Top 10 Outsourcing Trends for 2013 released by IAOP

IAOP (The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals)  releases the annual Outsourcing Trends to Watch in 2013:

1.Handling Risk – Government regulations will continue to be enforced and companies will need to adapt and find better, more efficient ways to handle compliance, legal and financial risk.

2. Governance Grows – Governance will be more important than ever to predict against risks.  Expect to see many more different sourcing arrangements than in the past.

3. Real Deal Partnerships – Buyers and sellers will move beyond talking about partnering and actually achieve it.

4. Social Responsibility & Impacts – Corporate social responsibility – including fair wages and labor practices, environmental impact, local community support and sustainability – will move to the forefront of engagements between providers and customers.

5. Professional Certification and Talent – Having employees with the right credentials, expertise and talents will continue to be important in the coming year.

6. Data Security – Security of data as well as availability of systems and networks will remain a major issue for customers and providers.

7. Technology – Trends in technology, including managing data, social media and cloud computing, will drive outsourcing growth in various segments.

8. Alternative Energy – Driven by rising costs and service interruptions, providers with large data and telecommunications centers may look to other energy sources, such as solar or wind.
“Rising utility costs, interruption of service due to natural or man-made events as well as environmental impact of accessing natural resources will drive outsourcing providers to consider alternate sources for their energy consumption,” predicts Jag Dalal, COP and IAOP’s Managing Director of Thought Leadership.

9. Analytics – Analytics will be the key revenue driver for rapidly commoditizing BPO businesses.

10. Rural Sourcing – Outsourcing in U.S. state and local government will continue to accelerate given the continued sluggish economy and dwindling tax base, increasing demand for rural sourcing.

Note: For the full report, read “Trends & Forecasts” in the Nov./Dec. issue of IAOP’s PULSE magazine at www.IAOP.org/PULSE.