Outsourcing and quality concerns
As an information professional I was interested to hear the results of the report* covering a Survey on Outsourcing which documents the perceptions, needs and concerns of information professionals regarding outsourcing of information services.
This survey concentrated on information professionals, but I think the findings are applicable to many other tasks that could be outsourced, especially as more and more firms are looking for ways to reduce their in-house costs.
The full report can be purchased and obviously the contents are copyright, but I think the following snippets (cut from FreePint’s newsletter) support the concept of setting up a quality scheme amongst us micros:-
• The most common services to outsource are generalist and specialist research services; the least common are presentations and legal support
• Those who are outsourcing give high satisfaction ratings for quality and cost-effectiveness
• For those who are not outsourcing, concerns about cost and quality are the most important factors influencing their choice not to outsource.
*´Survey on Outsourcing´ A VIP Report published by Free Pint
Limited, June 2009 ISBN 978-1-904769-59-0