Offshore Outsourcing: Business Models, ROI and Best Practices

Rating:
Summary: Valuable tool for the Call Center Manager
Review: As a manager of a call center, I used this book to gain a better understanding of business process outsourcing. This book presents a thorough description of what processes are being outsourced, to where, and who are the leading vendors. It also includes information on the strategy methodology for outsourcing, selecting a vendor and choosing a country.

One of my favorite chapters is the business model chapter. We currently outsource some of our call center work to Canada and are considering making changes. This chapter was helpful in understanding the choices and nuances of the different outsourcing business models.

Although I was most interested in the customer care chapter, I also found the other chapters on specific processes very informative (IT, HR, F&A, and transaction processing). The book has numerous case studies that are very helpful and interesting.

Highly recommend this book to companies who want to understand offshore outsourcing.

Rating:
Summary: Great Business Process Outsourcing Book
Review: I found this book to be much more packed with information than I had anticipated. I think the title is misleading in the sense that it is not just about offshore outsourcing but really more about business process outsourcing (such as finance and accounting, human resources and call centers).

There is a strategy chapter that lays out the decision-making process and project management steps involved in outsourcing. There is also a chapter on vendor sourcing and selection that is very in-depth. The book also devotes a whole chapter on country options such as China, Mexico, the Philippines, India, Canada, Russia, Ireland and South Africa.

The business model chapter explains options for outsourcing such as BOT (build, operate, transfer) or joint ventures. It explains the delivery options such as onsite, nearshore and offshore that companies can explore.



Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of business process outsourcing or offshore outsourcing.


Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive Overview of the Offshore Outsourcing Landscape
Review: This book is truly a pioneer in clearly explaining the emerging landscape around offshore outsourcing. The book takes a balanced perspective and clearly explains the different aspects of offshore outsourcing with chapters on IT, customer care, finance and accounting, human resources and back-office transaction processing (like loan processing, claims processing, medical transcription). Each of these chapters has detailed best practice case studies that describe the sequence of decisions that a company went through in implementing an offshore strategy.

The best chapter in the book is Chapter 2 which clearly explains the different business models behind offshore outsourcing. The authors divide the business models into first generation (e.g., staffing) and second generation (e.g., captive shared services centers and global delivery models). This chapter is very useful in laying out the critical differences between various models.

The last section of the book has three useful chapters: Creating an Offshore Strategy, Vendor Selection Strategy and Country Selection Strategy. These chapters are must read if you are thinking about going the offshore route. The authors incorporate insights from various interviews they have conducted for this book.

In summary, this book is a must read if you are thinking about an offshore strategy. This book stacks up well against the so-called research reports being sold for thousands of dollars.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable tool for the Call Center Manager
Review: This is a really well-written, easy to follow book that puts globalization and outsourcing topics into perspective. Case studies make the concepts concrete. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in understanding the current globalization trends.

Rating:
Summary: Good overview
Review: We used this book to get a clear view of the offshore outsourcing landscape. Making rational decisions regarding offshore outsourcing has become very complex with multiple business models, processes, countries, and vendors. Everyday the landscape is getting more difficult to follow (let alone create a strategy for) as new capabilities, partnerships and developments are brought to market.

We used this book to establish a foundation of basic understanding for the management team. This book is an excellent introductory guide that is easy to understand. The examples and case studies illustrate the key points well.

Highly recommend this book to companies who are beginning to think about offshore outsourcing. After reading this book you will be in a better position to evaluate various options.