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{{Short description|Form of outsourcing}}
'''Business process outsourcing''' ('''BPO''') is a subset of [[outsourcing]] that involves the [[contract|contracting]] of the operations and responsibilities of a specific [[business process]] to a third-party [[service provider]]. Originally, this was associated with [[manufacturing]] firms, such as [[Coca-Cola]] that outsourced large segments of its [[supply chain]].<ref>Tas, J. & Sunder, S. 2004, ''Financial Services Business Process Outsourcing'', Communications of the ACM, Vol 47, No. 5</ref>

BPO is typically categorized into [[back office]] outsourcing, which includes ''internal business functions'' such as [[human resources]] or [[finance]] and [[accounting]], and [[front office]] outsourcing, which includes ''customer-related services'' such as [[contact centre (business)|contact centre]] (customer care) services.<ref>{{cite web|work = Forbes |title = Getting A Piece Of Business Process Outsourcing |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/06/22/getting-a-piece-of-business-process-outsourcing/#12b9f2c56f90}}</ref>

BPO that is contracted outside a company's country is called [[offshore outsourcing]]. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighbouring (or nearby) country is called [[nearshoring|nearshore outsourcing]].

Often the business processes are [[information technology]]-based, and are referred to as '''ITES-BPO''', where ITES stands for Information Technology Enabled Service.<ref name="NellisParker2006">{{cite book|author1=J. G. Nellis|author2=David Parker|title=Principles of Business Economics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8RFUZHfz2gC&pg=PA213|year=2006|publisher=Financial Times Prentice Hall|isbn=978-0-273-69306-2|page=213}}</ref> [[Knowledge process outsourcing]] (KPO) and [[legal process outsourcing]] (LPO) are some of the sub-segments of business process outsourcing industry.

==Benefits==
The main advantage of any BPO is the way in which it helps increase a company's flexibility. In early 2000s BPO was all about cost efficiency, which allowed a certain level of flexibility at the time. Due to technological advances and changes in the industry (specifically the move to more service-based rather than product-based contracts), companies who choose to outsource their back-office increasingly look for time flexibility and direct quality control.<ref>Sagoo, Anoop. [http://www.cio.co.uk/article/3378334/how-it-is-reinvigorating-business-process-outsourcing/ "How IT is reinvigorating business process outsourcing"] CIO. 6 Sep 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2013.</ref> Business process outsourcing enhances the flexibility of an organization in different ways:

