Venable partners Jim Nelson and Bill Russell were featured on the June 6, 2011 post for Outsourcing Buzz Blog. They were interviewed on the subject of best practices to protect the interests of buyers of outsourced services.
When asked how buyers can protect their branding and customer-facing processes, Nelson said, "A best practice is to make sure the relationship is a win-win arrangement. I know that term gets over-used; but in circumstances where the provider benefits, the customer is not in as big a performance risk."
On the subject of a merger that makes the buyer a "small fish in the second provider's pond," Russell said, "Customers should make sure they have enough flexibility in the agreement to allow themselves to get out of that type of situation or at least enough leverage to make sure their work is getting done as expected."
When asked how buyers can protect their branding and customer-facing processes, Nelson said, "A best practice is to make sure the relationship is a win-win arrangement. I know that term gets over-used; but in circumstances where the provider benefits, the customer is not in as big a performance risk."
On the subject of a merger that makes the buyer a "small fish in the second provider's pond," Russell said, "Customers should make sure they have enough flexibility in the agreement to allow themselves to get out of that type of situation or at least enough leverage to make sure their work is getting done as expected."