Please note this article was published before OEE Consulting and gobeyond joined forces to become Gobeyond Partners.

The latest Service Excellence Network meeting was held on 6th October in Glasgow where we considered the customer experience journey with Atos, and discussed the true benefits of outsourcing.

The team from Atos showed us around their customer experience lab, discussed the test and learn process and shared OpEx successes.

They illustrated examples of how, despite meeting internal KPIs, a customer can still experience terrible service. Seeing your company through the customers’ eyes brings a new perspective.

We also explored the intricacies of building a relationship between two organisations who have outsourced work. Atos discussed their relationship with NS&I whilst Chris Hallmark from OEE Consulting gave a presentation on best practice in outsourcing.

Outsourcing requirements often tend to coalesce around cost reduction. Chris pointed out that original outsourcing benefits had no relation to cost saving; freeing up time to focus on truly excelling in certain areas, capitalising on experience, or creating a competitive edge were seen as the key benefits.

We’re entering a second generation of more sophisticated outsourcing where partners build innovative solutions together, with the previous focus on cost moving towards a more nuanced understanding of value.

Find out more about the network, or join us at The Future of Service Conference on 10th November in London where we’ll be examining the role of people in a world of technology.