* Most services provided by BPO vendors are offered on a fee-for-service basis, using business models such as Remote In-Sourcing or similar software development and outsourcing models.<ref>BPM Watch. "In-Sourcing Remotely: A Closer Look at an Emerging Outsourcing Trend" {{cite web |url=http://www.bpmwatch.com/columns/in-sourcing-a-closer-look-at-an-emerging-outsourcing-trend/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-03-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303212216/http://www.bpmwatch.com/columns/in-sourcing-a-closer-look-at-an-emerging-outsourcing-trend/ |archivedate=2013-03-03 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cio-asia.com/mgmt/outsourcing/boundaries-between-it-outsourcing-and-bpo-are-becoming-blurred-ovum/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025113103/http://www.cio-asia.com/mgmt/outsourcing/boundaries-between-it-outsourcing-and-bpo-are-becoming-blurred-ovum/ |archive-date=2014-10-25 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref> This can help a company to become more flexible by transforming fixed into [[variable costs]].<ref>Willcocks, L., Hindle, J., Feeny, D. & Lacity, M. 2004, ''IT and Business Process Outsourcing: The Knowledge Potential'', Information Systems Management, Vol. 21, pp 7–15</ref> A variable cost structure helps a company responding to changes in required capacity and does not require a company to invest in assets, thereby making the company more flexible.<ref>Gilley, K.M., Rasheed, A. 2000. ''Making More by Doing Less: An Analysis of Outsourcing and its Effects on Firm Performance.'' Journal of Management, 26 (4): 763-790.</ref>
* Another way in which BPO contributes to a company’s flexibility is that a company is able to focus on its [[core competencies]], without being burdened by the demands of bureaucratic restraints.<ref>Kakabadse, A., Kakabadse. N. 2002. ''Trends in Outsourcing: Contrasting USA and Europe.'' European Management Journal Vol. 20, No. 2: 189–198</ref> Key employees are herewith released from performing non-core or administrative processes and can invest more time and energy in building the firm’s core businesses.<ref>Weerakkody, Vishanth, Currie, L. Wendy and Ekanayake, Yamaya. 2003. ''Re-engineering business processes through application service providers – challenges, issues and complexities.'' Business Process Management Journal Vol. 9 No. 6: 776-794</ref> The key lies in knowing which of the main value drivers to focus on – customer intimacy, product leadership, or operational excellence. Focusing more on one of these drivers may help a company create a competitive edge.<ref>Leavy, B. 2004. ''Outsourcing strategies: opportunities and risk.'' Strategy and Leadership, 32 (6) : 20-25.</ref>
* A third way in which BPO increases organizational flexibility is by increasing the speed of business processes. Supply chain management with the effective use of supply chain partners and business process outsourcing increases the speed of several business processes, such as the throughout in the case of a manufacturing company.<ref>Tas, Jeroen, Sunder, Shyam. 2004. ''Financial Services Business Process Outsourcing.'' Communications of the ACM. Vol. 47, No. 5</ref>
* Finally, flexibility is seen as a stage in the organizational life cycle: A company can maintain growth goals while avoiding standard business bottlenecks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.strategy-business.com/press/16635507/11153 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408061144/http://www.strategy-business.com/press/16635507/11153 |archive-date=2008-04-08 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref> BPO therefore allows firms to retain their entrepreneurial speed and agility, which they would otherwise sacrifice in order to become efficient as they expanded. It avoids a premature internal transition from its informal entrepreneurial phase to a more bureaucratic mode of operation.<ref>(Leavy 2004, 20-25)</ref>
* A company may be able to grow at a faster pace as it will be less constrained by large capital expenditures for people or equipment that may take years to amortize, may become outdated or turn out to be a poor match for the company over time.

Although the above-mentioned arguments favour the view that BPO increases the flexibility of organizations, management needs to be careful with the implementation of it as there are issues, which work against these advantages. Among problems, which arise in practice are: A failure to meet service levels, unclear contractual issues, changing requirements and unforeseen charges, and a dependence on the BPO which reduces flexibility. Consequently, these challenges need to be considered before a company decides to engage in business process outsourcing.<ref>Michel, Vaughan, Fitzgerald, Guy. 1997. ''The IT outsourcing market place: vendors and their selection.'' Journal of Information Technology 12: 223-237</ref>

A further issue is that in many cases there is little that differentiates the BPO providers other than size. They often provide similar services, have similar geographic footprints, leverage similar technology stacks, and have similar Quality Improvement approaches.<ref>Adsit, D. (2009) Will a Toyota Emerge from the Pack of Me-Too BPO's?, ''In Queue'' {{cite web |url=http://www.nationalcallcenters.org/pubs/In_Queue/vol3no21.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-05-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410035351/http://www.nationalcallcenters.org/pubs/In_Queue/vol3no21.html |archivedate=2009-04-10 |df= }}</ref>

==Threats==
Risk is the major drawback with business process outsourcing. Outsourcing of an information system, for example, can cause security risks both from a communication and from a privacy perspective. For example, security of North American or European company data is more difficult to maintain when accessed or controlled in other countries. From a knowledge perspective, a changing attitude in employees, underestimation of running costs and the major risk of losing independence, outsourcing leads to a different relationship between an organization and its contractor.<ref>Bunmi Cynthia Adeleye, Fenio Annansingh and Miguel Baptista Nunes. "Risk management practices in IS outsourcing: an investigation into commercial banks in Nigeria", International Journal of Information Management 24 (2004): 167-180.</ref><ref>K. Altinkemer, A. Chaturvedi and R. Gulati. "Information systems outsourcing: Issues and evidence", International Journal of Information Management 14- 4 (1994): 252- 268.</ref>

