Offshore Success – there is no substitute for being there
 Paul Mason, CEO of PMC believes that part of its success with its offshore serfvice offrerd by its India-based subsidiary PMC India (PMC-I), is PMC’s emphasis on ‘being there’.
Mason states: “I think ‘being there’ pays you back in spades. You can’t put a human-based business relationship in a box and expect it to work – it needs to be nourished and nurtured. When you’re dealing with a different country thousands of miles away, and a different, often alien culture, realise you have some learning to do. And understand the learning is not one-way – they must understand you too. At the outset, ask your offshore provider about cultural education. If they don’t offer it or they’re negative about the need for it then question their understanding of off shoring.”
“It doesn’t matter where in the world, with another culture you have to understand what people mean when they speak, and how they operate. Get them to tell you how they work, about their expectations, how they expect to be trained, and about their career structure. This is important because these issues will be in the background of your relationship whether you like it or not, so you’d better understand it.”
When people feel they are adding value to your business - they will
Any outsourcing relationship will (or should) end with more structure around it than an in-house service. With an in-house service it’s likely there will be people in the business that were there when the system was brought in or developed. Even if processes are poorly documented or out-of-date, those people will have an accumulated pool of knowledge about the system – and companies rely on those people.
Unfortunately, few companies have robust documentation with processes clearly laid out, and well-structured training courses for people joining the development or support team. Some do but they are the minority. Too many depend on that ‘accumulated knowledge’. With offshore solutions that ‘knowledge’ is missing. And that usually spells trouble.
So what’s the solution? Be there. Go and see the offshore operation and talk to the people that do the work. Visit them regularly to check progress, meet people and ensure they buy in to your plans. And don’t forget to bring them to you. Ensure the offshore team visits your company. Cycle the offshore team through your business so they understand what it’s about. It’s possible that some members of that team will have no idea what a western retailing operation looks like – let them ‘touch it and feel it’ - it’s the only way to succeed.
Retailing in India - totally different to the UK
“It’s often hard for Indians to conceptualise what retailing in the UK is about – because it’s different in India. That means the people developing your systems can’t understand the experience you are trying to deliver to your customers.” Mason states.
“There are over 10 million ‘Mum and Pop’ stores across India. That makes large, principally self-service environments alien to most Indians. As a result, those UK retailers that have set up in India use a different staffing structure. Consider a retail environment based largely on a catalogue. In the UK you have staff at the till or the service counter but none front of house. No one in the UK expects help to look through a catalogue before they buy or to examine the product. In India it’s different. Customers expect staff front of house to help them. They will want to see and feel the goods they purchase.”
Mason continues: “When I was last in India I needed to buy a razor. In a small high street electrical shop six people were involved in the transaction. First, the person that opened the door to let me in and out, the person that took my order and the person who went to the stockroom to fetch the razor. They passed it to the person that sold it to me, which involved the person that wrote out the bill, and the person that took my money, put it in the till and gave me my change.”
It’s this understanding that Mason believes is vital to create an offshore development service focused on the needs of the UK retail industry. If the offshore team doesn’t understand what they’re dealing with then there is little chance that you will be happy with the work they produce.
Mason closes: “When we bring people from our Indian team to the UK we send them shopping. We take them to a shopping centre, give them a list of our clients, tell them to find those shops and buy things. To some it must feel like a baptism of fire but it helps them understand the UK customer experience.”
“Of course, we then take them deeper into the retail environment. For example, few of the team initially have any idea of what a ‘sku’ is, how we define a ‘sale’, what a ‘void’ is, what makes up a sale, a part sale or an exchange. So there’s a steep learning curve. To build a successful offshore team demands understanding. Help them to feel they are adding value to your business and they will.”
For further information please contact enquiries@paulmasonconsulting.co.uk |
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