How do you foster BPO change leadership and sponsorship?

1 Define the vision and goals

Before you embark on a BPO project, you need to have a clear vision and goals for what you want to achieve and why. This will help you communicate the value proposition and benefits of BPO to your stakeholders, such as employees, customers, and suppliers. You also need to align your vision and goals with the BPO provider's capabilities and expectations, and establish metrics and milestones to track progress and performance.

2 Engage and empower your people

One of the biggest challenges of BPO is managing the human side of change. You need to engage and empower your people throughout the process, from planning to implementation to evaluation. This means involving them in the decision making, providing them with training and support, addressing their concerns and feedback, and recognizing their contributions and achievements. You also need to foster a culture of collaboration and trust between your internal and external teams, and leverage their diverse skills and perspectives.

3 Identify and address the risks and impacts

BPO involves a significant change in your processes, systems, and relationships, which can pose various risks and impacts to your organization. You need to identify and address these risks and impacts early and proactively, using tools such as a change impact assessment, a risk register, and a mitigation plan. You also need to monitor and evaluate the risks and impacts throughout the project, and adjust your strategies and actions accordingly.

4 Communicate and educate

Communication and education are essential for fostering BPO change leadership and sponsorship. You need to communicate and educate your stakeholders on the vision, goals, benefits, risks, impacts, roles, responsibilities, expectations, and progress of the BPO project. You need to use different channels, methods, and messages to suit your audience and purpose, and ensure consistency and clarity. You also need to listen and respond to your stakeholders' questions, comments, and suggestions, and solicit their feedback and input.

5 Manage the transition and transformation

Managing the transition and transformation from your current state to your desired state is a critical part of BPO change leadership and sponsorship. You need to plan and execute the transition and transformation activities, such as data migration, system integration, process redesign, and service delivery, in a smooth and seamless manner. You also need to manage the change resistance, issues, and challenges that may arise during the transition and transformation, and resolve them quickly and effectively.

6 Evaluate and improve

Evaluating and improving the outcomes and performance of the BPO project is another key aspect of BPO change leadership and sponsorship. You need to measure and analyze the results and impacts of the BPO project, using the metrics and milestones you defined earlier. You also need to compare the actual results and impacts with the expected ones, and identify the gaps, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You also need to implement corrective and preventive actions, and seek continuous improvement and innovation.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?