The benefits of using orchestration in business process outsourcing

All across the globe, businesses are seeking opportunities to automate, optimize their operations and sail ahead of the competition. Many are turning to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) to achieve these goals - and for good reason. By outsourcing non-core and administrative functions to external companies who really specialize in those areas, companies can save money and reallocate time and resources to core competencies like customer relations and product leadership. This ultimately leads to customer satisfaction, increased productivity and greater product innovation. In turn, businesses are able to gain a distinct advantage over their competitors.

The key ingredient to making a success of your BPO is process orchestration. Whether you have just been tasked with outsourcing business processes, or you are looking to extract greater benefit from your current set-up - this blog will explain how orchestration can help businesses to run their BPO more efficiently. The result will be enhanced efficiency, value for your investment and full visibility over your operations.

What is business process outsourcing (BPO)?

The business process outsourcing definition is the practice of delegating business processing operations to a third party, which can bring welcome cost-savings and improved operational efficiency. The most commonly outsourced processes are in back-office operations, such as finance and HR.

Recent technological advancements have seen Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and data analytics become the biggest business process outsourcing trends companies are taking advantage of right now.

Still have questions about the mechanics of BPO? This blog takes a more in-depth look and provides the answers.

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Key benefits of using orchestration in BPO

Benefit 1: Work completed on time

Delays and confusion over task assignments can be further compounded when BPO is added into the mix. Process orchestration makes the appropriate allocation of resources easier, ensuring the right tasks get to the right worker - whether internal, external, human or bot - in a timely manner. Responsibilities are clearly defined and there is full visibility over workflow progress and deadlines. This prevents tasks and duties from being overlooked so that all work is done on time and SLAs are upheld.

Benefit 2: Centralized and streamlined workflows

Among the most frequently outsourced operations are finance, accounting and payroll. High-volume, repetitive processes like invoice management are ideal for outsourcing as they are not part of the core function of a business and can be time-consuming. Employees tasked with processing invoices frequently have to manage various workflows, attachments and approvals, but Enate can do that on one screen so they never have to leave the platform. The whole procedure is centralized and many parts can be automated for improved efficiency, giving your team more time to spend on higher-level work.

Benefit 3: Manage global teams

Coordinating multiple large teams internationally adds an additional layer of complexity to BPO. Numerous communication channels across different time zones present a barrier to collaboration and operational productivity. Managing your global offices on one platform eliminates fragmented communication, enabling your international teams to access and share information in a single space. Enate is available in 12 languages to allow for maximal accessibility.

Benefit 4: Improved overall process efficiency

An orchestration platform can assist you with standardizing your processes, optimizing your resources, faster reporting, and eradicating bottlenecks. Enate integrates with automation partners Blueprism and UI Path for smooth collaboration between digital and human workers. All of this adds up to a 20% efficiency saving on average for businesses. Read more about how harnessing the power of orchestration can revolutionize your business with this detailed look at the impact Enate has had on EY’s global operations.

The role of orchestration in business process outsourcing

Orchestration software can aid you with business process outsourcing by helping you to run, streamline and manage your operations more effectively. For example, if you’ve already adopted RPA measures into your operations and have not seen the results you hoped for, then orchestration is the answer.

Translating the skills and knowledge of your human workers into automation requires a lot of time, plus many automated processes still require human involvement and therefore can only be completed within working hours. Introduce the complex nature of managing the various systems, processes and potential exceptions involved in BPO and you may be confronted with significant logistical challenges. As a result, you may feel that reality hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Orchestration coordinates everything in one end-to-end platform, integrating and streamlining your systems and processes. Automation opportunities are easily identifiable, tasks are correctly allocated, and you have full visibility over workflows, SLAs, exception handling and performance metrics.

Discover how Enate can help you run operations smoothly →

Common problems in business process outsourcing

You may be keen to reap the benefits of business process outsourcing but have encountered some setbacks. These are the most common problems that you may be familiar with if you’re running your BPO without orchestration.

Manual and inefficient processes‍

When repetitive tasks are performed manually they are often time-consuming and vulnerable to human error.

Lack of visibility and control

Monitoring tasks, processes, and performance without the help of orchestration can be exceptionally challenging.

‍Managing productivity

Keeping track of workflows, assigning tasks correctly, and analyzing productivity are complex and difficult endeavors when processes are outsourced.

