TDM Group research shows that the outsourcing industry could be a beneficiary of the pandemic.
New research has revealed almost a third of organisations in the UK and Ireland, furloughed IT staff during the pandemic. According to Tarek Meliti, Director of TDM Group, these findings are not surprising. With business survival remaining the priority, organisations are needing to become more flexible in the wake of the crisis. Outsourcing operations like IT, can actually increase business agility and resilience.
Meliti said: “Despite there being light at the end of the tunnel as vaccine distribution ramps up, many organisations across the country remain cautious about their future. Survival remains the priority and with government restrictions in place for some time yet, business leaders are needing to become much more reactive to sudden changes, brought on by the pandemic.
“In the past, we have seen examples whereby the business use-case for outsourcing was not so strong. Challenges aligning external staff with a company’s culture and goals, combined with a desire to grow in-house expertise, were heavy arguments for businesses moving away from third party suppliers, in favour of going it alone. Covid, however, forced organisations to rethink this strategy.”
Meliti said: “We all know COVID super-charged digital transformation efforts. Throughout the crisis, companies have placed a high reliance on tools to communicate and collaborate online. In tandem, customer demands, have pushed businesses to embrace new technologies, which offer quicker and more convenient experiences. Many organisations struggle to deliver this effectively and that is why outsourcing has become a viable option.
“Business leaders are highly focused on steadying operations. When looking for cost savings, outsourcing becomes an obvious strategy. Significant savings can be made on staffing, recruitment and other capital expenditures often associated with IT upkeep.
“In essence business leaders can focus on what matters most for them – managing built-up debt, reducing costs and growing revenues, safe in the knowledge their IT infrastructure is operating as efficiently and securely as possible.”
Isoceles Finance Mike O’Connell said that outsourcing should not only be seen as an opportunity to achieve cost reduction – it can also be used to drive innovation.
“Business leaders are stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand desperate to kick-start recovery, on the other facing economic uncertainty. How can organisations grow revenue and capitalise on opportunities at a time when they are financially constrained and facing a highly unpredictable future? Because of this, many organisations are actively outsourcing operations as a way to drive their business forward without major long-term investment or risk.
“IT outsourcing has been long established but we increasingly see other business functions such as finance, accounting and the HR functions being outsourced allowing businesses to focus on core business expansion activities.
“It goes beyond being just a cost-benefit – business leaders can also leverage outside expertise to bring in new creative thinking and experience that typically would not have been available inhouse. In doing so, this will unlock further benefits for businesses.”
