The 2009 Black Book of Outsourcing client experience survey investigated a subset of over 460 technology and application outsourcing contracts held by 68 of the top suppliers of SCM.
In order to rank the organizations, 18 key performance indicators (KPIs) or criteria are employed, scored on each respective vendor by client type and ranked on a 0–10 scale per KPI.
Key findings
Key finding: most important customer satisfaction KPIs
For 2009, trust, innovation, customization and reliability are the most important attributes influencing SCM ITO client satisfaction with outsourcing providers.
Key finding: vendor dissatisfaction is uncommon in the SCM outsourcing industry among top ranked suppliers
Strong dissatisfaction is uncommon in this niche ITO sector, occurring in only 5.9% of SCM outsourcing clients.
US clients are among the most satisfied, with SCM outsourcing services delivery averaging 90.7%, and with 2009 projects delivered from North American and European based suppliers.
European clients served by European technology vendors were the most satisfied (93.8%) geographic sector, matching clients' experience with vendor delivery.
Stronger dissatisfaction was more commonly reported from engagements with offshore outsourcing vendors. Specifically, smaller (fewer than 20 clients) offshore/Indian suppliers received poor responses: 22% of all surveyed SCM clients were at least mildly dissatisfied with the delivery of ITO services from offshore.
Key finding: comprehensive services vendor arrangements from a comprehensive/end-to-end SCM ITO vendor produce the highest satisfaction rates
Vendors offering comprehensive ITO ranked highest in the overall survey by clients. SCM clients showed significant preference for vendors who are capable of offering more extensive service lines, once satisfied with initial application projects.