Business Outsourcing or Business Partnership
While labor arbitrage is a great impetus to lure customers to outsource a business any sales expert would vouch that the key determinant in ensuring successful conversion of a sales lead is influencing the mindset of the client and targeting a hit where it matters most; the gut. Thus, lo and behold outsourcing has a new cousin called ‘Business Partnership.’ This approach is especially lucrative for those venturing into the healthcare business process outsourcing which can never truly be completely outsourced.
Original concept of outsourcing meant complete or partial movement of functions from one company to another usually of another country. One of the major drawbacks to this concept per the opponents of this industry was loss of jobs and loss of control of the outsourcing company. Per the new and improved concept of ‘Business partnership’ emphasis is laid on the belief that outsourcing is more than a mere transfer of functions. It is a wholesome approach to ensure long-term relationships with the client and is more inclined towards sharing of responsibilities as opposed to loss of decision-making power. This is true more so of healthcare processes which can seldom be outsourced in totality. The patient-provider encounter consists of components which have a strong dependence on the parent country. Such functions almost always require onsite staff for face-to-face encounters. With this realization hitting home many outsourcing partners are adopting the policy of absorbing their staff instead of downsizing to execute functions which cannot be outsourced. This new understanding helps in better cooperation of the on-site staff during transition leading to a healthy transfer of knowledge which is highly essential for accurate delivery.
‘Core’ and ‘Chore’ responsibilities
Many advocates use the theory of ‘core’ and ‘chore’ responsibility sharing to attract new business. Core functions entail the essence of the business and ‘chore’ refers to the mundane activities which can be outsourced. However, it would perhaps be futile to completely tag chore functions as onerous and crown the core activities as sophisticated tasks since the reverse has often been observed. However, using the approach of clear segregation of roles assures the customers and their staff that their jobs are perhaps not in jeopardy. The available on-site resources can now be channeled towards enhancing their long-awaited plans for mergers, acquisitions and the like. This direction is certain to cause a shift in the paradigm of the perception of the outsourcing industry. Moreover, this seemingly pen-and-paper tactic can easily be accomplished with the right expertise of project management and process engineering thus creating a win-win for all.
So, the next time you approach your prospective client don’t talk outsourcing…..talk ‘Business Partnership’
Original concept of outsourcing meant complete or partial movement of functions from one company to another usually of another country. One of the major drawbacks to this concept per the opponents of this industry was loss of jobs and loss of control of the outsourcing company. Per the new and improved concept of ‘Business partnership’ emphasis is laid on the belief that outsourcing is more than a mere transfer of functions. It is a wholesome approach to ensure long-term relationships with the client and is more inclined towards sharing of responsibilities as opposed to loss of decision-making power. This is true more so of healthcare processes which can seldom be outsourced in totality. The patient-provider encounter consists of components which have a strong dependence on the parent country. Such functions almost always require onsite staff for face-to-face encounters. With this realization hitting home many outsourcing partners are adopting the policy of absorbing their staff instead of downsizing to execute functions which cannot be outsourced. This new understanding helps in better cooperation of the on-site staff during transition leading to a healthy transfer of knowledge which is highly essential for accurate delivery.
‘Core’ and ‘Chore’ responsibilities
Many advocates use the theory of ‘core’ and ‘chore’ responsibility sharing to attract new business. Core functions entail the essence of the business and ‘chore’ refers to the mundane activities which can be outsourced. However, it would perhaps be futile to completely tag chore functions as onerous and crown the core activities as sophisticated tasks since the reverse has often been observed. However, using the approach of clear segregation of roles assures the customers and their staff that their jobs are perhaps not in jeopardy. The available on-site resources can now be channeled towards enhancing their long-awaited plans for mergers, acquisitions and the like. This direction is certain to cause a shift in the paradigm of the perception of the outsourcing industry. Moreover, this seemingly pen-and-paper tactic can easily be accomplished with the right expertise of project management and process engineering thus creating a win-win for all.
So, the next time you approach your prospective client don’t talk outsourcing…..talk ‘Business Partnership’
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