IT-enabled support services converging with BPS

Support services players are evolving to become more involved in the transformation of their clients’ front line service delivery, to make them more efficient, more productive and more competitive. The use of technology has a big part to play in this – a shift which is driving convergence between what we call ‘IT-enabled support services’ (ITeSS) and our core business process services (BPS) space.

Names like Serco, Capita, Mouchel and G4S will be very familiar to suppliers in the UK BPS market. But new and unusual suspects like Carillion, Mitie, Balfour Beatty, Enterprise, Amey, Babcock and Interserve in the construction and front line support services markets are also playing in this space.

ITeSS tend to target management and mid-office activities. For instance, ITeSS software platforms and business process re-engineering (BPR) can be used to transform some of the more time consuming management and administration activities involved in front line services delivery, like job allocation, maintenance scheduling, and reporting. Mobile devices can then help front line workers manage their time and work more effectively.

We see an emerging market for ITeSS as support services and IT/BP suppliers partner to capitalise on new outsourcing opportunities, particularly in public sector areas like health, Police and local government. These markets are far more likely to outsource in ‘bite-size chunks’, and seek multi-vendor sourcing rather than pursue the single-supplier mega-deals of the past. For suppliers, ITeSS presents an opportunity to specialise and differentiate from the competition.

Subscribers to TechMarketView’s BusinessProcessViews research stream can read our analysis of the ITeSS supplier market opportunities, with market size and forecasts, in our new report IT-enabled support services: opportunities in a converging market.

Posted by John O'Brien at '08:07' - Tagged: bpo   bps   supportservices   ITeSS