Some Assembly Required

I just read an article published this week, titled “Spreading the word on outsourcing.” What’s interesting about it is that, although it starts out advising companies about the benefits of outsourcing their non-core processes, it switches to a discussion about outsourcing failures. The writer cites a recent study that found nearly 70 percent of 300 survey respondents (apparently in Ireland) said their outsourcing deals “suffered from poor vendor selection and lack of service levels.”

What grabbed my attention even more was a letter from a New Albany, Indiana, resident commenting on the poor quality of services, the subsequent deterioration in… Read the rest

Do You Really Trust Your Outsourcing Partner?

Trust is something that really trips people up in outsourcing relationships. In my talks with hundreds of executives involved in outsourcing over the last decade, I’m intrigued by the fact that when I ask executives about the trust level in their relationship, some can’t determine if trust is there, some say they thought trust was there but then something happened that indicated otherwise, and most who say trust is key to their success can’t describe how to build or sustain it.

Outsourcing has an inherent challenge that makes trust become crucial to achieving successful outcomes. We’ve developed all sorts of… Read the rest

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