Evaluation of the Communication Abilities of a Vendor
A vendor plays a crucial role in outsourcing. An outsourcing deal is a long-term relationship and anything short of open and honest communication can wreck the partnership. If you've decided to outsource certain functions to India as part of a corporate revenue and growth strategy and are scouting around for a partner, bear in mind that while judging the technical and operational competencies of potential vendors, you need to simultaneously test their communication abilities too. And it is important.
The expectations from a vendor are:
1. Dedication to target: While Indian technical competencies are rarely ever in doubt, a huge chunk of the Indian BPO workforce has a long way to go in the communication skills department.
2. Totality: It should be of all work done.
3. Accuracy: It is in terms of the how the work is to be done.
Most companies train their employees in these areas but a customer needs to know if honest communication is ingrained in the vendor's work culture. And it is actualized.
A short guide for vendors
It is a help for you to decide whether your vendor can successfully bridge the cultural divide. And here is a step-by-step guide to things you can do and look out for during the negotiation phase to avoid problems later on.
Business application
The proposal a vendor submits must be detailed, transparent and must emphasize HOW the job will be done. Often, less experienced companies will tell you WHAT they can or will do but become vague when asked to explain in a step-by-step manner HOW this will be done. If they cannot explain a predictable and repeatable process, they have not understood you as a client and are not worth doing business with.
Institute testimonial
The vendor must be well-versed with the kind of compliance standards your process demands and clearly understand its importance. Your vendor should be able to prove his company's credentials in terms of past work done - provide you work samples if needed - as well as the firm's ability to conform to your requirements.
The content of the proposal:
Safety/conformity standards
The proposal must state in detail the compliance/security requirements for the task and also how the company will ensure that its workforce understands and implements these.
The staff Training
A potentially destructive combination, but it does exist. The vendor must clearly state the exact nature of the domain knowledge and communication training planned for its staff. This is a must in the Indian context because many fresh graduates often don't know how to use their knowledge in practical applications. Worse, they don't understand or know how to deal with the work culture of Europe/America. So look into the vendor's technical and soft skills training programs and insist on specific training if necessary. Sometimes, even people with a few years of experience think what they know is enough to do the job.
Scientific communication
A methodical communication is important here. This is no longer a problem since good Indian BPO providers possess or have easy access to world-class computing, networking and security-related technical infrastructure. Communication via email, instant messenger and teleconferencing is the norm. Bandwidth and connectivity are no longer an issue. So beware of vendors who say that they can 'make do' with anything less than what you want.
A dedicated single point of contact on both sides is a must for smooth functioning, as is a detailed issue escalation system. The proposal should be clearly defined roles and responsibilities (task specific channels), especially those related to reporting progress on the job.
The reporting system in turn must clearly specify the traceable and non-traceable modes of communication that will be used so that you can monitor progress every step of the way.
Many continue working in the hope that the problem will be resolved before the deadline and the client need never know that they goofed up. This is changing, but as a customer you can ask for a transparent problem-reporting system and a plan on how it will be implemented. The proposal must establish specific milestones for all phases of the project and how you can track whether or not things are being done on time. One problem with many Indian vendors is the tendency to inform clients about delays and problems at the time of delivery. It has to do with the mindset that a client will think less of them and their abilities if they admit to a problem.
All the best!
