International Business Process Outsourcing, often abbreviated to international BPO, is a type of outsourcing in which many of the tasks associated with running a business are outsourced to a company in another country. In most cases, BPO services are used because they are cheaper than completing the same tasks by the client's business or in the client's home country. There are a variety of services that can be provided by an international BPO company, including human resources, client services, and business management.
Companies that provide international BPO services exist all over the world. In most cases, these companies are located in developing nations where the cost of operating such businesses are relatively low. Outsourcing to BPO companies can often save a business a great deal of money, mainly because of the low cost of labor in many parts of the world. Though business services can be outsourced to another company within the business's own country, to be considered international BPO, the two companies involved need to be located in different countries.
In the area of human resources, an international BPO company can take over a number of different tasks for a client. Some of the more common tasks are recruiting new staff in the client's home country and providing training, especially training conducted via video or workbook. The international BPO can also take over payroll and the management of employee records which, especially given the ease of information sharing over the Internet, can be conducted from anywhere in the world.
In terms of client services, international BPO companies often provide customer service. Call centers can be run 24 hours a day by a BPO company that can satisfy many different customer needs. Companies using a BPO company for the purposes of customer service often chose to work with BPO companies in countries that speak the same language or BPO companies with staff well trained in the client company's language. BPO companies can also develop advertising campaigns for client businesses.
Business management is another common service offered by international BPO companies. These companies can take over bookkeeping tasks, including accounting and inventory management, as well as the development of logistics and overseeing a business's operations. Once data is sent to an international BPO company, it can be stored there, on the Internet or analyzed in order to give the business more information about how it operates.