Risks and threats of outsourcing must therefore be managed, to achieve any benefits. In order to manage outsourcing in a structured way, maximising positive outcome, minimising risks and avoiding any threats, a [[business continuity management]] model is set up. This model consists of a set of steps, to successfully identify, manage and control the business processes that are, or can be outsourced.<ref>Forbes Gibb, and Steven Buchanan. "A framework for business continuity management", International Journal of Information Management 26- 2 (2006): 128- 141.</ref>

[[Analytic hierarchy process]] is a framework of BPO focused on identifying potential outsourceable information systems.<ref>Chyan Yang and Jen-Bor Huang. "A decision model for IS outsourcing", International Journal of Information Management 20- 3 (2000): 225- 239.</ref> L. Willcocks, M. Lacity and G. Fitzgerald identify several contracting problems companies face, ranging from unclear contract formatting, to a lack of understanding of technical IT processes.<ref>L. Willcocks, M. Lacity and G. Fitzgerald. "Information technology outsourcing in Europe and the USA: Assessment issues", International Journal of Information Management 15- 5 (1995): 333- 351.</ref>

===Technological pressures===
Industry analysts have identified [[robotic process automation]] software as a potential threat to the industry<ref name="HfSThreat">{{Citation|title=Robotic Automation Emerges as a Threat to Traditional Low Cost Outsourcing|publisher=HfS Research|url=http://www.hfsresearch.com/Robotic-Automation-as-Threat-to-Traditional-Low-Cost-Outsourcing|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921062911/http://www.hfsresearch.com/Robotic-Automation-as-Threat-to-Traditional-Low-Cost-Outsourcing|archivedate=2015-09-21|df=}}</ref><ref name="GartnerPredicts2014">{{Citation|title=Gartner Predicts 2014: Business and IT Services Are Facing the End of Outsourcing as We Know It|publisher=Gartner|url=https://www.gartner.com/doc/2656215/predicts--business-it-services}}</ref> and speculate as to the likely long term impact.<ref>{{Citation|title=Visions of the Future: The Next Decade in BPO|publisher=Outsource Magazine|url=http://outsourcemagazine.co.uk/visions-of-the-future-the-next-decade-in-bpo/|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413032822/http://outsourcemagazine.co.uk/visions-of-the-future-the-next-decade-in-bpo/|archivedate=2015-04-13|df=}}</ref> In the short term, however, there is likely to be little impact as existing contracts run their course: it is only reasonable to expect demand for cost efficiency and innovation to result in transformative changes at the point of contract renewals. With the average length of a BPO contract being 5 years or more<ref name="GartnerLength">{{Citation|title=Market Trends: Outsourcing Contracts, Worldwide|publisher=Gartner|url=http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=490855}}</ref> - and many contracts being longer - this hypothesis will take some time to play out.

On the other hand, an academic study by the [[London School of Economics]] was at pains to counter the so-called "myth" that robotic process automation will bring back many jobs from offshore.<ref name="LSEXchanging">{{Citation|title=Robotic Process Automation at Xchanging|publisher=London School of Economics|url=http://www.xchanging.com/system/files/dedicated-downloads/robotic-process-automation.pdf}}</ref> One possible argument behind such an assertion is that new technology provides new opportunities for increased quality, reliability, scalability and cost control, thus enabling BPO providers to increasingly compete on an outcomes-based model rather than competing on cost alone. With the core offering potentially changing from a "lift and shift" approach based on fixed costs to a more qualitative, service-based and outcomes-based model, there is perhaps a new opportunity to grow the BPO industry with a new offering.

