Size & Growth as Defined by the New Global Outsourcing 100 (Final Blog in a 4-Part Series)

Tah dah! We have arrived – our Global Outsourcing 100® blog series is coming to a close. Hopefully, it’s been as fun for you as it has been for us here at IAOP. So far in the series we’ve discussed Delivery Excellence, Programs for Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in filling out the Global Outsourcing 100 application. If you missed either of these blogs, we’ve got you covered…you can check them out here (Delivery Excellence//Programs for Innovation//CSR).

In concluding the series, today’s blog will focus on “Size & Growth.”

This is the 4^th and final of four judging categories (Delivery; Programs for Innovation; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); and Size & Growth) in the Global Outsourcing 100. We’d like to also give a final shout out to those companies that have distinguished themselves by receiving half or full stars in one or more specific categories.

This judging area combines three questions on the application, which include:

• Size being given the highest of their score for revenue or employees for the current fiscal year.
• Growth being given the highest score for revenue growth or employee growth over the three-year period.
• Global presence, scored based on the number of countries in which the company has multi-client service centers (or offices with full-time employees (FTEs) in the case of advisors). 

Preset bands for revenue, FTEs and number of countries determine the score values; these tables are found in the publicly provided Process & Methodology document downloadable from IAOP’s website. Unlike the other judging categories, which may be influenced by the independent judging panel input, the Size & Growth score is determined purely on information provided by the applicant. 

 Companies are sorted by Size or Revenue into two judging groups:  Leaders or Rising Stars.   Leaders are above either a $50M revenue or 5,000 FTE threshold; Rising Stars are below.  The top 100 provider list is made up of 75 Leaders and 25 Rising Stars.  Most Size & Growth scores for Leaders falls into the 3.5 to 5.5 range, and Rising Stars are in the 2.5 to 3.5 range.  Advisors are in one group, and mostly came in between 3.5 and 6.5.

IAOP and its judging panel, led by Mike Corbett, IAOP Chairman, invite you to use this space to explain how and why your company is one of the highest rated in this judging category by sharing your examples of company Size & Growth with our members.

For more information on the Global Outsourcing 100 Process & Methodology, please visit IAOP’s website, here. 

Corporate Social Responsibility as Defined by the New Global Outsourcing 100 (Part 3 of a 4-Part Series)

Another day – another Global Outsourcing 100 Blog! So far in the series we’ve discussed Delivery Excellence and Innovation in filling out the Global Outsourcing 100® application. If you missed either of these blogs, don’t fret…you can check them out here (Delivery Excellence//Programs for Innovation).

Today we are going to focus on “Corporate Social Responsibility.”

This is the 3^rd of four judging categories (Delivery; Innovation; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); and Size & Growth). To those companies that have distinguished themselves by receiving half or full stars in one or more specific categories, you can’t hear it, but there is applause in the background.

With rising global awareness surrounding social responsibility, including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it is of utmost importance to recognize service providers who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in, and ongoing commitment to, activities that foster community involvement, fair operating and labor practices, respect for human rights, attention to environmental impacts, consumer issues and good governance.

An increased number of organizations considering provider CSR capability when making an outsourcing decision has led to a maturing of the outsourcing industry’s acceptance of CSR.

This section of the application allows providers to share their company CSR programs as shown through outcomes that address such topics as:

• Community involvement and development
• Labor practices
• Human rights
• Fair operating practices
• Environmental impacts
• Consumer issues
• Organizational governance

These above-named areas are based on the ISO 26000 in Social Responsibility that provides guidance on how businesses and organizations can operate in a socially responsible way. Each must provide reasonable evidence of company compliance in each area, through independent third party reference sources, and/or a published and audited CSR report.

IAOP and its judging panel, led by Mike Corbett, IAOP Chairman, invite you to use this space to explain how and why your company is one of the highest rated in this judging category by sharing your examples of company CSR with our members.

For more information on the Global Outsourcing 100 Process & Methodology, please visit IAOP’s website, here.

Programs for Innovation in Outsourcing as Demonstrated Through the New Global Outsourcing 100 (Part 2 of a 4-Part Series)

Yesterday, we started this series discussing Delivery Excellence in filling out the Global Outsourcing 100® application. If you missed all of the excitement, check out the blog here.

Today we are going to focus on “Innovation.”

This is the 2nd of four judging categories (Delivery; Programs for Innovation; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); and Size & Growth). An extra pat on the back to those companies that have distinguished themselves by receiving half or full stars in one or more specific categories. 

The Programs for Innovation category of IAOP’s Global Outsourcing 100 program gives service providers and advisors the opportunity to showcase how they go about delivering innovation for their customers. It focuses not just on specific examples but on the programs that service providers and advisors have in place to identify and implement innovative solutions.

