10 Guidelines for Investing in BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)

For those looking to reap the benefits of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), the ISO 9000 series of quality management is internationally renowned for setting the bar. They verify the quality of an international business investment in areas like; training, servicing, and purchasing, and that quality is backed by certification received only after an external audit. There are potential difficulties for those looking to outsource ISO certified organizations though. These include change orders on long-term locked in contracts, a lack in available resources, and the most harmful for a joint venture, the lack of visibility known as the execution gap. The following is a list of tips useful for avoiding these pitfalls:

• Research the ISO certifications standards by visiting www.iso.org, American Society for Quality www.asq.org, or the American National Standards Institute www.ansi.org, to fully understand what these quality management standards will mean for your company.
• Design a layout of your service structure, so all operations can be documented for review and you can structurally assign outsourced responsibilities to specific domains.
• Conduct your own audit prior to partnering with a BPO vendor. This could include visiting the offshore premises, and asking for references.
• Create a contract that specifically outlines the service need, expansion guidelines, and quality requirements.
• Avoid long terms contracts, in case the company does not meet investment requirements.
• Monitor industry trends to prevent service impediments in the future.
• Verify that the corporation will have all resources available to you at all times.
• Make certain they are flexible to your needs, and have a point of contact on shore.
• Reduce the execution gap by maintaining lines of communication with video & audio conferencing. Cost efficient communication tools like Skype, make it easy for businesses to communicate with their offshore vendor.
• Conduct your quality assessment in-house using a detailed matrix, and hold BPO vendor accountable for quality standards.

By Kevin Haggerty

As Obama & Singh converse on Global Outsourcing, ISO Certifications become a necessity for BPO vendors

The efforts for bolstering outsourcing & global business transactions have been supported by the governments from both the United States, a leading client, and India, the leading vendor. President Barack Obama in his meeting with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "agreed to strengthen economic recovery and expand trade and investment," because, "Indian investment in America is creating and sustaining jobs across the United States, and the United States is India's largest trading and investment partner." India's Singh has traditionally encouraged international business in his early sentiments, "India has to be integrated into the evolving world economy. We have to share in the benefits of an increasingly interdependent economy. Trade offers opportunities; it creates an environment in which our industry can grow at a rate faster than domestic demand."

Outsourcing has seen a recent boom as businesses struggle to survive in today's economy. However, if international businesses merely employed workers as they needed them, without some standard in the services provided by their investment, there presents the possibilities of both mishandled operations and poor quality work within inescapable contracts. This is why the International Standards Organization (ISO) has been so critical in the evolution of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

ISO has created more than 17,500 standards since its inception in 1987 and each one is influential in some form of international business. In the case of the BPO industry, the ISO 9000 standards are the dominant preference to ensure quality management for new and existing organizations outsourcing. According to the ISO website, the "ISO 9001:2000 specifies requirements for a quality management system-aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system" provides, "the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable regulatory requirements."

In an interview with BPO specialist, Rohit Barman President of DPS America, exclusive outsourcing vendor for 30 year old BPO provider, DPS Technologies", he said, "US companies looking to outsource to BPO vendors are well educated on the ISO certifications, and run a great risk by signing with companies that have not been certified. At the same time, they don't have a small pool to choose from as most reputable BPO vendors are aware of this, and make sure to get certified.

The significance of these regulations is that certification can only be awarded by an external audit. Furthermore, the means by which an organization meets those standards is not specific, so long as they are met.

SPAMs Skyrocket as Businesses Crash

A sobering find: Spam devours corporate resources, clogging up to 50% of a network's assets. Clearly spam remains a major force to contend with, underlining the importance of good combat readiness.



Facebook recently brought spam back into the headlines with a $711M judgment against infamous social media spammer Sanford Wallace under a law known as the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act). Lawmakers passed this act in 2003 fully intending to take a bite out of internet marketing spam. Unfortunately a number of anti spam advocates expressed concern that the act did not go far enough. And they may have a point: since 2003 the number of junk mail messages has increased ten-fold, leaping from 45% of all emails to above 90%.



Consider this: in June the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shut down an Internet Service Provider suspected of harboring malware programs and other tools hackers use to carry out web activities related to email spam and identify theft. In another case, the FTC doled out a $2.9 million fine to advertiser ValueClick, Inc. for deceptive advertising through emails, banner ads, and pop-ups.



