6 out of 10 offshore call center and back-office outsourcing projects fail. More than 90% of which, with low-cost providers. For industry insiders, these numbers don't come as a big surprise.

Successful call center or back-office outsourcing comes down to finding the right-sized vendor with the necessary expertise and service capabilities at the right price.

Your outsourcing provider needs to be 100% committed to the success of your business. There are many considerations to developing a good partnership.

Clearly defined outcomes and measurements are key.

The business objectives of both parties need to be clearly defined and agreed upon.

The vendor needs to earn enough to be able to invest in the best people, processes, and technologies.

English language proficiency should be considered.

Cost savings are important – but not the only metric to consider. A 50% lower cost than standard "onshore" vendor rates is a good benchmark. This leaves the call center outsourcing provider with enough money to make the necessary investments. Contact center and back-office outsourcing providers that are advertising higher cost savings have to make significant compromises on not just one, but multiple levels. The contact center needs to earn enough to be able to invest in the best people, processes, and technologies. Without it, it's going to be hard to attract, hire, and retain top talent, which is needed to create high performing teams.

Like with almost anything in life, there's a cost to providing or obtaining high-quality services. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Less cost almost always leads to lower quality, especially in offshore call center and back-office outsourcing. Successful contact center and back-office outsourcing requires a structured approach and a healthy dose of common sense.