=== Financial risks ===
One of the primary reasons businesses choose to outsource is to reduce costs. However, this can also come with significant financial risks. If the cost of outsourcing increases due to changes in the global market or if the outsourced company increases its fees, the financial benefits can be eroded. In addition, hidden costs, such as transition and management costs, can also emerge. This can make outsourcing less financially viable than originally anticipated.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Engineering Services Outsourcing Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028) |publisher=Mordor Intelligence Inc |year=2023}}</ref>

=== Loss of control ===
Outsourcing also potentially leads to a loss of control over certain business operations. This can create challenges in terms of managing and coordinating these operations. Moreover, the outsourced company might not fully understand or align with the hiring company's business culture, values, and objectives, leading to potential conflicts and inefficiencies.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Harland |first=Christine |last2=Knight |first2=Louise |last3=Lamming |first3=Richard |last4=Walker |first4=Helen |date=2005-09-01 |title=Outsourcing: assessing the risks and benefits for organisations, sectors and nations |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/01443570510613929/full/html |journal=International Journal of Operations & Production Management |language=en |volume=25 |issue=9 |pages=831–850 |doi=10.1108/01443570510613929 |issn=0144-3577}}</ref>

=== Quality control ===
Quality control can become more challenging when business operations are outsourced. While third-party companies might be experts in their fields, they may not maintain the same standards as the hiring company. This can result in a decline in the quality of goods or services, potentially damaging the company's brand and customer relationships.<ref name=":0" />

==Industry size==
One estimate of the worldwide BPO market from the BPO Services Global Industry Almanac 2017, puts the size of the industry in 2016 at about US$140 billion.<ref name="almanac">{{cite web|url=https://www.itproportal.com/features/the-battle-of-the-bpo-titans-eastern-europe-vs-india/|title=The battle of the BPO titans: Eastern Europe vs. India|author=|date=|website=itproportal.com}}</ref>

India, China and the Philippines are major powerhouses in the industry. In 2017, in India the BPO industry generated US$30 billion in revenue according to the national industry association.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/enterprise-services-and-applications/india-holds-its-global-edge-in-bpm-sector-with-28billion-revenue/54474665|title=India holds its global edge in BPM sector with $28billion revenue|website=ETCIO.com}}</ref> The BPO industry is a small segment of the total outsourcing industry in India. The BPO industry workforce in India is expected to shrink by 14% in 2021.{{cn|date=February 2019}}

The BPO industry and IT services industry in combination are worth a total of US$154 billion in revenue in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/bpm-sector-sees-faster-growth-than-it-services-nasscom-117101201283_1.html|title=BPM sector sees faster growth than IT services: Nasscom|first=Ayan|last=Pramanik|date=12 October 2017|publisher=|via=Business Standard}}</ref> The BPO industry in the Philippines generated $22.9 billion in revenues in 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Dutertes-antiWest-rhetoric-cast-shadow-on-Philippine-BPO-industrys-future |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208122333/https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Dutertes-antiWest-rhetoric-cast-shadow-on-Philippine-BPO-industrys-future |archive-date=2017-12-08 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref> while around 700 thousand medium and high skill jobs would be created by 2022.{{cn|date=February 2019}}

In 2015, official statistics put the size of the total outsourcing industry in China, including not only the BPO industry but also IT outsourcing services, at $130.9 billion.<ref name="itoutsourcing">{{cite news|title=China's service outsourcing grows in 2015|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/chinadata/2016-01/20/content_23167866.htm|agency=China Daily|date=January 20, 2016}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Professional Employer Organization]]
*[[Outsourcing]]
*[[Offshoring]]
*[[Nearshoring]]
*[[Homeshoring]]
*[[Globalization]]
*[[Contact centre (business)]]
*[[List of call centre companies]]
*[[Call center industry in Bangladesh]]
*[[Call center industry in the Philippines]]
*[[Banking BPO services]]
*[[Recruitment]]
*[[Recruitment process outsourcing]]
*[[Software testing outsourcing]]
*[[BPO security]]
*[[Business process outsourcing in India]]
*[[Business process outsourcing in China]]
*[[Business process outsourcing in the Philippines]]
*[[Captive service]]
*[[Offshoring Research Network]]
*[[Legal outsourcing]]
*[[Outsourced document processing]]
*[[Virtual assistant (occupation)|Virtual assistance]]
*[[Benefits of Outsourcing Customer Service to a BPO Provider]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Business process|Outsourcing]]
[[Category:Business terms]]
[[Category:Information technology management]]
[[Category:Outsourcing]]

Business process outsourcing - Revision history

4.78.242.242: minor cleanup

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article