Meet the team - Richard Pamment

Richard Pamment has recently joined the Source team to add strength and depth to our BPO expertise and to ensure that we are developing strong, productive relationships with the provider community. Richard has 20 years experience in multi-channel, data driven customer communication and business process outsourcing.  He has held senior roles at a number of BPO / Marketing Services providers and prior to joining Source was MD of Dataforce Interact.  He also has client side experience at Kraft Foods and Hewlett Packard.

So……. what brought you into the world of outsourcing? 

 I started working in direct marketing and outsourced marketing services back in the early 90’s.  This was an exciting time of massive growth in outsourced contact centres and I learnt my business development and client management trade at CPM and Kraft Foods.  Since then my career has developed working for outsourcing BPO providers with an ever growing range of services, solutions and locations.   The principles remain the same…but the channels, technology….and jargon has developed!

What do you enjoy about the industry?

The pace of change and variety is always stimulating and exciting….there is never a dull moment.   The opportunity to understand a client’s challenges and help drive a solution that really delivers is very satisfying. 

 Do you think that outsourcing can deliver positive outcomes for everybody?

My straight answer is yes.  I passionately believe that outsourcing should have a positive impact on every individual and organisation involved in the process.  Yes, outsourcing can generate difficult and sensitive situations, but how you work through them in an open and proactive way can and does make all the difference.  Spending time up-front mapping out what the impact is going to be on all parties will enable appropriate planning and communication.  I hope the days of blunt 1 dimensional, blinkered outsourcing are well and truly behind us all!

Why do you think that the relationship between advisors and providers is so important?

 Put simply, the advisor is there to facilitate the right understanding and connections to achieve a positive outcome for all involved.  At Source we see it our job to help the providers be the very best that they can be in any client engagement.   It is only by developing strong and open relationships with providers that we can get under the skin and achieve a true understanding of their relative strengths and abilities in all areas; technical, operational and cultural.   This helps us add value to client in shortlisting those providers we consider to be best placed to be part of the bid process.  This is a win : win approach as the providers are then engaged in a process where they have a genuinely high chance of success.  Based on a firm relationship the advisor is then there to support, playing multiple roles : confidante; influencer, coach and connector.  The key to this is two-way communication and commitment, after all as with all walks of life people buy from people.

What is the difference between BPO and ITO in your experience?

Although my background has been predominantly BPO based, ultimately the business outcomes for both ITO and BPO are inextricably linked.  At the heart of all outsourcing journeys is the quest to either realise a commercial benefit or reduce or eliminate existing risk and pain.  Put simply it is invariably about helping clients win, keep and develop profitable business relationships.  The mantra that sticks with me from my days at Kraft Foods is  ‘Service up : Cost Out’.

As the tangible reality of cloud based solutions emerges from the hyperbole sweeping across the industry the worlds of BPO and ITO will fuse to great effect.   There are many acronyms that for this out there from SaaS , BPS, HTTS and many more.  The common theme is that clients will increasingly be making business based decisions buying integrated software, infrastructure and service delivery solutions on a variable basis linked directly to the desired business outcome.   This is an exciting prospect where the legacy distinction between ITO and BPO will largely become irrelevant.

What do you think 2012 is going to bring in the outsourcing space?

Like ITO the world of BPO is dynamic and currently in flux.  I think the overall picture is positive in terms of growth potential.  According to Gartner, globally BPO expenditure grew by 6.3% in 2011 with a 17.9% growth in Asia-pacific.  Accenture estimates that BPO expenditure will top $300Bn in 2012.

There is a widely held view that 2012 will see further consolidation in the BPO sector, partly due to the economic crisis but also down to the inability of some organisations to adapt to standardised delivery models. 

With the predicted growth in the ‘as a service’ solutions there will be a significant growth in what is being termed as ‘non-linear revenue’.  This is where revenues from products, platforms and services are linked to usage, savings and the desired business outcome rather than the efforts deployed to provide them. The evidence is that when these programmes are well managed they generate an increase in provider margins. Within the next 5 – 7 years the prediction is that these commercial models will account for as much as 30 – 35% of total revenues.

2012 will also see the continued rise of ‘Knowledge Process Outsourcing’   encompassing areas including ‘big data’ and ‘data analytics’.  The major providers are developing the expertise and skills to progress outsourcing beyond the typical support services and into core operating areas.  The output from these services is supporting key client decision-making.  An example of this is the growth in Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO).  Traditionally these activities have lacked a standardised process and have had an element of intellectual intervention and personal judgement.  With the growth in the offshore knowledge economy the trend towards these new forms of outsourcing is likely to accelerate.

So….lots to get stuck into in the year ahead!

How do you keep yourself busy when you are not being a sourcerer?

Away from the world of outsourcing I have plenty going on.  Home is in a small rural village in South Northamptonshire where I live with my wife Marianne, Sam 14,  Josie 12 (Son & Daughter) 2 dogs and a cat!  During the rugby season weekends are largely spent supporting Northampton Saints and my son playing for Towcester.  During the summer I enjoy sailing with my daughter and when time allows I have been known to tread the boards in amateur productions!