Rodger Ncube, Supporter Services Officer at mental health charity MIND reveals his experience of using business process outsourcing…

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DDC OS: Tell us a little bit about your charity; its aims and current challenges?

Data capture, donation processing and data cleansing are all processes that are simple to outsource": Rodger Ncube

RN: “MIND is a mental health charity based in England and Wales. We stand for a society that promotes and protects good mental health for all. We have a vision, that all those suffering from mental health issues are treated fairly, positively and with respect.

“Our main challenge is that we are often reliant on fundraising by personal donations. Due to the economic downturn we have seen a reduction in both the value and number of donations that we would usually receive.

“Recruitment and retention of new supporters is another challenge we face on a daily basis. There is an inability to commit during these uncertain financial periods and we have really noticed a shift in donor behaviour.”

DDC OS: What is your experience with outsourcing and in which way does your charity use it?

RN: “I have had both positive and negative experiences with outsourcing. When you begin to use call centres etc you enter a learning curve of how to interact with them in a productive way.

“Here at MIND we have been dealing with fulfilment houses since 2003. These centres ensure that the phone donations we receive are processed quickly and efficiently. Outsourcing is a great way to free up time for our internal staff to deal with core activities and strategy. The reports we receive from our outsourcing partners are comprehensive with the extra staff we have on board we are able to analyse these statistics properly. This allows us to allocate resources where they are most needed within the organisation.

“Some may say that outsourcing contracts can appear initially quite costly. This may be the case but spread over the duration of the outsourcing period, the process can prove to be great value for money and we actually saved money compared to retaining an in house facility.

“The only negative observations I have about my past experiences with outsourcing is that I occasionally felt a loss of control when allocating a job to one of our providers, as though the job was that of a separate organisation. My other concern was that of employee experience. Too often outsourcing providers claim to provide a bespoke package to suit a charity but fail to deliver; staff are unenthusiastic, ill informed of the charity they are working for or just too slow at processing donations.

“These experiences are very rare and it’s nothing that cannot be resolved with an emphasis on frequent and clear communication between a charity and its outsourcing partner.”

DDC OS: What would be your advice for a charity that is considering outsourcing to save costs and improve services?

“Consider the value. Complete a full cost-benefit analysis – look at your budget for outsourcing and consider whether this will reduce your overheads by substituting your current in-house capacity. Make sure that outsourcing enables you to answer more calls in a shorter period and costs less than an internal department.”

“Be specific. When choosing to outsource to a contact centre you must remember that they are there to follow your lead and will only do what you ask them to do. It is important to ensure I am on the same page as my fulfilment houses by giving them a detailed specification of what we need help with.”

“Assess the risk. I find it good practice to take a detailed look at the outsourcing company you are considering- look beyond the senior staff at the pitch meeting and dig a little deeper to get a better understanding of how the organisation works. Your donors will be communicating directly with operational staff, so find out more about them and the company’s recruitment policies etc.”

“Outsourcing can help to streamline donation processing, making your charity more productive and efficient. However, do not expect miracles – if you take a realistic approach to outsourcing you may be pleasantly surprised.”

DDC OS: Are there things, in your opinion, which are particularly easy to outsource and likewise, are there areas which are best kept in house?

RN “Data capture, donation processing and data cleansing are all processes that are simple to outsource. Having a dedicated team that can handle large volumes of donations can mean less calls are left unanswered, and contact information for donors is kept up to date.

“The one thing that I believe you cannot outsource is decision making. Organisations should use the information they receive from their service providers to make the most educated decisions about the best strategies to increase donations.

“By being decisive and openly communicating their decisions, organisations can ensure they are getting the most out of their outsourcing contract.”

DDC OS: Are there any limits to outsourcing and how do you think they can be overcome?

RN: “Time is always an issue. Most outsourcers cannot produce data on demand, and hourly reports are near impossible to ascertain.  A lack of immediate information may delay decisions that could be implemented much earlier in a campaign. I think new software, or closer communication between departments could help.

“What is the perception of outsourcing from staff, volunteers and donors?

“Of course whilst everyone involved with MIND is incredibly supportive of the charity’s decsisions, there are issues you must address as a charity considering outsourcing. If an organisation chooses to outsource part of its backoffice function, an internal restructure is inevitable, and jobs will be lost when they are no longer needed. Staff are supportive of cost cutting as long as we strike a balance between our internal capacity and our outsourcing needs.

“Volunteers are supportive of charity decisions, but some may find it hard to comprehend if the work they previously did for free is now allocated to an external provider. Because it is something they do out of kindness, volunteers are happy to move to whichever department they are most needed.

“With donors there is often a perception that if they have to speak to an outsourced call centre that their query will be sent abroad or will be answered by a machine or inexperienced member of staff. This is very rarely the case and often a caller’s concerns are dismissed as soon as the call is connected. If they feel reassured that their call matters, they do not mind whether the call is taken internally or by a service provider. Often they cannot tell the difference!

DDC OS: In conclusion…

RN: “If you strike the right balance with outsourcing, by selecting the best provider and communicating well then there can only be benefits in the long run. A good outsourcer will use their initiative to bring you the best results.”