Once the outsourcing arrangement with your service provider is underway, an occasional “health check” will allow you to assess what works well and where changes could enhance the outsourcing relationship. Both the firm and the service provider will benefit from working together to review and reassess their governance model, decision-making, metrics, and more.
Firms should consider establishing benchmarks to evaluate “before” and “after” outsourcing measurements and to assess how the arrangement directly improves the firm’s overall client service. For example:
Labor and related overhead
Compare the following factors from a “pre-outsource” to a “post-outsource” perspective: Who touched the file within your firm? How many times? How much time overall was spent on the file? Did the outsourcing allow your firm’s personnel to more efficiently handle client needs?
Time
How long does it take your firm to resolve a lien post-outsourcing compare to pre-outsourcing? Has the outsource relationship shortened the case closure timeframe? Has the more efficient process boosted your relationship with, and service to, your clients?
Results
Compare to your results the average percentage reduction your outsource partner obtains from initial lien to audited, final lien. In which arrangement is your client better served?
Compliance and Risk Mitigation
Has anything slipped through the cracks? Have all liens been identified, verified and discharged?
The point is to establish an evaluation system that demonstrates whether outsourcing provides an inherent, concrete benefit to the firm’s clients.
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