Offshoring in countries vulnerable to political instability is always a risk; concerns about offshoring in South Africa have been raised by recent news headlines. To find out more, visit: http://www.sourcingmag.com/

Offshoring is clearly an attractive option for contact and call centres – primarily because it is cheap. But the old saying, ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’ comes to mind. Offshoring can certainly be a cost effective move for the contact centre sector, but political instability needs to be a factor to consider.

Offshoring: The Uncertain South African BPO Sector

And the benefits of offshoring have been recently put into stark question as a result of the political uncertainty in South Africa. The break-away faction of the ANC has launched a new political party, the Congress of the People. It’s a step that follows the removal of the South African President, Thabo Mbeki and the resignation of a number of his cabinet colleagues. And the instability and uncertainty is now being considered as a factor in discouraging offshore business process outsourcing investors (BPO).

ANC Political Crisis Impacts on South African Offshoring

However offshoring in the country shouldn’t suddenly be pulled because of the political upheaval; Datamonitor, the independent market analyst has cautioned companies not to suddenly divest their offshore business process (BPO) outsourcing. Datamonitor advised that South Africa still has strong value proposition. But the firing of Thabo Mbeki by the African National Congress is surely one of the most tumultuous upheavals South Africa’s political system has faced since Apartheid fell. And political and economic instability go hand in hand. And the concern remains that BPO and offshoring companies in the region may be reconsidering their future, as well as their existing, investments in delivery from South Africa.

Offshoring Future in Question after ANC’s Bloodless Coup

South Africa has so far proven to be one of the most desirable locations on the BPO map, offering the perfect location for a multiple of third-party support services, such as contact and call centres. But there’s no doubt that the recent political turmoil will impact on business confidence in the region. Offshoring may be called into question by some firms who currently have deployments in South Africa. The bloodless coup by the ANC has put forward a presidential candidate, Jacob Zuma. And Zuma is unlikely to inspire the business community to invest in offshoring in the region thanks to his extreme left-wing stance, compared to the centrist Mbeki.

Outsourcing trends have been outlined at the European Outsourcing Association summit.

 
Outsourcing in the call centre sector and for call answering services is an accepted business practice across Europe. And a recent summit hosted by the European Outsourcing Association surveyed their 50 plus delegates to uncover some of the outsourcing trends across Europe and the world. Outsourcing and offshoring has long been an established business practice for the contact centre sector, offering cost effective opportunities for contact centre services.

call answering services

Outsourcing: Increasingly Globalist

The outsourcing industry is increasingly globalist – so much so that the European Outsourcing Association survey reveals the belief that one major Indian player is set to acquire a large European or American provider. 75% of those questioned at the summit believe an Indian outsourcing acquisition is imminent. The survey was conducted by the National Outsourcing Association at the European Outsourcing Association summit in May 2008. Other key findings discovered:

l  Outsourcing across Europe is now regular business practice, with just 8% of delegates believing central European countries don’t believe outsourcing is a useful business practice.

l  Traditionally, outsourcing took contact centres to distant continents, but nearshore locations, including EU countries Spain, Romania and Bulgaria, are increasingly attractive. 59% of delegates felt the European offshore market was more attractive to work with.

l  Although India has built a reputation for outsourcing for contact centres and call centres, just 17% of the delegates questioned said they felt Indian providers were ‘leaps and bounds’ ahead of other countries.

Research Highlights Outsourcing Consolidation

The National Outsourcing Association (NOA) are waiting to see whether a major Indian outsourcer is ready to acquire a large Western player. Martyn Hart chairman of the NOA said in a press release:“The research at the conference highlighted that consolidation will be big…In terms of European outsourcing, the market is maturing with more and more Western European countries outsourcing and Eastern Europe making its mark as an offshore destination.”

Glasses have long been a shorthand code for the geeky and ugly. Stereotypes abound in TV series and movies, where the boy who never gets the girl wears an ugly, ill-fitting pair of glasses. But designer glasses have revolutionized how we see glasses – some of the biggest names in fashion and style know how glasses can make a look. From rock stars to actresses, designer glasses can be the must-have fashion accessory.

