Attracting BPO clients requires expertise, reliability, and relationship building. Service providers must demonstrate a high level of expertise in the chosen business process and operate as an arm of the client. Building relationships through networking and attending BPO conferences is also important.
Attracting business process outsourcing (BPO) clients is a function of developing an expert reputation and building relationships. In practice, cultivating BPO clients requires the same type of traditional prospecting and relationship building as regular consulting. What sets the process development client apart for outsourcing is the underlying requirement that the BPO service provider demonstrate a level of expertise in the chosen business process that instills absolute confidence that he can outperform the client and can stand in the customer’s shoes when dealing with customers, employees and suppliers.
Many BPO projects require the outsourced service provider to operate as an arm of the client. When a customer calls a third-party customer service center, for example, he shouldn’t be able to tell that the people working in the center are employees of a consultant, not the company from which the customer purchased the product. As a result of the agency nature of the relationship between the client company and the BPO service provider, the standards used to verify providers are high, making it more difficult to attract clients from a cold approach than in other areas of consulting.
To attract BPO clients, you must first establish your expertise in the business process you hope to deliver. For example, if you want to convince a company to outsource their accounting department, you would benefit from having all the credentials of a certified public accountant, and any affiliations or accolades that demonstrate your specialist knowledge can only help. This includes holding leadership positions in trade organizations, publishing articles, as well as teaching, training, and mentoring others.
You must also establish the reliability and level of excellence of the system used to provide services to attract BPO clients. It is in the nature of the agency that the client has a lower tolerance for errors made by a paid consultant than for errors made internally. The best way to demonstrate excellence is to have prior work to show and a list of references. Some of the techniques for establishing an initial baseline are doing some work at cost, applying for government contracts that allow new companies to bid, and forming partnerships with established companies that may need to divert work.
The other half of attracting BPO clients is building relationships. Start with people you know and people they know for contacts and introductions. Use social media to expand your contacts outward. Network in person by attending trade association meetings and attending events that cater generally to the business community. The outsourcing industry also has a number of BPO conferences that you can attend, allowing service providers to interact with companies looking for services.
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