Just like our personal relationships, if we check out and hope that the other person will “enjoy our presence” then we’ve set ourselves up for failure. The best outsource providers invest heavily in their management, culture, agents and technology.

Although you are paying the provider to perform a vital function, you still need to set them up for success. Here are some of our top tips on how clients best manage their outsource partnership.

1. Define Success and Communicate Regularly

Communication is essential when working with an outsource partner. Ensure that you have a comprehensive communication plan, starting with an SOW that describes the BPO’s responsibilities, coupled with the specific metrics that equate to success. Establish a regular cadence and agenda to be followed that will keep both party’s laser focused on the metrics. Encourage open and honest discussions to help build trust and to ensure a successful partnership. Establish regular face to face meetings (yearly/ quarterly depending on distance) and build a working relationship based on the work and mixed with some fun.

2. Feedback

Feedback is the cornerstone of any successful partnership. Monitor the progress of your partner closely and provide feedback at every stage. Without question, you are the expert in your business and in your industry. However, an attitude of superiority can be a major stumbling block to overall success. Solicit feedback from your outsourced partner. Your BPO has done hundreds of implementations and has experienced many successes and most likely some failures as well. Ask what they need from you to help set them up for success and what the most successful relationships look like in their eyes. Remember, they want this to be as successful as you.

3. Build Trust

Trust is the foundation of a successful partnership. In any relationship, mistakes happen on both sides, but people also have a huge capacity for learning from those mistakes. This requires patience, humility, and a willingness to change behavior. Yes, you can and should demand excellence from your provider, but you can do this and still make room for forgiveness and compassion……these are not incompatible. When partners are willing to learn from their mistakes, they will create a stronger, healthier, and more successful relationship.

4. Change Management

Managing an outsource partner requires a high level of organization. Have a Project Manager with the bandwidth to manage this important relationship. Keep all training documentation updated and well-organized. Have a specific plan for how changes get communicated and implemented. Your BPO may have technology you’re not familiar with such as Agent collaboration tools, to help make change management easier.

Find the Right Partner

By the way, if you didn’t get the selection process correct, then this entire exercise will not help.
You need to find the right fit… Google can’t tell you anything about matching your call center needs to the experience and quality of a BPO, but we can. For the best search experience, partner with a BPO search expert like Contact Center Consulting Group that has a vetted stable of BPO’s that we actively work. We know the outsourcing partners who can get the job done because we have placed clients with the best of the best for 25
years.

For more information on finding or managing your ideal outsource contact center, please drop
us a note or setup a quick call at https://calendly.com/hale-jay/chat-with-hale-cory