Category: Outsourcing Advisors
Meet The Don of BPO (Part 2)
Welcome to Part 2 of the Don Schulman interview, where he talks to us about whether shared services are really dying, the changing role of advisors, and where he sees the BPO industry moving in the future, and what he means by "verticalizing the horizontal". Read More
The biggest political threat (yet) to the outsourcing industry
The Swiss, in their typically punctilious fashion, now have an "Anti-PowerPoint Party" with the self-stated goal of having the number of boring PowerPoint presentations on the planet to decrease and the average presentation to become more exciting and more interesting.Read More
The undisputed facts about outsourcing, Part 5: Decision-makers increasingly reliant on peer-networking and research than traditional channels
In the past, outsourcing was still a unique, foreign and scary activity, and it was always easier for buy-side executives to bring in consultants to make their decisions for them - especially as there were so few trusted data-points and information sources widely available in the industry to support decision-making. Executives didn't want to get fired for making bad decisions. However, today they know they'll get fired for the wrong decision regardless of who made it - whether it was theirs' or McKinsey'sRead More
The undisputed facts about outsourcing, Part 3: With outsourcing demand at unprecedented levels, can new buyers get across the finish-line?
HfS Research's "State of Outsourcing 2011" study of 1335 industry stakeholders, conducted with the Outsourcing Unit at the London School of Economics, points to a marked turnaround in outsourcing intentions as global economies reach a period of sustained (albeit limping) recovery. For many organizations today, clearly the short-term counter-recessionary measures have been executed through to fruition, leaving business function leaders under renewed pressure to seek out new operational strategies for driving out cost and improving global effectiveness.Read More
Libertarians, Outsourcing, Lobotomies and FINRA
FINRA is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States and its recent proposed rule changes are rattling the world of outsourcing. So what happens when you mix these proposed FINRA regulatory rule changes, a well-known outsourcing partner from law firm powerhouse Loeb & Loeb, LLP, and the HfS Governator?Read More
HfS Podcast: The Governator holds court
We couldn't wait to sit down with Tony for a podcast recording to hear what's in store for you in the coming monthsRead More
So what on earth does the future hold for sourcing advisors?
Last week's outsourcing advisory bombshell wedding between KPMG and EquaTerra may well prove to be a turning point in the way buyers are serviced in the future. Management consultants need to have deep experience, knowledge and data on the operational guts of outsourcing, while boutique advisors need to offer a much broader consultative value proposition for clients who are tackling global operational issues. So what on earth does the future hold for sourcing advisors?Read More
EquaTerra + KPMG – a new era, or a new error for outsourcing advisory?
So... has KPMG made a wise move purchasing EquaTerra, and how will this impact the industry?Read More
Let’s cut through the fluff and discover what’s really going in the sourcing industry
The "Amazing Horse Race" is the ultimate public bloodbath of the sourcing industry, as the "Buy team" defends the title it gloriously won last year in Edinburgh. However this time it's not going to be quite as easy...Read More
TPI + Compass: a new direction for outsourcing advisors, or more of the same?
With the increased focus on outsourcing advisory services from management consultants such as Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, the souped-up TPI/Compass creates a super-boutique that can compete effectively in the market for the complex enterprise engagements that require a lot of hourly-billable heavy-lifting. There’s little doubt this merger helps bolster TPI’s credentials as a serious player, now the big boys fancy their piece of the action. However, when we look at the current enterprise needs for outsourcing support, we see a dire need for enterprises to receive a mixture of consulting advice and data, served up in a less expensive, easier-to-digest format, than the $500-per-hour model.Read More