Why Colleges And Universities Are Enlisting Outsourcing Services

Colleges and universities have been utilizing outsourcing services practically since their origin. One of the oldest reasons colleges and universities are enlisting outsourcing services is fulfilling aspects of the college experience that are not education-related, like food, maintenance, bookstores, custodial services, and housing.

However, recently, there has been a considerable rise in colleges and universities using outsourcing services for other reasons. One main driving force for colleges and universities turning to outsourcing is due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 has significantly impacted almost every college, university, and educational institution. As students must now learn remotely via brand new and foreign online platforms, many colleges are turning to outsourcing for help.

Business process outsourcing (BPO), or partnering with a third-party organization to execute operations, offers colleges an easy and cost-effective way to focus on their students' education without neglecting any necessary administrative or back-office processes.

Essentially, outsourcing allows colleges and universities to focus on their mission as an institution, while another company takes care of the behind-the-scenes jobs. Aside from the pandemic, there are several reasons why colleges and universities are enlisting outsourcing services currently, which include:

• To Save Money - One of the main reasons colleges and universities are enlisting outsourcing services is reducing operational costs. Because educational institutions are not-for-profit, they need to spend their money wisely. Outsourcing allows these institutions to reduce costs without lowering the quality of education.
• To Focus On Their Mission - Utilizing outsourcing services also allows colleges and universities to focus on their core goals. Educational institutions can often get bogged down by back-office tasks that are not central to their mission. Colleges that rely on outsourcing to execute these tasks are able to better focus on carrying out their mission.
• To Improve Efficiency - Additionally, colleges and universities are enlisting outsourcing services because it significantly improves efficiency. With highly trained experts carrying out your business processes, your staff can use their time wisely and accomplish more.
• To Use Specialists & Experts - Outsourcing also allows educational institutions to rely on expertise in the areas that they need help. Whether it's accounting, information technology, data management, or otherwise, a BPO company lets you work with skilled professionals that have significant experience completing this type of work.
• To Manage Effectively - Managing programs for universities is a huge job. With the recent shift from in-person to remote learning, most colleges struggled to find their footing and effectively manage running courses online. When these universities outsource their program management, an enormous weight is lifted off of their shoulders.

Outsourcing is an excellent resource for colleges and universities. When educational institutions create strong partnerships with the right outsourcing providers, they can improve the overall student experience.

Why Colleges And Universities Are Turning To Outsourcing Now More Than Ever

Most colleges and universities have been outsourcing since their establishment, especially for services like housing, cleaning, and dining. However, the current rise in colleges and universities using outsourcing services is unprecedented.

The emergence of Covid-19 has caused almost every educational institution to operate remotely. Some colleges and universities are still conducting some in-person courses at a limited capacity, while others are functioning entirely online. Colleges that did not offer many online courses in the past had to adapt quickly and take on new technology to continue to educate students.

As educators, leaders, and faculty suddenly needed to reach their audience in an entirely new way, outsourcing services became a vital tool for universities to take on. One of the main reasons colleges and universities are turning to outsourcing services is that it has helped these institutions ease virtual education transition.

During the pandemic alone, it is believed that around three-hundred new deals were created between universities and for-profit, third-party organizations. This indicates almost an 80% increase since last year.

These numbers suggest that the rise in colleges and universities using outsourcing services is largely due to Covid-19. Because of this, outsourcing stands out as an incredible resource that educational institutions can significantly benefit from at this time.

How Colleges And Universities Are Utilizing Outsourcing Services

Because of the pandemic, many colleges and universities are turning to outsourcing services to have expert companies overseeing and taking care of some aspects of virtual learning. Some of the main services that colleges and universities are using outsourcing for are:

• Online Course & Program Management - Online course and program management allows virtual classes to function. Therefore, this is one of the most popular reasons why the rise in colleges and universities using outsourcing services has occurred. With fine-tuned management from an established service, online classes can run smoothly.
• Data Entry & Processing - Data entry and data processing are extremely important for universities to execute quickly, efficiently, and accurately. Outsourcing for data-related services allows this process to be completed expertly without wasting the time of essential personnel and employees.
• Analytics Systems - Similarly, outsourcing now features predictive-analytics systems. Colleges and universities can use these systems to recognize patterns and trends in their data, allowing them to make smart predictions grounded in evidence.
• Information Technology - Information technology is one of the most complicated fields, which is why colleges and universities are enlisting outsourcing services for IT. With a good BPO service provider, you have IT experts at your fingertips 24/7 to help all aspects of technology operate smoothly.
• Career Counseling - Outsourcing for career counseling offers a more cost-effective way to instruct and advise students on their intended career path by learning from industry experts without having to pay an in-house staff.
• Enrollment Management - Enrollment management, which includes recruitment and marketing, is a leading cause for the rise in colleges and universities using outsourcing services. Colleges that outsource in this area are able to target prospective students as well as advise current students on enrollment-related matters.
• Skill Training - Outsourcing's rising popularity with colleges and universities is also due in part to the skill training programs and boot camps that other companies can provide. The training programs lend their expertise to the partnership with the university, which allows students to add valuable certifications to their resumes.

Aside from the services listed above, outsourcing provides several other areas of expertise that educational institutions can use. The exceptional services and results that outsourcing companies can provide are responsible for the recent boost in educational institutions using outsourcing services.

About Us - Rely Services

Rely Services is an outsourcing company with over two decades of experience in business process outsourcing. As a global BPO company, we have witnessed firsthand the rise in colleges and universities using outsourcing services to complement delivering the highest quality education possible to their students.

If you would like to learn more about how and why colleges and universities are turning to outsourcing services, please feel free to reach out to us below. You can call our team of professionals at (847) 310-8750 or Contact Us for more information today!