‍Meeting client SLAs

Meeting SLAs is often difficult when coordinating BPO, with inadequate reporting and poor visibility being the main culprits.

‍Optimizing processes

Inefficiencies may be rife in your operations but a lack of real-time insights can make them hard to pin down and address.

‍Bottlenecks and delays‍

Without process orchestration, BPO operations are subject to poor coordination and resource allocation, resulting in unnecessary hold-ups.

These difficulties can easily take the shine off of the promised rewards of BPO, but with the help of orchestration, your goals for efficiency and optimization will be achievable.

Business Process Orchestration Tools

Adopting an end-to-end platform like Enate provides you with a single source of truth and a comprehensive view of your BPO operations. Consolidating tasks, workflows, and data into a single software solution frees you from juggling multiple systems and tools, whilst real-time updates allow for any issues that arise to be recognized and dealt with promptly. Performance metrics and fast reporting empower data-driven decision-making so you can fully optimize your operations.

Run BPO operations like clockwork

Transform your BPO operations into a well-oiled machine with Enate's end-to-end orchestration solution. Seamlessly foster communication and collaboration across teams and clients, and elevate your decision-making with enhanced performance tracking and reporting capabilities. Enate delivers a holistic view of your BPO operations in one centralized hub, enabling you to swiftly identify and address bottlenecks, mitigate risks, and seize opportunities in real time.

FAQs

How does orchestration differ from traditional BPO methods?

Traditional BPO methods, such as email-based coordination and manual task allocation, rely on fragmented operations that mean everything has to be tracked individually. This lack of a central system is the root cause of many delays and communication troubles. Plus, visibility over the entire operation is extremely challenging. This is where orchestration is different, integrating every task, process, and interaction into a single platform, where many of the steps can be automated for speed and ease. You get crystal-clear, real time visibility from beginning to end, so you can spot and eliminate inefficiencies and get everything running like a well-oiled machine.

How does orchestration improve efficiency in business process outsourcing operations?

When you have processes scattered over various systems in combination with multiple communication channels, all of which is being managed manually, you’re almost certainly dealing with a very inefficient operation. Orchestrating BPO pulls everything together in one place and automates workflow management; everyone has a clear understanding of where responsibilities lie and tasks are allocated swiftly and correctly. The upshot is that work no longer gets overlooked or held-up, while tracking capabilities make it simple to monitor the progress of every task. For these reasons, orchestration is undoubtedly the most efficient approach to BPO.

What impact does orchestration have on the scalability of BPO operations?

In short, a very positive impact. When a business grows, an escalation in tasks is inevitable, requiring more coordination between teams and sometimes even time zones. This makes everything more complicated. An orchestration platform like Enate can facilitate scaling with a flexible framework and automation that handles the new workload without breaking a sweat. The platform is set up to integrate new processes and resources as needed, so operations keep running smoothly during periods of growth. If you’re looking to scale your BPO operations, orchestration should definitely be a part of your plan.

How can Enate help with business process outsourcing?

Outsourcing business functions is a logical choice for many companies, as offloading administrative tasks is typically a time and money saving solution. But when work needs to be coordinated between different organizations, teams, or different countries, it can get complicated very quickly.. Enate’s comprehensive orchestration platform simplifies the whole operation, centralising every aspect, assigning work automatically, and providing improved monitoring and control. What’s more, Enate’s automation capabilities mean the need for manual intervention is minimal and mistakes happen far less frequently. Adding to these benefits is Enate’s reporting and analytics tools, which allow you to keep improving your BPO operations for optimal productivity.

What BPO tasks or processes could benefit from orchestration?

• Finance and Accounting: The many repetitive tasks in this sector, like payroll and invoice processing, make it an ideal target for the reduced manual work and error reduction orchestration provides.
• Human Resources: Typically, HR procedures such as onboarding and employee data management are admin-heavy and scattered across multiple systems. Orchestration tidies the whole operation up, so it can be easily managed in one place.
• Customer Service: When you’re regularly dealing with thousands of customer interactions, effective prioritization becomes tricky. With orchestration, the right queries get to the right person automatically, meaning quicker response times and happier customers.
• IT Support: Handling the IT services for large companies means a huge volume of support requests and incident management responsibilities. Orchestration makes sure nothing gets missed and everything is resolved in a timely manner.