Outsource Magazine Issue 26 - (Page 64)

You Cannot Be SeriouS! Despite the importance of good relationship management, some in the outsourcing community feel that the ways in which we assess customervendor relationships haven’t matured as quickly as the rest of the space. So what’s wrong – and how can we put it right? Richard Condon Richard Condon is the Managing Director of VendorRelate Limited, providing expert services and relationship measurement software to vendors and customers. A 64 ● s individuals we strive to make an impression in our own business environment. We take actions that can expose our very existence, but these same actions also allow us to demonstrate the value we can bring to an organisation. However, organisations by their nature are generally risk-adverse, so we take great care to ensure we comply with our chosen business control standards in support of our actions. It is true to say that such controls can act like a personal insurance policy, they endorse what we do and how we do it, they are usually tried and tested by others and most importantly they help ensure success. So what’s wrong with the methods we use today to assess our outsource relationships? Well, to help to explain this, I am going to diversify and look at the comparatives in the world of tennis. In 1877 the Lawn Tennis Association held its first Wimbledon Championship allowing two players to use their physical and mental strength to win a match. For 125 years the umpire had to make tough scoring decisions on the flight of the ball, which regularly upset many players. No one can forget the ranting of John McEnroe – “You cannot be serious!” – when crowds would often encourage him to remonstrate against the umpire. He was awarded code violations for his efforts, but these penalties would often spur him on to beat his opponent. Changes were introduced in 2002 when a new quality control tool called Hawk-Eye was introduced to the game. Now we had a fresh assessment control tool that tracked the motion of the balls’ flight in 3D and could pinpoint, within a 3mm tolerance, where the ball would land. With this control “The one who loves the least, controls the relationship.” – Robert Anthony www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Magazine Issue 26

News & Comment
2012 in outsourcing
Fine – but what does it all mean?
Steering Steria
Separate Ways?
Getting Smart
Northern Lights
Heads in the Cloud
Connecting Service
Bigger and Better
NOA Round-Up
Breaking Through
You Cannot be Serious!
Back to the Future
Accounts Payable
The Power of Two
Public-Private Partnerships
Kill or Cure
Public Problems
Head-to-Head
Top Ten
The Legal View
HfS Research
Online Round-Up
Inside Source
The Last Word

Outsource Magazine Issue 26

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