The ability to report on key business metrics via customer portals has
become a deciding factor in today=92s outsourcing contracts as
businesses demand greater transparency and accountability from their
suppliers. That=92s according to leading business intelligence company,
Yellowfin, which says it is increasingly providing solutions to
outsourcing companies whose customers want them to underpin their
offerings with advanced reporting tools and customer portals so they
can monitor the outsourcer=92s performance in real time.
Yellowfin CEO, Glen Rabie said momentum for outsourcing continues to
grow as businesses seek to lower their costs by leveraging the
capabilities of specialist providers. However, he said companies on
their second or third round of outsourcing contracts have learned the
hard lessons from past experience and now expect far more of their
suppliers than simply reducing their expenses.
=93In the early days of outsourcing, companies just looked at their
transaction costs and didn=92t think through all the implications for
their business,=94 Mr Rabie said. =93This meant that those who outsourced
their HR function had less control over how they met their regulatory
and insurance obligations, while companies outsourcing their marketing
or product fulfillment lost access to key customer data.=94
Mr Rabie said today=92s outsourcing customers are driving a new level of
service delivery by requiring their supply partners to provide
extensive reporting of a wide range of business metrics to enable them
to track their KPIs and ensure they meet their regulatory
obligations.
=93Regardless of whether they are a full service provider or deliver
Software as a Service online, today=92s outsourcers are expected to
demonstrate a level of sophistication in their business intelligence
that keeps the customer fully informed about the function being
outsourced.=94
Yellowfin Levels the Playing Field The business realities of
outsourcing as a low margin, high volume approach means that small and
mid-sized outsourcers can rarely afford expensive business
intelligence tools, which is where Yellowfin=92s affordable, web-based
solutions come in.
=93Yellowfin takes the hard work and expense out of business
intelligence with intuitive, easy-to-use solutions that integrate
seamlessly into clients=92 existing systems and provide real-time access
to a full array of reporting, analysis and collaboration tools via an
online portal,=94 said Mr Rabie.
One of Yellowfin=92s clients recently won a major outsourcing contract
on the strength of its ability to provide the customer with online,
searchable access to detailed business analytics about the outsourced
function.
=93Customers are no longer willing to simply give up control of any part
of their organisation and nor should they. They want the reporting
capabilities and transparency that will enable them to track their
performance in all areas of the business, regardless of who actually
delivers the service.=94
Mr Rabie said advances in technology made it possible for outsourcing
companies to provide secure access to customer and transactional
records online.
=93We=92re increasingly seeing situations where contracts are being
awarded on the strength of the outsourcer=92s ability to support their
service delivery with business metrics and analytics. Indeed,
companies which fail to leverage these technological advances to
enhance their offerings are destined to lose market share to their
more proactive competitors,=94 he said.
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