At the 11th Annual National Club Conference in beautiful San Francisco, one education session was a panel whose topic was “Outsourcing Strategies for Club Success.” As I listened to the panel, it brought me back to my days with a large national consulting and professional services firm where we advised a wide variety of businesses in technology and other outsourcing areas.
Outsourcing non-core (and sometimes core) functions of a business has been a major driving force for operational productivity for several decades now. Some argue what economic growth we have had since 2009 is more attributed to increased productivity, rather than the traditional underpinnings of expansion we were more accustomed to prior to the mid-90s.
The takeaway here is that countless businesses have benefited in a huge way from finding new ways to increase productivity through smart technology investments and targeted outsourcing. Clubs can get the same benefits—if they go in with the right view and context.
I’ve seen so many businesses start these initiatives with a very short-term mindset; something like “let’s cut expenses” or “I don’t want to deal with these things anymore.” Like anything else in life, it’s not that simple.
Businesses that approach outsourcing with a long-term view and provide leverage to their best departments have the best results. Where outsourcing has been effective, the initiative started with an outside assessment of the business’ current operations, risks and opportunities. Once everyone agrees on what success should look like, it’s much easier to put the right plan in place.
This is not an area where traditional vendors can provide much help … you’ll need a partner. The right partner takes the time to listen, to understand and knows the right questions to ask. Oftentimes, the right questions are the ones the club team hadn’t thought of yet, but are vital for success. If the prospective partner is talking more about themselves or their products rather than the club, run for the hills. That’s not a partner; just another vendor.
When you find the right partner, don’t immediately try to offload any challenges the club team is facing. Obstacles that exist for staff will likely also exist for the partner. It’s better to identify those early on so the club and the partner can develop a smart plan for dealing with them.
The relationship between the club and the partner, like any successful partnership, needs balance. A healthy balanced marriage produces happy kids who are much more likely to succeed. A healthy outsourcing relationship should produce happy staff who are also much more likely to succeed with serving club members, supporting the team and increasing the club’s revenue.
Imagine what the club could be like if its team could give the important issues of the day the time they deserve—all because targeted day-to-day duties are taken care of. Whether it’s IT, finance or marketing, don’t look at outsourcing as a replacement agent. Done right, outsourcing gives the best staff the support they need to take the club’s experience and revenue to the next level.
Kevin Kopanon is president and CEO of MembersFirst, Inc., an award-winning digital agency and software provider for member-based organizations. He can be reached at [email protected].