““When establishing long-term relationships, the key aspect of successful cooperation is most effectively laid down in the negotiation process, which leads to the signing of an agreement on the quality and volume of services provided.
Listed below are some common methods for successful outsourcing. These methods are aimed at improving relationships with clients and are widely used by IT companies, including in Russia.
Experience shows that if managers on both sides understand each other and there is a stable working atmosphere in the company, then the partnership continues for a long time. Research on outsourcing success indicates that friendships and shared working practices between company employees and contractors are important factors in facilitating long-term collaboration. In addition, having a single point of contact for all issues, such as one project manager or personal manager, helps avoid many misunderstandings.
The goals pursued during outsourcing must be quantifiable. This criterion must be determined in advance when concluding the contract. The benefits of outsourcing are achieved when the client receiving the service can compare the actual result of its implementation with the expected result. In this case, the service provider knows what actions to take to satisfy the customer’s needs.
Clear performance criteria can always be measured by parameters such as goals and objectives, quantity of services provided, quality, level of customer satisfaction, and also compared with the performance of other suppliers.
Successful outsourcing involves the formation of specialized executive teams or councils dedicated to developing strategies aimed at maintaining the most effective relationships between the parties. The main tasks of such teams are to identify, resolve and promptly seek help in the event of any problematic situations. By creating such groups, companies can hold strategic meetings at any time regarding any plans, problems or conflicts.
The service provider is advised to reward staff in proportion to productivity. This allows us to maintain a high level of customer focus. So, in the case when the result exceeds expectations, incentive payments are applied and, conversely, a low assessment of the quality of work entails penalties.
This increases mutual understanding of rewards, strengthens commitment, and ultimately helps both parties become more aware of the job requirements.
To ensure successful outsourcing collaboration, it is recommended that formal meetings between the parties be held regularly. These meetings can discuss current work as well as highlight key aspects of future challenges. In addition, issues related to products and deadlines for completing assigned tasks are discussed at the meetings.
At the same time, the lack of regular communication about the work done can cause dissatisfaction on the part of clients. Moreover, a lack of communication with the client can lead to inaccurate compliance with requirements, which will later require significant effort on both sides to correct problems that arise.
To provide effective customer support, it is necessary that staff hired under an outsourcing agreement undergo regular training. It is important that they understand the needs of clients and that the quality of the external company’s services meets these needs. Training topics may include management, technology, and other areas that can improve customer interactions.
This is one area that countries like India need to pay special attention to. Given that both sides of the outsourcing relationship have their own cultures, these differences need to be recognized and efforts should be made to make them less obvious. A good way to mitigate cross-cultural differences and establish mutual understanding is to organize various social events, trainings on the history of the company, etc.