Here’s the problem: you are increasingly frustrated with your outsourcing provider, which is experiencing extraordinary employee turnover, they are not showing creativity in problem solving, and they are resisting tweaks to the contract designed to put their focus where you really need it, not where you thought you needed it when the contract was inked two years ago.
At least those are the big grumbles heard increasingly from many companies that have been outsourcing. Word of advice: before dumping that outsourcer know that breaking up just may bring even more and bigger problems your way. That’s the testimony of experts and also of companies that have navigated these waters.
Reality check: Know for starters is that pretty much every major outsourcing destination is showing stress. Across
Another reality is many companies are now looking to move to new outsourcing providers. The outsourcing industry is maturing and many multi-year contracts are coming to the end of term. The upshot: “We are seeing a greater propensity for shifting outsourcing contracts,” said Michael Latchford, a principal consultant in PA Consulting Group’s IT Consulting practice.
Also driving this is “a push for vendor consolidation,” said Peter Bendor-Samuel, CEO of the Everest Group, a global consulting firm focused on outsourcing. According to Bendor-Samuel, many large companies have determined it’s more efficient to trim the number of outsourcing partners and that’s increasing the tumult in the sector.
If the good news is that there’s mounting movement of outsourcing deals, the bad news is that changing vendors raises its own, typically thorny issues. “This is not like switching long distance plans,” said Doug Mow, a senior vice president at outsourcing provider Exigen Services.
“What’s in your contract with the outsourcer regarding transition?,” asks Latchford. “What access to data does the contract give you? What do you own?”
This is the nasty rub and it surprises many organizations that set about shifting to another outsourcer. That’s because most had a comparatively smooth experience moving work to the outsourcer. Emotions of downsizing aside, there was no question about ownership of process or data and, in most instances, the internal employees whose positions were being eliminated cooperated with the shift—if only to keep their paycheck coming in as long as possible. Third-party outsourcers may not be so cooperative, and neither may their employees who just may circulate their resume on the first day they hear about the loss of the contract.
And that just may trigger enormous difficulties for the company that’s looking to shift to a new outsourcer, e.g., Do you still know how to get the work done? The question is definitely not academic, said Jagdish Dalal, managing director of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. “When companies outsource, they often lose the know-how associated with the outsourced work.”
“Be honest with yourself about how much visibility you have into your vendor and the work processes,” cautions Latchford.