Cool Glasses – Crazy Trends

But there are some styles of glasses that belong in the trash bin alongside the ugly stereotypes. With the vast array of designer glasses on offer, there’s really no excuse – but sometimes there’s no accounting for fashion and trends. Take Fern Cotton. The TV presenter was snapped wearing NHS-style glasses. But as the Daily Mail reported, even Cotton, known for her quirky style, couldn’t carry off the ugly specs, “If anyone can make NHS specs look cool, it would be her,” The Mail wrote, “But unfortunately, this is clearly one look that is unlikely  to catch on fast.”

Designer Glasses versus NHS

The free NHS glasses were said to blight many school children’s lives who suffered bullying and teasing for wearing the ugly design. Thankfully, designer glasses now mean no child, or adult, should suffer – glasses have become officially cool. The huge horn-rimmed NHS glasses however did see a re-fashion in the eighties, when glasses frames were huge and often in garish colours. But fashion can work in mysterious ways witnessed by the Ugly Betty effect as demand for her red-rimmed glasses reached fever pitch in America. The vintage look and retro style always comes round again in fashion, even the designs once assigned to the garbage heap of fashion make a come back. The 80s were a style abomination, yet in 2007 everyone was embracing its shoulder-pad gawkiness. Last year, in America an unlikely trend for designer glasses kicked off when bulky, ugly, big glasses frames became the must-have fashion accessory. The influence of alternative films hitting the mainstream audiences, such as Napoleon Dynamite, meant the glasses worn by the Dustin Hoffman character Tootsie, had a resurgence. Unlike stylish designer glasses made to fit face shapes, these glasses are unisex and bulky, but the clunky plastic look may be more than a flash in the fashion pan.

Ugly Glasses? Go Designer

The quirky trend began as customers began taking their mother’s over-sized glasses or aviator sunglasses into opticians asking them to be made into prescription glasses. But the trend moved beyond quirky, street trend-setters as British glasses designers followed their lead and you can buy reading glasses online today. The trend for the bug-eyed 80s glasses has floored some opticians.  As one optician said: “Before, it was that people would come in and try them on and laugh. But now, we have very attractive young ladies come in and put them on and they seriously ask how they look and you don’t want to say ‘terrible’ but, they’re still ugly.”

Document management is crucial for all public bodies and organisations – never more so since the Freedom of Information Act. The Freedom of Information Act means anybody has the right to view documents or information on any subject; the organisation in question must provide the information requested within a month. Without successful electronic document management this can become a logistical nightmare impacting on an organisation’s time and resources.

Document Management: Legal Obligations

There are thousands of public authorities who are now legally obliged to provide information as people now have the statutory right to ask Government departments, schools, hospitals, local authorities and police forces for information on a range of issues. For these organisations effective document management has never been so crucial. Without document management, easy document retrieval, clear and accessible electronic record management and scanned archived files, it can be an uphill struggle. Providing the information requested within the statutory one month time limit can pose a huge drain on resources, time and budget.

Integrated Document Management: Data Protection

Document management is not just crucial for freedom of information, but to ensure you adhere with the Data Protection Act. Organisations, businesses and public bodies have a duty to protect personal data. This means document management needs to be safe and secure. As identity theft and the loss of privacy become bigger issues, reassuring clients and customers that any information held about their lives, from medical records to attendance records, is crucial. Choosing document management and document storage solutions with security features to safeguard sensitive information is a priority. Shredding companies can be vital in managing sensitive and confidential data.

Effective Electronic Document Storage Solutions

Implementing effective electronic document management systems and archives helps you easily file and retrieve information. One case study in America that implemented electronic document management systems shows how effective document management can improve customer services, project management and records management, as well as facilitate remote locations and mobile users who need to access information. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency implemented such document management to help share information with employees in 13 different locations. By streamlining document management, it’s possible to get rid of multiple archives, improve information retrieval, and reduce the time, space and resources it takes to house multiple archives. This in turn helps organisations comply with the Freedom of Information Act, allowing information to be easily transferred onto CDs or DVDs to be distributed accordingly.

There are countless organisations that used to demand customers or clients to drive to their offices to root out a file; now, electronic document management means it can all be done centrally with public document repositories available online.

Everywhere you turn there is a new marketing agency appearing, offering everything from plastic dump bins to online marketing. Every new agency claims to offer  “blue sky” thinking, “outside-the-box” concepts and “off-the-wall” strategies.  And each one claims to be completely different to all the other marketing companies around.  Visit their beautifully designed, highly optimised, flash filled websites and they will tell you, “We’re not your typical marketing agency” and “We have a different approach to marketing”.  Oh, really?

