As a global marketplace for business process outsourcers (BPOs), we know that the vendor selection process isn’t always easy. You’ve likely already run an RFP, narrowed your list to your top few choices, and are finally ready to meet directly with the providers to make your final selection.

At ArenaCX, we’ve conducted hundreds of interviews with providers across the world – so we’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a provider a strong business partner.

We recently sat down with our VP of Operations, Bo Boyd, to uncover the top questions you should ask a potential future partner.

He described 7 main categories you should cover:

• Background/General Questions
• Company Culture
• Value Proposition
• Service Quality
• Recruitment Processes
• Training Processes
• Communication

It is good to understand some general information about your potential partner. Questions like:

• How long have you been operating in the industry?
• Who are your target clients?
• Which industries do you commonly work with?

These questions are designed to provide you with some understanding of the culture your potential partner tries to instill. Some examples:

• Please describe your company culture.
• How do you manage and improve employee retention?
• Do you have a corporate social responsibility program or initiatives?

You can ask these questions to try and understand how your potential partner differentiates themselves from their competitors:

• How is your company unique from other companies in the industry?
• What are your specialties or core services?
• Can you please share any milestones or awards/recognitions you have received?

These questions will help you understand how your potential partner’s quality processes.

• Please tell me about your quality assurance (QA) program.
• How do you ensure that your services are meeting the requirements of your customers?
• How do you handle any instances when your team is not meeting your client’s expectations?

By asking these questions you can ascertain the quality of the personnel that you can expect your potential partner to provide.

• How do you recruit for a certain role?
• Does the region you operate in have any unique characteristics that will ensure quality personnel?
• What requirements does your personnel need to possess before hiring?

These questions can provide you a good understanding of how your potential partner will train the personnel that will be providing your services.

• Please describe your training program.
• How do you assess the competence of your personnel?
• How do you address any gaps found in your training?

In addition to the governance detailed in the product offering, it can be helpful to hear from your potential partner how they will interact with you and your organization.

• Please describe your account management policies.
• Who will be the main point of contact for day to day operations?
• Who will be the main point of contact for any escalations or problem resolution?

Do you have additional questions you ask in BPO interviews? We’d love to hear them! Share them in the comments below.

Are you looking for an outsourced team to help with a function in your business? Tell us what you’re looking for in our short service needs quiz and based on your responses our team will put together a short list recommended providers.