Outsource Issue 23 - (Page 48)

Right FRom the StaRt In the third article in a series of five, the National Outsourcing Association’s Programmes Director Chris Halward examines a critical aspect of outsourcing (and one of the four key elements of the NOA’s Life Cycle model): Relationship Engagement… Chris Halward, NOA Pathway Chris Halward is Programmes Director for NOA Pathway, the NOA’s professional development arm. Chris is an associate tutor at Middlesex University, the body that accredits NOA Pathway outsourcing qualifications at degree and postgraduate level. O 48 ●● utsourcing is a longterm strategy that, when executed well can transform an organisation’s performance. What the parties do in the early stages has a significant and lasting impact on success. The ‘relationship engagement’ process at the start can either provide the basis for realising strategic goals or a nightmare of missed opportunities, loss of control and time-consuming, stressful conflict. Relationship Engagement, sometimes called procurement or vendor selection, is a two-way process between customer and supplier. It is the stage at which parties come together and establish a contractual agreement to form a mutually beneficial business relationship. This is likely to be a highly complex process, with significant risks attached. It’s vital that it is undertaken with care and professionalism on both sides. Risks How can relationship engagement go wrong? Many of you reading this article may have first-hand experience or have heard of high profile cases. The recent EDS/BSkyB dispute, which resulted in the parties amassing legal fees reported to be in excess of £70m, provided lessons to be learned: not to take too much at face value but to question and explore your potential partners’ claims and proposals. “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” - John Cotton Dana www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Issue 23

Outsource Issue 23
Contents
News & Comment
IT Security
Ian Collard
More Than Just A Headcount
Call Centre Technology
Social Issues
Understanding Value
Cutting Through The Noise
All In The Genes?
It’s Time For Contact Centres To Get Socially Responsible
Right From The Start
All In The Game
Relationship Management Centres
NOA Roundup
Document Management
Digital Vision
Review Ructions
Provider Perspective
A New Reckoning?
Head-to-Head
The Music of Outsourcing
Accelerating Innovation
Labour Arbitrage
Top Ten Tips
The Legal View
HfS: New outsource Partner
Online Round-Up
Sourcebites
Inside Source
The Last Word

Outsource Issue 23