Public Relations gets outsourced for increased Brand Awareness

It has long been understood that the objective of a PR (Public Relations) firm was to represent a business in their brand creation, target audience engagement, and brand awareness/ distribution. The digital age has brought an increased investment to public relations & campaign management, and more and more businesses are looking to create strategy that has a strong ROI.

The foremost of these changes for PR firms is in the utilization of BPO/ Business Process outsourcing. Already, the trend of outsourcing has found its way into major media outlets including Reuters, The Boston Globe, The Financial Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press. Brand Consultant & BPO specialist, Rohit Barman, president of DPS America suggests that American businesses must "look to implement campaign design & distribution off-shore, while keeping the Art Direction in-house". The additional capital saved can also be allocated for hiring strong Art Directors, engaging in paid press releases, organizing live marketing events, & other face to face interactions that must occur on-shore.

One possible site to take a cue from would be PitchEngine. The concept of this site is user generated Social Media Releases. These SMR's take advantage of the popularity of Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter and allow the client to put together a pitch that reaches these sites. A BPO team is a strong solution for the distribution of such campaigns, as they can cost-effectively take ONE campaign & submit it to various internet feeds, social networks, media outlets, and other online distribution resources. Rohit Barman adds that, "the race to the top of the search engines requires a strong emphasis on distribution, and this equation can only be done with increased manpower"

By Kevin Haggerty

A BPO insider addresses risk management in business outsourcing

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) can easily come off as a complex industry full of used car salesmen types. However, there is no doubt that American businesses are reaping the benefits associated with outsourcing. I had the opportunity to recently interview, Rohit Barman, consultant for 30 year old BPO service provider, DPS Technologies, who outlined some key outsourcing know-how's for any business considering the offshore advantage.

Barman is the president of DPS America, and a 2nd generation BPO agent. His experience includes setting up a HIPAA compliant KPO- centric customer support facility for a Medicare Part D program catering to 70,000 beneficiaries, establishing a BPO-centric 24/7 medical emergency response service, and founding a NY based internet marketing solutions provider with an offshore facility in Kolkata, India.

Q: Describe the role of the "middle man" in business process outsourcing. What makes an executive at a BPO vendor fit this description?

A: A "middle man" is traditionally an outsourcing agent, usually lives in the United States, and is of the same ethnic background of the BPO vendor.

Q: Which BPO services do you recommend outsourcing? and which ones would you say no to?

A: It really depends on the country you are outsourcing to.

When it comes to IT software, internet marketing, and data entry work, India is clearly the offshore leader.

For customer support efficiencies (cell centers), the Philippines has pretty incredible results. Their spoken English skills are comparable, if not better than most Americans.

For hardware support, I would recommend China or Taiwan.

I would not recommend outsourcing art direction, writing/ editing, telemarketing, or any service that requires higher level familiarity with our local culture & communication.

Q: Fraud is an unfortunate side effect of any business, and the complexity of a BPO service certainly opens the door for various types of scams. Have you ever seen an outsourcing executive resort to a pricing scam like bait-and-switch, hidden fees, or false billing?

A: Being a 2nd generation BPO middle men, I have grown up in the outsourcing world. I've worked as a BPO vendor, BPO buyer, and a BPO middle man. In my experience, I have witnessed pricing scams, but I've actively stayed clear from affiliating myself with such businesses. BPO executives are no different than executives of US firms. You should not sign a deal, till you are comfortable with your research & analyzed your risk.

Q: Have you ever witnessed a BPO executive exaggerate what they can deliver in order to make a sale, or charge higher rates?

A: Of-course, the good news is that I'm familiar with global BPO rates & service standards, and utilize my familiarity to negotiate pricing.

Q: How can a company be on guard for these types of unethical practices, ensuring that the value they get from outsourcing is real? What can a BPO buyer do to ensure transparency, reliability, and data security in their deal with an offshore vendor?

A: Business should not underestimate the amount of research and background checks you have to do when selecting an outsourcing vendor, even if they were recommended to you. Some imperative research includes asking yourself...

• Who is the middle man/ agent? - look up records for felony, fraud, and other potential misdemeanors in the United States. There are several BPO middle men in the United States who have settled law suits out of court, and have paid their way back into building a business reputation. Ignoring such an important red flag is no different than getting married to a heroin addict - your partnership is doomed.
• Look up the BPO production facility to see how long they have been around? Ask for local references, and verify them.
• Don't fall victim to the "yes, we can do everything spiel. I've heard it a million times.

Q: Is it possible to settle on a performance scale that uses accepted methods?

A: Buyers should always set up a quality management system in-house. If you open this up to the BPO vendor, you risk being exposed to improper reporting. Conduct monthly reviews based on quantitative reasoning.

Q: While there are always a few of the proverbial "bad apples" in every industry, what has been your overall experience working with BPO companies?