If everyone has a different approach to marketing, then no-body does.  So choosing the right marketing agency can be a tough job.  How do you choose between a full service advertising agency and a specialist search engine marketing company?

Sometimes the only way to decide from all the competition is to meet them, and quite simply, see if you like them.  But meeting every single marketing agency in your area can be time-consuming and, let’s face it, a complete bore!  Nobody wants to sit there and listen to hours and hours of marketing drivel when all you want is results.

That’s the Way it Goes…

These days, the first place that your potential customers will look is your website and this goes for media recruitment agencies and many other companies.  Whether you’re a one man band working in a shed or a team of 50 working in a state-of-the-art office, your website speaks first.  It doesn’t matter if you are armed with sales people that could give Sir Alan Sugar a run for his money – if you have services to offer, then you need traffic.  Search engine specialists who know Google like the back of their hands can drive traffic to your website, and then the rest of the battle is yours.

Increased traffic can dramatically increase your sales, simply because people can find you quickly and easily.  But so many marketing agencies can provide SEO as an additional service, so is a specialist search engine marketing company really necessary?

Any Marketing Agency Will do, Right?

Marketing companies that offer SEO as an additional service or bolt-on to their other packages are not experts in search engine marketing.  Their services are usually outsourced – how can you really trust a company with your business when you don’t know where they get their people from?

Companies who do specialise in SEO make it their core business and care only about results.  Because their services are delivered in-house by people that they have recruited and trained, they can offer you a fair price.  You will be paying for exactly what you get, and you will also be paying for consistent quality time and time again.

Who would have thought that you could grab a little desk in your local estate agents and call yourself an email marketing company?  Well, you can.  Whatever the nature of your business, there are other businesses out there who are waiting to share their space with you.  The general rule is if you’re a start-up web design company with a staff count of one, you wouldn’t share an office with the leading designers in your region.  Other than this obvious guideline, anything goes.

Serviced offices are a quick and simple way to hit the ground running with new enterprises.  They can provide low cost solutions and flexible terms and recycling services www.lombardrecycling.co.uk.

Importance of a Business Premises

If your company doesn’t have a premises, people can be quick to assume that you are a one-man band.  They may be correct in their assumption, but you still want to project an image of professionalism, success and sufficient resources, otherwise your potential customers may turn elsewhere.

Serviced offices will give you a business address and a professional atmosphere to greet your clients.  It will also locate you close to other businesses, who may require your services or be able to provide you with their services in return.  Shared office space can centralise your company in a resourceful community.

Abundance of Office Benefits

Serviced offices are highly equipped, fully serviced and can also provide a comfortable and professional atmosphere for your business with plush seating and curved office desks.  So many modern companies are now office sharing, sub-letting their own space, or setting up camp in someone else’s office.  With a ready-made, well-equipped working environment, who wouldn’t?

Meeting rooms can be hired by the hour so resources are not lacking.  Some serviced office brokers can even offer packages that include a phone line, a telephone number, broadband access, reception and post-room services and more.  So many entrepreneurs and small businesses are choosing serviced offices because they can benefit from the facilities within the building.  Shared office space can cut out all the headaches so eager entrepreneurs can focus on getting their business idea in the air. Check out http://www.areasq.co.uk for great office options.

Clothing is very important in work for a number of reasons. It must present you as a professional; it must fit in with the tone of your workplace and it must also be functional. Here are three different kinds of work outfit and where they are suitable:

• Suits

Suits are classic working attire for – often literally – white collar workers. Businessmen and women are expected to wear suits in many professions, from law to finance and many other too. There are more offices now allowing workers to forgo a tie or jacket in the workplace, but this smart image is important for the reputation of many companies.

• Overalls

Overalls are the uniform of the manual worker and this could be anyone from a mechanic to a caretaker or builder. This workwear is chosen because it is protective – both against dirt and materials that would scratch and tear less hardy clothing.

• Smart casual workwear

Between suits and overalls there are all sorts of types of clothing worn in all sorts of jobs and often a smart-casual look is chosen. Personalised embroidered sweatshirts and t-shirts are commonly worn with trousers or smart jeans. Clothing matters to some extent and people should be presentable, though being good at your job should always rank highest in terms of importance.