Making Public Outsourcing Work

Leveraging VFS Global's unmatched experience of twenty years of engaging with world governments, these are some best practices that ensure outsourcing becomes a success story in business-to-government and public-private partnerships.

Straight A's on outsourcing

In the early 2000s, outsourcing visa administrative services was an absolute no-no!

From that starting point, VFS Global has crossed many milestones and has reached a tipping point of a win-win today. Along that way, the perception of outsourcing has transformed to bear a renewed title of external services that are an integral part of today's travel ecosystem.

The complexity of an increasingly interconnected globe and mounting consular workloads led policy elites to seek out and search earnestly for tools to address the demands of diplomatic savoir-faire. Outsourcing, today, is an effective handle for authorities as it frees them up to focus on their important tasks, which is leaving the core decision-making to government authorities. That is a non-negotiable and will indefinitely remain within the purview of a consular officer.

Adaptability, adding value, and accountability sum up three best practices.

Adaptability

Private sector partners bring flexibility. In the sector of visa administration, the private sector can scale up or down according to fluctuations in demand because it's generally easier to change staffing than it is for governments. All this frees up time for consular staff to focus on their crucial job: deciding who should be given a visa. Here adaptability is crucial, especially since technological leap frogging defines our times. With it comes resilience. The rules of government and the private sector are not always in tandem with technological strides. Aligning with specific government requirements and compliance and yet open to tech innovation is fundamental for strengthened engagement. There's collective unity, but no two governments are alike. Or, as the U.S. Grand Seal specifies, there's unity in diversity–E Pluribus Unum. Adapting across global demarcations is a hallmark of outsourcing.

Adding Value

Lower bids do not necessarily equate to low-hanging fruit. On the contrary, choosing to adhere to higher standards has the biggest impact on the scoreboard. A key metric for adding value over cost-benefit calculations is a cumulative and positive-sum equation. In the long run, it helps establish better trust. Governments seek to connect with outsourcing companies that passionately pursue their mission, and not ones that choose to wind down the transactional path, only caring about the bottom line. This is a distinctive marker that makes outsourcing indispensable to governments and customers. When the emphasis is on adding value and building connections, it becomes a precursor to better customer service. A case in point is when VFS Global commenced operations in 2001 in Mumbai with the US Consulate becoming our first client, which enhanced the overall application experience. The emphasis on value-added services is the life force of any business, but particularly outsourcing. That is so because it's a catalyst that drives innovation. Today, the onset of governments' transition from paperbacks and passport books to digital credentials and visa services presents an exciting and new challenge for innovation.

Accountability

VFS Global believes in measurable partnerships. The bedrock of our strong clientele connections is having accountability scored off. That entails the ends and the means. Our shared goals factor in clearly defined contracts, but just as important is oversight, consistent follow-up, and performance standards. Clear communication dovetails accountability. Clarity in dialogue helps manage expectations and stem misinformation flip-flops. While this may not add to the profit margin, it safeguards us from loss, especially in the context of tech compliance. Since the nature of the work in question is protecting sensitive data and privacy, and the client is invariably the government, it matters to not just clearly communicate but also to articulate across cultural norms and speak the necessary social language.

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