Here are a few steps to make sure you protect your business:

• Start with a spam filter to protect your business on the front lines, although keep in mind that a variety of anti spam solutions exist, so shop around and find an offer attuned to your company's needs.
• Introduce your network security team to the spam blacklist.
• Educate your employees: get them to understand what spam is, how to identify it, and how to overcome it.
• On public web pages, use a technique like a response form to protect company addresses from a spammer's prying eyes. Make sure to add a "captcha" for authentication.
• On the customer end, ensure your network security protocols are robust and updated, and have a notification policy to keep customers informed.
• For internet marketing, consider that many consumers' previous experience with spam makes them wary of unexpected messages. Encourage your business to use an "opt-in" policy when developing internet marketing campaigns, and follow the terms of CAN-SPAM as a guideline in identifying what differentiates email spam from honest selling. Make sure your tactics avoid landing your business on a damaging spam blacklist.

You do not need to pay expensive per-email pricing in order to participate in Internet & Email Marketing campaigns. DPS' Technologies recently launched their "Smart Flyer Software" which includes a powerful network & campaign management center (within your website), allowing you to control multiple campaigns, and a comprehensive email list. The software purchase includes a registration form compliant with SPAM laws.

By Joe Unander

Public Relations gets outsourced for increased Brand Awareness

It has long been understood that the objective of a PR (Public Relations) firm was to represent a business in their brand creation, target audience engagement, and brand awareness/ distribution. The digital age has brought an increased investment to public relations & campaign management, and more and more businesses are looking to create strategy that has a strong ROI.

The foremost of these changes for PR firms is in the utilization of BPO/ Business Process outsourcing. Already, the trend of outsourcing has found its way into major media outlets including Reuters, The Boston Globe, The Financial Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press. Brand Consultant & BPO specialist, Rohit Barman, president of DPS America suggests that American businesses must "look to implement campaign design & distribution off-shore, while keeping the Art Direction in-house". The additional capital saved can also be allocated for hiring strong Art Directors, engaging in paid press releases, organizing live marketing events, & other face to face interactions that must occur on-shore.

One possible site to take a cue from would be PitchEngine. The concept of this site is user generated Social Media Releases. These SMR's take advantage of the popularity of Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter and allow the client to put together a pitch that reaches these sites. A BPO team is a strong solution for the distribution of such campaigns, as they can cost-effectively take ONE campaign & submit it to various internet feeds, social networks, media outlets, and other online distribution resources. Rohit Barman adds that, "the race to the top of the search engines requires a strong emphasis on distribution, and this equation can only be done with increased manpower"

By Kevin Haggerty

Generating Votes & Election Support through Smart Internet Campaigns

We live in a Democracy, where "every vote counts". So, it seems obvious that with 250 + million internet users, politicians would be utilizing the plethora of internet marketing tools in their campaign management, and expansion of loyal voter base. If you are a politician, or a campaign manager, here are some simple steps you need to consider, prior to your next election:

• Create a website, as your online campaign headquarters.
• Generate an online support network (voters) through registration:
• Conduct offline campaigns directing consumers to your website, to receive updates on campaign specific interest(s).
• Create & distribute ad campaigns, linking ads to your registration page.
• Set up an affiliate network (online partners) to co-campaign/advertise for you. Groups that are stationed within your campaign area, have a local/ geo-targeted consumer base, and have similar political interests would be ideal. These campaign affiliates are extremely important as they will play an integral role in acquiring votes for future elections. Distribute your ads through your affiliates' online websites. You can even target specific consumer groups depending on the affiliate specifics.
• With the eventual goal of creating targeted voter email campaigns, ask your supporters about their individual political interests (through a brief survey)...

... What topic interests you the most?

• Local/ National Economy
• State/ Federal Unemployment
• International Business Relations
• Immigration laws
• Gay Rights & Marriage Equality

... Get basic demographic information - age, sex, ethnic origin (make this optional).

• Optimize your website content through composing & incorporating a list of "geo-targeted keywords" (content incorporating your consumer bases' political interests & location for better visibility)
• Utilize a mass emailing software; segment your voters and campaign affiliates into separate address books in order to run aggressive personalized campaigns.
• Set up pages on major Social Networks (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) and keep fans involved in the issues that majority of your registered network appreciates.
• Create a YouTube page, and run advertising campaigns through YouTube. Optimize your YouTube videos with rich geo-targeted keyword content.

Begin Campaigning!, but don't forget to utilize the valuable consumer data you have collected.

Internet Marketing specialist, Rohit Barman, president of DPS America insists that "political officers and campaign managers MUST get acquainted with internet marketing, as it allows them to acquire valuable data on voter interests, segment it seamlessly with the help of automated email registration software(s), and run aggressive campaigns targeting voters with interests that effect them the most. Tapping a voter's core nerve will create enough excitement to get them out on Election Day."

