There are several components that drive a successful outsourcing partnership, and one of the crucial elements is where your outsourced project will be based. DDC OS have long recognised that selecting the right location, or combination of locations, is essential for success. This is why we strategically place our offices around the globe to offer a range of locations to suits our clients’ needs.
In this blog, we discuss the top questions you should consider when looking at outsourcing locations, and invite you on a tour of the unique advantages offered by our key regions…
What to Consider?
When selecting your outsourcing destination, it’s important to consider several factors. The main element is determining a location that aligns with your brand and business objectives. The decision to outsource involves multiple stakeholders, each with their own priorities. It may appear challenging to find a location that satisfies all parties involved, but with the right blend of options it is achievable. So, what are some of the key considerations?
- Do the tasks you plan to outsource require multilingual capability or involve specialised skills?
- Is the work of a sensitive nature, for example handling complaints?
- Is your project time-sensitive or geographically dependent, requiring agents available across time zones?
- Does the role involve direct customer interaction that requires both language proficiency and cultural understanding?
- Are you open to investing more for a location that provides a highly talented workforce with expertise in your industry?
- Is your task easily replicable, such as a data coding or administrative task? Or does it require creative thinking and problem-solving skills, such as analytic solutions or technical development?
These are just a few questions to keep in mind as you evaluate potential outsourcing locations. Ultimately, the key question remains: what are your precise objectives for outsourcing? Understanding this will enable your outsourcing partner to recommend the most suitable location tailored to meet your specific needs. Many people have a location in mind before considering what would be best for their objectives, so try to keep an open mind. So, let’s now look at the leading outsourcing destinations we offer…
Onshore – UK
The UK has long been a hub for outsourcing due to its well-established business environment and skilled workforce. With a strong regulatory framework and English as the primary language, choosing to outsource to the UK offers seamless communication and compliance for businesses of all sizes. Proximity also makes the UK an attractive option, as operating in the same time zone facilitates real-time collaboration and onsite interaction. Our offices in Worksop, Corby, and Birmingham, as well as our remote UK workforce, serve a wide range of industries and provide specialised account management and support.
The UK is often a preferred option for projects that are more sensitive in nature, such as complaint handling or interacting with vulnerable customers, as well as public sector work. Our UK-based teams offer a blend of expertise combined with native English and cultural understanding. Our clients continue to be impressed with our onshore solutions, especially how our teams are committed to consistently meeting our clients’ unique needs. Our UK teams play a central role in streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and optimising business standards, and this commitment is exemplified by the Best of British Award we were proud to receive at the Global Sourcing Association in 2023.
Nearshore – The Balkans (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia)
Our offices in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Belgrade are strategically positioned to unlock access to a professional multilingual workforce that is over 70% degree educated. The Balkans’ proximity to Western Europe, lower labour costs, and high rate of education make it a compelling choice for companies seeking to maximise operational efficiency and provide high quality multilingual support for their customer base. Direct flights from the UK take under 3 hours, and with a working time zone of +1 GMT, the Balkans offer a convenient and easily accessible choice for outsourcing. Several of our clients who originally outsourced to the UK have later expanded into our Balkans region, drawn by the exceptional calibre of the teams and the cost efficiency of outsourcing in this area.
Our award-winning team’s achievements, such as earning the Best Multilingual Customer Service and Best BPO Partnership awards at the European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards, showcase the outstanding capabilities of our Nearshore teams. Far from being solely focused on customer service solutions, our Nearshore teams also excel at back-office tasks, especially multilingual data coding. This kind of work requires exceptional attention to detail and language proficiency, which enables our teams to support clients with requirements in this area.
Our expansion into Serbia is testament to the remarkable growth we have seen in our Nearshore teams, driven by their outstanding performance and value provided to our clients. Overall, Nearshore is an option well worth considering when embarking on your outsourcing journey.
Offshore – Philippines
The Philippines stands out as a top outsourcing destination, offering distinctive benefits such as a large talent pool of skilled professionals and a high level of English proficiency. Boasting a thriving and vibrant BPO industry, the Philippines has earned a reputation for delivering exceptional data coding and high quality back-office processing solutions. This makes the Philippines an ideal location for businesses wishing to leverage the cost-saving advantages of outsourcing without compromising on quality. Our locations in Manila, Leyte, and Batangas operate according to the time zones of our clients, ensure uninterrupted service, and provide recovery options in case of any unforeseen disruptions.
Having been at the forefront of DDC operations for over 30 years, our Philippines teams continue to impress clients with their professionalism, efficiency, and unwavering dedication. Our Philippines team have built a strong reputation in data capture and back-office processing, delivering outstanding results for our clients. Over time, our teams have evolved to cover customer service functions, developing into handling email communication and social media interaction. This element of our Philippines operation continues to grow as our clients recognise their dedicated approach to customer engagement. The Philippines is where it all started for our business, and the people have been integral to our success. This is why we have made significant investments into local communities to prioritise our people and ensure they are recognised for the valuable contributions they bring. Overall, considering the Philippines for your outsourcing solutions is highly worthwhile.
Conclusion
This blog has highlighted just a few of the benefits that businesses can enjoy from tapping into the outsourcing potential of our key regions around the world. Our global reach continues to advance, expanding our expertise and talent pool to drive increased value for our clients.
When it comes to outsourcing, a tailored approach works best and there is no rule regarding how many outsourcing locations can be utilised. Like some of our current clientele, you may consider starting your outsourcing journey in the UK and gradually expanding tasks to our nearshore and offshore locations as we build trust in the professionalism and reliability of our global teams. You may discover that a hybrid model is the most suitable for your solution, uniting the strengths of each location to establish a global operational model that achieves both affordability and excellence.
It is important to clearly define your goals and ensure that your outsourcing partner provides a strategy that meets these requirements. Keep an open mind – instead of simply following popular location trends, choose options that best align with your brand’s needs.
Why not get in touch with us today to explore which location, or combination of locations, would best suit your outsourcing needs?