A: A good outsourcing partnership could be a lifelong marriage. If trust & efficiency can be established within the first 6 months to a year, the BPO vendor & business buyer will experience significantly stronger ROI & customer service satisfaction.

By Joseph Unander

Could the evolution of outsourcing be the fastest global development in history?

In a recent interview, the CEO of a major BPO company, WIPRO, said, "As a young industry, business process outsourcing has seen significant change in the market, both from buyer and supplier perspectives."

How significant is this change?

Traditional outsourcing tackled poor communication with pricey phone calls and expensive business trips. But, over the last decade, internet communications has made it fairly easy for local businesses to setup their offshore support, adhering to textbook communication standards. Free software(s) like "Skype" enable businesses to be in constant contact with their BPO units. Skype allows instant messaging & virtual conferencing with voice and video efficiencies. It has become such an outsourcing fad, that GN Netcom, the largest headset provider estimated that the "2009 global market for headsets is worth $2.5 billion and is growing rapidly at 17 % per year."

Over the last decade, American businesses developed a familiarity with outsourcing. While cost used to be a principal factor in diving offshore, businesses became attentive to the liability it aligned itself to. Before long, the solution arrived...

... In an interview with Rohit Barman, president of DPS America, exclusive consulting hub for 30 year old BPO service, DPS Technologies, he said, "Currently, the ISO 9001-2000 certifies companies for better performance and quality. Simply, do not outsource to a BPO that isn't accredited."

While the two barriers in outsourcing were tackled aggressively, where is this global phenomenon heading?

... It's only been a few years since American Businesses supported "working from home" to reduce infrastructure costs. BPO vendors recently began evaluating this option as well. Raman Roy, CEO of outsourcing facility, Quattro Solutions, views this as "the next-generation step for the industry. It will create jobs for people who are educated but don't have travel flexibility."

In 2005, New York Times columnist & author of bestseller, "the World is Flat", said, "If you don't visit the bad neighborhoods, the bad neighborhoods are going to visit you." With the advent of seamless technology & support, globally accredited BPO models, and cost effective business remedies that mirror local service standards, Business Process Outsourcing is reinventing itself daily. The global neighborhoods have merged, company fences eradicated, and cubicles are being set up thousands of miles apart.

By Joseph Unander

Outsourcing can define your company fate, so look before you leap

According to a recent survey of company executives who pursued an outsourcing strategy, the number one reason for BPO/ offshore investments was expected cost savings. Yet, 25% of those services who outsourced saw no change in costs. Among those who did reduce costs by outsourcing, the average savings was 19%, well short of the high hopes that typically motivate a BPO strategy. Common factors that affect savings include miscommunication, service quality, & security.

However, not outsourcing is even riskier. The competitive environment has become harsher as a result of a historic market depression. Global competition & automated service processes (software driven) have made it even harder for businesses to strengthen their ROI. The most efficient producer is the one who successfully weaves together the best and lowest-cost segment within their company to the finished product.

The risk(s) of offshore investments segments can be assessed, managed, and controlled through proper strategy & service implementation. Independent outsourcing surveyor, Ventoro Institute, found that the leading causes of failure were a lack of preparation by the American purchaser, exclusion of a joint- operation & communication map, and outsourcing the wrong service segment. Each could be avoided with greater diligence on the part of the outsourcing client. "As a rule of thumb, the outsourcing buyer should be the one pushing for greater clarity throughout the entire engagement".

Ventoro estimates that proper service strategy could lead to cost savings of 30%, or greater. So, how do you select a strong BPO vendor?

• Communication: A clear point of contact must be available in person. The point of contact must offer practical intelligence & support you in mapping your service strategy. The "point of contact(s)", are often labeled as the "middle-men of outsourcing" are in many ways a local, and essential agent to the BPO production.
• Quality Control: Check certifications & portfolio. In India, the globally acclaimed program, "ISO 9001-2000" (see example) certifies company(s) for service quality. However, the certification does not guarantee strong ROI.
• Security: If your service maintains sensitive data, ask your BPO vendor to discuss security protocol with you & provide evidence. The ISO 9001-2000 certificate(s) does certify internal security procedures, but does not cover higher level security procedures as required by US federal programs.

BPO specialist, Rohit Barman, the President of DPS America, the exclusive consulting hub for 30 year old global outsourcing firm encourages businesses to "conduct a background check of each company, senior staff members, ask for references, and ensure the company has catered to American clientele for 5+ years." He adds that "you should never take a leap of faith in outsourcing, let proper research define your leap". The result of all this is that if a service fragment can efficiently be outsourced for cost savings, it should be. And those who fail to optimize their service by outsourcing will be competing with others who have conducted their research, and gained ground in the overall market share, with greater ROI & investment potential.