By Kevin Haggerty

"DPS' 2.5 hour interactive training, Digital Promotions Strategy, beginning in January and based in New York City, is the first of its kind to incorporate the entire spectrum of creating, engaging & expanding an online network. Extracted from the internet's scientific principles, the live seminar(s) will provide celebrity agents the knowledge, structure, and tools to track consumer/ fan behavior & campaign effectiveness - an internet marketing strategy that will give agents the confidence to manage their public relations campaigns more effectively than ever before."

Social Media, a gold mine for Celebrity Agent’s PR Management

As a Celebrity Agent, there is no marketing channel friendlier than social media marketing, which allows one to create, develop, and channel a consistent PR (public relations) campaign for a comprehensive fan base. Here are some reasons:

• Distribution of Campaigns - To effectively endorse the public relations identity of a celebrity, it is necessary to build a fan & campaign distribution base within the gossip-friendly realms of "social networks". Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, allow the traditional "word of mouth" to travel faster than ever before. A primary feature is the instantaneous contact with everyone in an established fan base. So, if a celebrity was planning to attend a premiere event like the opening of a new nightclub, an agent could easily geo-target their campaign my emailing the appropriate fan base to increase attendance.
• Public Relations & Community Outreach - Social Network Marketing is also useful in promoting a celebrity's charitable contributions, while increasing the popularity of their committed event(s). With simple one line "posts" or "tweets", a celebrity agent can notify fans about the initiative, with details for physical and monetary support.
• Celebrity "Face Exposure"- The rapid upsurge or Media Marketing creates a prominent channel for public relations management & campaign exposure. YouTube, the renowned media marketing giant, acquired by the mega-marketing internet search engine, Google, has contributed much to this internet marketing growth. YouTube is the 4th most visited website on the internet, and it allows celebrity agents the ability to create accounts, post videos, add search friendly tags, and communicate with fan base through a chat sequence similar to the likes of internet forums. With Media Marketing, you can create a public celebrity portfolio that creates, retains, and expands a fan base more effectively than ever before.

Internet Marketing specialist, Rohit Barman, president of DPS America suggests that celebrity agents get acquainted with social media marketing as it allows them to be the "speaker of their celebrity's house".

By Kevin Haggerty

"DPS' 2.5 hour interactive training, Digital Promotions Strategy, beginning in January and based in New York City, is the first of its kind to incorporate the entire spectrum of creating, engaging & expanding an online network. Extracted from the internet's scientific principles, the live seminar(s) will provide celebrity agents the knowledge, structure, and tools to track consumer/ fan behavior & campaign effectiveness - an internet marketing strategy that will give agents the confidence to manage their public relations campaigns more effectively than ever before."

Google’s stepchild, YouTube, has the most social media marketing potential… experts say

Businesses & consumers have begun to embrace online videos in recent months more than ever before, with viewers reaching 168 million in September. And with the online video surge, arrives a distinct business investment splurge on video advertising. The research firm e-Marketer projects a 35 to 45% growth in online video advertising for each of the next five years.

YouTube, the renowned media marketing giant, acquired by the mega-marketing internet search engine, Google, has contributed much to this evolution. How?

• Posting a YouTube video incurs a $0 investment. As a business marketer, you can align your promotion with your company marketing budget to create the appropriate video advertisement. Some techniques include: infomercials, presentations, trainings, testimonials, property tours, and video blogs.
• YouTube's "feedback analysis" tools persistently co-developed by the technical brilliance of Google, allows automated consumer behavioral analysis for businesses to target their internet marketing investments. YouTube & Google technicians are also testing the ability to add video captions to all online videos, allowing businesses to search engine optimize their video posts using the familiar techniques utilized by businesses to attract users to their online portfolio(s) & network(s).
• YouTube accounts for 40% of all online video views. It is essential for businesses to identify their target consumer, grab their attention, elicit reaction, and escort them to take action. And unlike TV advertising, this does not necessarily call for professional production(s).

Internet Marketing specialist, Rohit Barman President of DPS America boldly claims that, "YouTube is the stepchild of social media marketing, with significantly more marketing potential than his sister social media networks".

By Bruce Lacey

"A 2.5 hour interactive training, Digital Promotions Strategy, beginning in January and based in New York City, is the first of its kind to incorporate the entire spectrum of creating, engaging & expanding a business' online network. Extracted from online scientific principles, the live seminar will provide business professionals the knowledge, structure, and tools to track consumer behavior & campaign effectiveness - an internet marketing strategy that will give attendees the confidence to manage their online marketing in-house.

The seminar follows the life cycle of creating a convincing online presence, while identifying the key components of branding, drawing an audience to a firm's online portal, engaging an established network through viral promotions, and expanding consumer base through extensive internet marketing campaigns."