Outsourcing firms and the industry as a whole are at risk from missing out on the potential value of outsourcing according to new research.

The research from HfS Research and sponsored by Accenture revealed that users and suppliers need to focus on developing talent and skills, otherwise contracts will merely deliver basic cost reductions, aside from other benefits from the outsourcing process.

The research found that only one third of enterprise outsourcing customers viewed their current governance team as being capable of driving innovation within a contract, with only a half of outsourcing providers providing an established training program to develop relationship management or analytical skills.

Mike Salvino, group chief executive, Business Process Outsourcing, Accenture, said: “If outsourcing is to deliver on its full potential, buyers as well as providers need to invest in developing the skills and talent to capture the greater levels of value available from fourth and fifth generation BPO solutions.”

Mr Salvino added: “The bottom line is that outsourcing business or IT functions is never ’done’ and with proper investments in talent, the outsourcing governance team has continual opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency and access to critical data”.

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