Standardisation

The larger the business grows, the more important it is to have a standard tool kit of working practices and methodologies. Not only does such a tool kit ensure a consistent approach across all divisions and locations, it also ensures cost-efficiency, since there is no need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ each time the business expands. As a first step, recruitment and training should be standardised, and should feed into a standard operations model for each new location. All working processes should be rigorously defined and documented, and continually reviewed and refined.

Naturally, successfully scaling a DCA is not simply a question of adding more call center seats – a growing business must also consider standardised methodologies to develop middle and upper management. The style and quality of management for a 1,000-person business will differ markedly from that required for a 100-person business.

Scalable IT

Beyond creating a consistent, proven set of best-practice approaches to recruitment, training, operations and management, a growing DCA must invest in robust and scalable IT systems that are designed for multi-location operations. The need to ‘rip and replace’ IT systems is very commonly a brake on business growth. Equally, winning larger contracts from larger clients may expose the growing business to more stringent standards for data protection and business continuity. These may require the development of robust disaster recovery procedures and the capability to move work seamlessly from one site to another.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing the collections work to a specialist service provider can provide a low-cost, low-risk shortcut to scalability for any DCAs challenged by the above list of requirements. Indeed, even DCAs that have both the will and the skills to gear their business for growth are unlikely to be able to scale as rapidly and cost-effectively as an experienced outsourcer – particularly if that outsourcer has access to skilled human resources in numerous countries around the globe.

As an established outsourcer, Firstsource's business was built with scalability in mind, combining standardised training and operational methodologies with robust, integrated multi-site IT systems capable of expanding with no disruption to business. Rigorous training methodologies enable new staff to be productive within very short timeframes, and a global footprint gives us the opportunity to tap into new catchment areas. For example, when we needed to put together a team of more than 800 staff in less than 12 months to meet a client’s requirements, locating the new operational site in Northern Ireland was the answer.

Outsourcers should have a proven history of successfully establishing new business processes that allow operations to be scaled up quickly. Within a couple of months of starting collections work for a major UK retail bank, we increased the funds collected by around £1m a month.

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