Okay, I agree. Outsourcing for many companies is now been there done that now. Years before outsourcing had made to news circuits and industry trends, many large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies were doing it already and had operations world-wide. After that small and medium companies also jumped on the bandwagon. A recent research story on CEOs and Managing Directors of medium to small sized business revealed that 27 percent of them are determined to outsource at least one or two functions of business to overseas BPO vendors three years down the line.

It was also mentioned that offshore programming and development jobs have developed three folds with an estimation of 80,000 from 27,000. In another inevitable finding stated in the report was the prediction of the migration of one of every ten tech U. S. companies to outsource destination by the end of year 2010. Coming to the most popular outsourcing destination India, from 25 percent to about 55 percent Fortune 500 companies are already reaping the benefits of outsourcing services here and the figures are expected to be doubled by the yearend. Till now, whatever has been discussed and told is been listened to boredom. But what I want to enlighten is that call center outsourcing is not a piece of cake. Neither for the company which chose to outsources nor for the vendor/call center that serves.

The most difficult problems faced by both parties are:

1) Strategic Goals and Thinking

2) The Transition Period and Costs

3) Reading between the Lines

4) Cultural Issues

5) Services Level Expectations and their Fulfillment

6) Relationship Management Though, the processes between clients and call center is handled by expert process manager, some issues remain unresolved till end, For instance, the major issue as complained by most of clients is the difference between the thought processes and work levels. Another issue which often keeps cropping up is communication gap that leads to misunderstandings and professional gaps. Reading between the lines (3), is not a technical problem but mostly depends on the trust and understanding compatibility of both sides. Above all of these, transition period is very critical and foreboding. Transition period is the phase in which information and resources are exchanged. Business analysts and project leaders are sent to company site to delve into the situations, needs and expectations.

This phase is most elaborative and labor intensive in the entire process. This can be cumbersome, frustrating and time consuming too. The Solutions: You should understand that the above problems can happen with on -shore companies as well. There is no set or predefined rule of establishing better communication or trust channels with your outsourcing partner. I always recommend companies and call centers to create professional work rapport. If you can work well onshore, offshoring and outsourcing can be well managed too. However, there is nothing wrong with keeping expectations but be patient for some time. Let the processes, work culture and understanding of the company, goals and objectives engulf into them. You should understand that you cannot close your entire business and send all your work to your outsource agent. What you need to do is to outsource rationally not blindly. You should take time to find a right outsourcing partner for you and then start investing. Begin with one project and then take it to next level after acquiring the required confidence and faith in your outsourcing partner.