Business support

BUSINESS SUPPORT, OR A FEW WORDS ABOUT BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTIONS

Almost every industry soon after its creation is surrounded by a number of organisations that want to support to some extent, not only individual entities but entire sectors of the economy. In this way, over the years, associations, unions and clubs have been created which – through the coordination of a number of different activities – influence the growing recognition of individual industries, their representatives and the values they bring to the development of nationwide and, sometimes, international business.

It is thanks to associations, unions and business clubs that business events are organised, market research is carried out, reports are published and knowledge exchange and networking between companies are supported every year. The activity of trade organisations has been present in the sector of outsourcing and modern business services for over 20 years now. For nearly a quarter of a century BPOs and SSCs – starting with simple forms of communication to a full portfolio of services and benefits today – have set an example to other industries as to how one can support each other well and interestingly and take care of continuous development of the best business practices. For almost in every country in the world, the outsourcing industry has its representatives in the form of business environment organisations. The biggest global players include SSON (Shared Services and Outsourcing Network) and IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals). These two organisations have hundreds of thousands of individual members and thousands of corporate members. They have extensive administration and carry out a number of measures to understand and fully analyse the activities of the BSS sector. For example, as part of its processes, IAOP runs a number of activities, including the organisation of business events, an education centre, a certification programme for managers, the publishing of a magazine, an award and distinction programme, the organisation of webinars and a series of other initiatives. Within the framework of educational projects for managers, the IAOP runs a course called the Certified Outsourcing Professional (COP) Master Class. The course is an intensive learning experience on the state-of-the-art, end-to-end process for outsourcing success, providing in-depth coverage of the Outsourcing Professional Body of Knowledge (OPBOK®) and its 10 standard categories, including business strategy, communicating outsourcing as a business practice, contracts and negotiation, managing transition and governance. It has been presented to organizations world-wide, including in places like Russia, Colombia, the Netherlands, the UAE and Malaysia. The courses and training sessions organised by the IAOP are carried out both online and offline.

For many years, the IAOP has also been publishing PULSE Magazine – a magazine which contains the most important information from the life of member organisations and companies. Also noteworthy is the IAOP award programme. This programme is very extensive and divided into categories such as: • Global Excellence in Outsourcing, • Global Outsourcing 100, • Global Impact Sourcing Award, • Impact Sourcing Champions Index, • Leadership Hall of Fame.

The IAOP award programmes are among the most extensive in the world. You can read more about the activities of the IAOP on its website – www.iaop.org.

Trade organisations also operate in slightly smaller areas. Good examples are GSA UK (Global Sourcing Association) and DOV (Deutscher Outsourcing Verband). Both of these organisations are active in Europe. While the GSA focuses on the whole of Europe and also cooperates with global organisations, DOV’s activities focus mainly on the DACH region – namely Germany, Austria and Switzerland. What both organisations have in common is their openness to contacts with the international sourcing environment and a number of initiatives undertaken in cooperation with outsourcing organisations from Europe and other continents. Kerry Hallard, President of GSA UK, describes the activities of her organ isation as follows: Global Sourcing Association is a trade association and a professional body of the outsourcing and sourcing sector. We represent the business needs and interests of organisations, both on the purchase and supply side and combine them to achieve optimal business value. We are committed to increasing the reach and positive reputation of the global strategic sourcing industry through: • Maintaining world-class standards and offering accreditation to Global Strategic Sourcing Standard. • Consultation to help organisations adapt to best practices. • Attracting and improving professional skills. • Disseminating thought leadership as well as anticipating and analysing trends through various content formats: website, newsletters, best practice guides. • Combining and promoting trade professionals through a series of events: conferences, seminars, webinars. • Recognising and rewarding industry best practice through annual award programmes. • Lobbying Governments to understand the needs of the industry and to stimulate change. We also offer special programmes to help companies increase their presence and market share. When describing the activities of DOV, it is worth quoting the words of Stephan Fricke, President of the Association: Our primary task is to actively support and influence the market segment in which we operate. In our case, where we represent not only service providers but, above all, the purchasing parties in Germany, our work is somewhat different from that of other international outsourcing associations. On one hand, we place a great emphasis on improving the conditions of concluding contracts (on the buyer’s side) as well as shared services (on the customer’s side). Aspects such as internationalisation, supplier management and strategies are very important for the German market.

On the other hand, our strong relationships with international trade associations, clusters and government agencies allow us to gather market information and assess local conditions and opportunities for cooperation with external service providers and investment in local shared services operations. Our platforms and initiatives such as the Outsourcing Journal, RPA Journal, a series of Sourcing Destination Guides, catalogues and mailing services – for example, the EUBIS Online catalogue as well as annual international conferences – help us actively support partnerships in our markets and beyond. Pro Progressio is an example of a national organisation of the modern business services sector in Poland. Pro Progressio combines several functions; from non-commercial activities carried out by the Pro Progressio Foundation, through a catalogue of media services, to the activities of the Pro Progressio Club. Over the years, Pro Progressio has built and developed the following initiatives: • OutsourcingPortal – a website for everyday trade-related communication. • Outsourcing&More – a Polish-English bimonthly magazine which is currently the only regularly published bilingual magazine in Europe, available both in print and in electronic form. • BSS Tour – a series of free business events aimed at sharing best practices in the trade. • BSS Forum – an annual international conference on challenges and trends in modern business services. • BSSIndex – an Internet platform which shows the launch of new BSS operating centres in Polish cities. • Focus On Reports – a series of free reports describing the locations of BSSs in Poland. Focus On Reports are prepared in cooperation with the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and Investor Assistance Centres as well as with Regional Development Agencies. • Outsourcing Stars – a Competition and official Gala to recognise the fastest- -growing BSS organisations in Poland. • KONEKTOR– an online system designed to connect companies that have a shortage or surplus of staff with similar professional competences and skills. • Pro Progressio Club – a project that allows club members to use the OutsourcingPortal and Outsourcing& More, to have access to information and participate in nationwide and international BSS events. By creating the Pro Progressio Club, Pro Progressio has built a specific ecosystem and environment for companies dealing with various business services. Being a member of the club supports, on one hand, organisations in terms of image and, on the other, has a positive impact on the support of sales and pre-sales processes for organisations providing services in the outsourcing model. One of the priorities that Pro Progressio sets itself is to build relationships between club members. Networking within the club is one of Pro Progressio’s core activities, which during the events is additionally supported by the propri etary Event Tiger networking system. An unquestionable advantage for club members is also weekly access to current industry knowledge from the country and the world, the possibility of running their own press office on the OutsourcingPortal platform as well as participation – free of charge or on specially negotiated For almost in every country in the world, the outsourcing industry has its representatives in the form of business environment organisations.

The biggest global players include SSON (Shared Services and Outsourcing Network) and IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals).

These two organisations have hundreds of thousands of individual members and thousands of corporate members.

terms – in nationwide and international business events.

Apart from Pro Progressio, there are also two other BPO/SSC sector associations in Poland i.e., ASPIRE and ABSL. Both of them implement a number of initiatives aimed at developing, exchanging knowledge and taking care of the image of the modern business services industry.

Undoubtedly, the activities of associations, unions and business clubs effectively impact the image and development of the modern services sector. Can these organisations work for the benefit not only of economic operators but also of individuals? Definitely yes, but that is a different story.

Author:

Wiktor Doktór,

CEO, Pro Progressio