Consultants say that your job should be outsourced because of __________. Are they wrong?
The downturn in the economy has amplified the calls from management of “justifying your worth” to the firm. Many of us fear the “efficiency experts” (think “The Bobs” in the movie Office Space) coming in and suggesting that the work we do could be consolidated, downsized, outsourced, flat out eliminated. So we thought that for this week’s Elephant Post, we’d see what you’d say about justifying your worth.
We have perspectives from the Information Resources Center, the IT Help Desk, and Information Technology on the justifications they mention when the consultants come calling.
Once again, don’t forget to take a peek at next week’s Elephant Post question (it asks about your boss!!) at the bottom of this post, and send me your thoughts to share with everyone.
Information Resource Perspective
It’s Not About “Cheap Service” – It’s About Great Service That Watches the Bottom Line
Carol Bannen
The Information Resource Center staff here is made up of information specialists that not only get requests from anywhere in the firm for information but we are also proactively participating in practice group meetings to offer help and information relevant to the projects they are working on and didn’t even think to ask about.
I am not sure that outsourced library/research services would be able to offer the same proactive service that we are able to do by attending these meetings and interacting with the attorneys face to face. In the Great Recession we have not only maintained our staffing levels but also greatly increased our billable hours. I believe this is a direct result of our IRC Liaison program and the marketing of our services. We offer services that go directly to the firm’s bottom line. I don’t see any outsourcing company doing that.
HelpDesk Perspective
- The right answer. Provide the answer they need. Take the time to understand the business and the process so that you understand the need, not just the expressed desire du jour that comes over the phone or email.
- The right answer, at the right time. The first time is always the right time. If not the first time, a mutually agreed upon interval that hopefully demonstrates my knowledge of what the right answer should look like (see prior point).
- The right answer, at the right time, delivered by the right person. What good is it being in-house if I don’t leverage my knowledge about the personalities and conditions from an insider perspective? Being the right person means a genuine interest in others that they can recognize and appreciate.
- Do the decision makers know what a swell person I am? This isn’t just a schmooze maneuver. I need to make sure that important people know that I’m contributing to the bottom line by keeping things moving. I can’t expect anyone else to be clairvoyant about my contribution any more than I can be about the resolution to their problems.
What is one thing that you have learned from your boss that has been transformational for you?