with agility while maintaining its rich knowledge of your brand as your company matures.
For instance, let’s say you hire a CX BPO for call-handling. As your business grows and your customers’ communication preferences and resolution needs change, you may realize that you also want your BPO to handle chat, email, and SMS—all optimized by AI integrations. A strong BPO will be ready to meet your needs with the right experience and CX technology to seamlessly handle every channel your customers want to use.
Finally, the right BPO partner won’t wait for you to struggle and communicate new needs as your business grows. Instead, it’ll help you uncover and stay ahead of those needs before problems can arise.
CRITERION NO. 6:
The right partner shares frequent reporting & intelligence.
The right BPO partner will show proactive accountability to your goals. It understands what to measure. It tracks the right metrics using intelligent technology, and it puts systems in place to report on performance, helping it continuously improve your program outcomes.
Prior to hiring any BPO partner, level expectations on both sides for how often the BPO will report program performance to your team, what those reports will look like, and how the BPO will communicate necessary updates within its own teams.
Outsourcing help shouldn’t just supplement your operations and save money on headcount costs. It should also elevate your efforts and your outcomes. So, think beyond KPI-based service-level agreements.
The right BPO will offer expertise and accountability, building a partnership based on honesty, integrity, and a shared sense of success. Hire a BPO that wants to be a partner by improving your internal processes, executing strategic plans, and pursuing relentless optimization of your program.
When you select the right BPO, it’s a true partnership with immediate and long-term ROI. Use our ROI calculator to estimate your company's immediate outsourcing ROI.
Business stability and continuity are what you need, and the right partner will deliver benefits you haven’t even thought of.
Talk to an expert to explore how we tailor our partnerships for mutual success.
When Curve was planning a U.S. product launch, Ubiquity designed a bespoke solution to drive productivity and sent CSAT soaring.
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