Some examples frequently cited by industry experts Mary Lacity and Leslie Willcocks are:

• A better forecasting tool that improves a retailer’s stocking, inventory levels and reduces errors
• Adding a predictive tool to a claims submission process that significantly reduces rework costs
• An improvement to an existing manufacturer ordering process that reduces both stocking costs and delivery delays
• A governance tool that results in more efficient and effective customer management in a multi-vendor environment

Selection process details and company strengths are featured in a special advertising feature, produced by IAOP, in the June 8, 2015, Fortune 500 issue of FORTUNE® magazine.

Defining and meeting service levels and costs is now a given. Today’s customers demand that— and innovation—from their top providers. The addition of this category to the Global Outsourcing 100 gives both providers and advisors an opportunity to showcase what they are doing and will help customers, providers and advisors better focus on this critical aspect of contemporary outsourcing.

Innovation in outsourcing can impact any outsourced process, in any business function and industry. While technology is often a key driver of innovation, innovation is certainly not limited to technology companies or technology services.

Outsourcing buyers understand there are multitudes of qualified service providers and advisors out there; what they really need to understand now is what makes each exceptional. As the outsourcing industry continues to mature, customers have come to expect excellent service that meets or exceeds agreed-to service levels at an agreed-to price. 

Today’s outsourcing environment demands more. It demands service providers and advisors who can work collaboratively with their customers to constantly break new ground, achieve unanticipated benefits and help their clients win both today and tomorrow in the markets they serve. In short, customers across all areas are looking to their providers and advisors to not only see, but to deliver these performance improvements as an integral part of their value proposition.

Finally, innovation in outsourcing is more than just an occasional breakthrough idea. Top outsourcing service providers actually set up company-wide, multi-client programs that encourage, facilitate and support the identification and implementation of improved customer performance through innovation.

Some companies establish productivity improvement targets with all of their customers and then work collaboratively to meet them. Others establish gain-sharing programs at the project-level, while others commit to ‘innovation days’ where customer and provider personnel come together to focus solely on ways to improve customer performance.

IAOP and its judging panel, led by Mike Corbett, IAOP Chairman, invite you to use this space to explain how and why your company is one of the highest rated in this judging category by sharing your programs for innovation with our members.

For more information on the Global Outsourcing 100 Process & Methodology, please visit IAOP’s website, here.

Delivery Excellence as Defined by the New Global Outsourcing 100 (Part 1 of a 4-Part Series)

Hip hip hooray...it's not the New Year but it sure does feel like it around here with the buzz and excitement of IAOP's 10th edition of The Global Outsourcing 100®!

The companies on the list are all top companies and we want you to know what makes them so special and how they got here in the first place. Each organization completed a rigorous, opt-in application (and by the way, hats off to those who applied – not everyone does and it shows your commitment to our industry!) based on 4 distinct areas: Delivery; Programs for Innovation; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); and Size & Growth.  Those companies that have distinguished themselves receive half or full stars in one or more specific judging category…kudos to you!   *Note - advisors only eligible for three stars.

In this blog, I'm going to focus on “Delivery Excellence."

Judging for the Global Outsourcing 100 is based on a rigorous scoring methodology that includes a review by an independent panel of IAOP customer members with extensive experience in selecting outsourcing service providers and advisors for their organizations. The Global Outsourcing 100 list is one factor that outsourcing customers need to use as a reference when selecting service providers and advisors. We encourage them to carefully consider all of the great companies out there in determining the right fit for them in making their own business decisions.

When filling out the application, outsourcing service providers and advisors practicing delivery excellence demonstrate it through:

• the value they create with that company’s top customers
• industry recognition
• relevant organizational certifications
• individual professional certifications 

This multi-part question asks applicants to provide information just as they might in a real-life request for proposal.

The question includes (and is in order of importance):

• Citing their top customers that best demonstrate sustained excellence in the delivery of services, and to provide published third-party sources, direct customer quotes and/or letters of recommendation. Receiving full credit requires both a well-documented discussion of the relationship—what was done, how long, what problem was solved, services delivered and results achieved—and well documented third-party or client executive endorsements, specifically about services and results (as opposed to “well done, thank you” letters).
• Providing the three most recent and relevant public recognitions the company has received that demonstrate business and outsourcing excellence, along with independent sources for validation.  These recognitions should be public and competitively judged by a third-party source; where there is an opportunity for a wide segment of businesses to qualify and be selected.
• Providing the three most recent and relevant certifications the company has received—or its individual professionals in the case of advisors—in the skill and knowledge sets that demonstrate excellence in its outsourcing business, with independent references for validation.  Certifications should be public and competitively awarded by a third-party source.
• Providing the number of IAOP Certified Outsourcing Professionals® they have on staff (aCOP or COP).

IAOP and its judging panel, led by Mike Corbett, IAOP chairman, invite you to use this space to explain how and why your company is one of the highest rated in this judging category by sharing your examples of company delivery excellence with our members.

For more information on the Global Outsourcing 100 Process & Methodology, please visit IAOP’s website, here.