The Necessity of Support Outsourcing Metrics

There are many reasons behind the fact that so many IT organizations that resort to outsourcing. The most common reasons include fulfill a wide range of needs, attain expertise in terms of new knowledge and skill sets, reduce operation costs, offload helpdesk operations or the maintenance of applications, and so many more. With these many reasons behind the move, it is quite clear that outsourcing is definitely a strong industry in the business sector. And this is precisely why there is a need to implement support outsourcing metrics.In its most basic form, an outsourcing engagement would actually last a period of years. During that period, a contract is established between the client and the outsourcer so that the terms, conditions, and stipulations would be set for the whole period early on. The SLA or the Service Level Agreement is then established. This agreement is important to establish accurate measurement concerning the relationship between the outsourcer and the client. Basically, what is being measured here is the relationship between the two parties, whether it is still working or not and how well it is working.The SLA is very essential for any outsourcing endeavor. The agreement itself defines the very boundaries of the outsourcing project, especially when it comes to the services and the functions that the outsourcer provides the client. The delegation of work is also an important aspect in the SLA, as well as the quality of the services and products delivered, otherwise known as the deliverables in the equation. However, the SLA must be very well defined, to ensure that the appropriate expectations would be set for both sides of the agreement. This way, there would also be appropriate provision of targets for both sides, especially when it comes to measuring performance accurately.The very essence of the SLA is actually in the performance metrics that it employs. These metrics are used in measuring the outsourcer’s performance, more specifically, in checking if the outsourcer is still providing the service that it originally promised. This is the role of performance metrics for the whole of the outsourcing agreement. Here are a few guidelines that you might want to keep in mind when choosing and implementing SLA metrics.Your SLA metrics should be able to measure the appropriate characteristics accurately. This is needed in ensuring that the client is consistently receiving the service level that is required of the outsourcer or the service provider. This is also needed to ensure that the outsourcer is able to achieve a profitability level that is acceptable.Your SLA metrics should also be collected very easily. However, this does not mean that you should go with sources that are not detailed in nature. You still have to go for detailed metrics. Just make sure that you do not incur too much overhead expenses in collecting these metrics.Lastly, SLA metrics should be in line with performance that is both attainable and reasonable. All possible commitments should be tied to these levels. This way, it would be easier for you to differentiate the rotten from the bunch. When bad service is differentiated from good service, then the outsourcer is given a fair enough opportunity towards the satisfaction of the client. With these support outsourcing metrics, outsourcing will surely be a breeze.