The State of Sourcing

With the publishing industry facing cost pressures, change in consumption patterns and struggling to sustain its revenues, it only seemed logical that the industry as a whole would outsource more. To truly understand how the industry value chain perceived outsourcing, we at ValueNotes Sourcing Practice decided to conduct a publishing survey.

To gain clarity on where the industry is heading, we needed to understand: Continue reading ‘Publishing Survey: Disparity in cost savings continues’ »

“No more offshoring for us. We have not been convinced about the service providers’ ability to maintain quality.” This was the reaction from one of the disgruntled customers, a US based Law Firm that tried & rejected offshoring.

There are some law firms and corporates that have tried and rejected the offshoring initiatives. During our course of research, we found a number of buyers who cited unsatisfactory work quality for abandoning their offshoring initiatives. Several of them were unhappy about the inconsistency of the work delivered and non-receipt of the quality promised. Understandably, taking into account the delicate nature of legal work, quality of work delivered is of paramount importance in this industry.

Why the low score on quality? Outsourcing is not a simple process, and takes considerable commitment from not just the service providers’ side but also (and more importantly) from the buyers’ side. Most problems arise because buyers expect a lot, and/or service providers promise more than they can deliver. One of the most critical success factors is setting and communicating realistic (and achievable) expectations before the commencement of a project. A managing partner at a law firm rightly puts it, “Regular communication, internal preparation and preparation of documentation and setting processes for smooth transitioning - these are crucial to make a success out of offshoring.”

Continue reading ‘No Compromise on Quality!’ »