CEOs at three of India’s top ten outsourcing providers recently told the
Times of India that they plan to “reduce on-site work by up to five percent over
the next year and handle traditional onsite projects such as managing takeover
of an existing outsourcing contract& through videoconferencing. (The Times
did not name the CEOs or their companies.)


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src="http://www.it-toolkits.com/images/CloudOutsourcingGuide.jpg" width=85
longDesc="Security Manual Template - Sarbanes-Oxley" height=110>As the
whistleblower case against Infosys, alleging that the Indian IT services
provider misused B-1 visas to bring offshore staff to the U.S., heads to court
later this year, it’s unlikely that scrutiny of the temporary worker visa system
will subside. And, as of Monday, talks between the U.S. and India intended to
address these visa complaints among other issues, were called off
indefinitely.


Prepare now for the inevitable effects of reductions in onshore and on-site
headcount:



  • Conduct a Process Design Review – Make sure that
    essential on-site roles required for seamless operation of global delivery
    will be filled. Consider contract resources to handle short-term gaps, advises
    Amneet Singh, vice president of global sourcing for outsourcing consultancy
    Everest Group. Longer term, developing such skills in-house maybe a better
    bet. “Buyers are picking and choosing certain roles to bring back in-house,”
    says Esteban Herrera, chief operating officer of outsourcing analyst firm HfS
    Research.

  • Invest in Change Management Efforts – Prepare users for
    potential tweaks in the delivery model and changes in their day-to-day working
    experience, says Singh, and execute an effective communication strategy to
    address any uncertainty in the business
    Consider Nearshore Alternatives –
    Providers with alternate delivery locations, like Mexico, do not have the same
    temporary visa restrictions as a result of the North American Free Trade
    Agreement (NAFTA), Herrera points out. They can more easily transfer workers
    across borders to manage projects and knowledge transfer.

  • Beef Up Your Technology Backbone – Your offshore provider
    is likely to require more high-end videoconferencing or digitization
    capabilities to manage future projects. Ensure you have the right
    infrastructure and software to handle the proposed technology enablers of
    diminished on-site staff, says Singh. Also, make sure to design and execute
    effective internal training programs for the new tools.

  • Revisit Contract Pricing - If your IT service provider is
    planning to move on-site roles overseas, it’s probably a good time to
    renegotiate price, but don’t play hardball. Sharing the upside of sending more
    work to less costly locales will result in a happier and healthier
    relationship long-term.

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