¿Cómo se puede gestionar la salida de un proyecto de BPO?

Begin by reviewing contractual agreements and developing a comprehensive communication plan to notify and engage all stakeholders. Facilitate a thorough knowledge transfer process, ensuring the secure transfer of data and documents. Form a dedicated transition team to oversee the exit process, address potential risks and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Conduct a post-exit evaluation to gather feedback and insights for continuous improvement, formalize closure with appropriate documentation, and maintain professionalism throughout the process. Use the exit as an opportunity to identify areas for enhancement and apply lessons learned to future outsourcing engagements, fostering a positive relationship.

The most important advice I can give is to add an Exit chapter to your contract before it gets signed. Specify the course of action, what is involved and if there are any charges. An exit will happen sooner or later, and can be for convenience or cause. Or just because the term expires. Whatever the reason, if you’ve documented the approach, it will make life easier.

Don’t be naive about the knowledge transfer: you are moving something back in-house or to another provider after years of outsourcing it. You simply will not have the infrastructure or knowledge to support it. Thinking that knowledge transfer will help you build the same service is a recipe for failure. Instead, focus on what you can control: data, documentation etc. Your provider will likely claim that their process is IP. If you have to rebuild the service elsewhere, you might as well find experienced people who can design it from scratch. After all, there is a reason you are leaving your provider, so why copy what they do?

I would say that the reason you are leaving the BPO provider is likely because you are dissatisfied: either with the service or the price. Which means that the situation is already problematic and disputes and issues have happened. Like with any project, you should carry out risk assessments as mentioned above, but more importantly, you should carry out risk assessments on the quality and potential issues stemming from recent service delivery.

Ensure that all processes, procedures, and documentation related to the project are well-documented. This includes standard operating procedures (SOPs), system configurations, and any other relevant information. Provide training sessions to the client's team or the new service provider's team to familiarize them with the project requirements, tools, and processes. Another key aspect is to offer ongoing support to address any issues that may arise after the exit. This could include answering queries, providing additional training, or assisting with the transition.

Start with the end in mind: every contract expires, so make sure to define that Exit contractually at the start. It’s much easier to define this upfront than to wait until there is an issue.