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The Document Outsourcing Evolution - A Vertical Market Analysis

Publication Date: July 2009
Service: Document Outsourcing Consulting Service

Introduction

Across the document outsourcing market, seismic changes are occurring in the way that service providers go to market. Many providers have evolved from being viewed simply as “vendors” or “print providers” into savvier, business-process focused
partners capable of delivering a broad range of services beyond print. They have cultivated a comprehensive knowledge of their customers’ business challenges and understand how to leverage that knowledge to enable greater return-on-investments (ROI) for their customers. This also leads to profitable growth for the providers.

Core to this understanding are knowledge and experience within customer vertical industries, and the documents and document-intensive workflows vital to those industries. Industry expertise forms the foundation for outsourcing providers to move up the evolving document services spectrum – from the highly competitive (and commoditized) “spec and bid” provider to a uniquely-differentiated services partner, one that delivers value-added services and document process outsourcing capabilities.

For service providers, the key message from the marketplace is “integrate!”—but the challenge is how to implement it. Service providers must offer solutions made up of best-of-breed service components that work together seamlessly, while offering a single point of access, monitoring, and client interaction. The challenges are determining what services are required within each industry and how these services should be structured.

From the clients’ perspective, the challenges are equally complex. In their relentless efforts to reduce costs and become unique market leaders, organizations are increasingly looking at document outsourcing as a strategic opportunity. Nevertheless, the savings and efficiencies delivered through traditional document services are no longer sufficient. Investors are demanding improved returns and increased gross margins regardless of top-line revenue growth.

As a result, all aspects of enterprise print and document management are looked at for potential outsourcing in what InfoTrends refers to as the “integrated document enterprise.” As clients consider outsourcing alternatives, they find they
lack the fundamental knowledge and insight required to make informed decisions about what to outsource, how to outsource, what providers they should consider, and how to make informed decisions. They also seek best practice examples from
peer groups within their industry.

The Document Outsourcing Evolution - A Vertical Market Analysis looks beyond market size and growth potential to understand the “who, what, when, how, and why” of the Document Outsourcing business within the major vertical industries. This study will survey corporate executives, outsourcing decision makers, document owners, and print buyers across multiple vertical industries in North America to create a detailed profile of document outsourcing within in each market.

The results of this study are a must-have for document outsourcing providers to better serve their markets, grow customer relationships, increase their share, and successfully target new opportunities. Corporate decision makers will also consider this report a valuable asset as they consider ways to use document outsourcing as a means to achieve company objectives.

Project Objectives

This study will profile the document outsourcing requirements and trends within the major vertical industries. The results of this effort will answer planning and positioning questions required by document outsourcing providers and corporate clients alike. The objectives of this study are the following:

• Investigate and quantify the vertical markets and corporate functions that are outsourcing key document functions.
• Gain an understanding of consumer behavior and preferences, identifying requirements, expectations, and purchase plans for outsourcing.
• Identify whom clients buy from (by vertical and business function) and the criteria used for selecting these providers.

Analysis and Project Deliverables

InfoTrends will conduct extensive analysis of the desk research, personal interviews, and surveys to develop a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and issues for document outsourcing providers and corporate executives/decision makers.

Document Outsourcing Providers

• An understanding of where the best prospects and opportunities lie, including where decisions are being made and
  the criteria being used.
• Market segmentation and opportunities for outsourcing providers (by vertical industry and service category).
• A discussion of the key elements of a business plan for providers considering entry, or expansion of services within the document services spectrum. The services required today to successfully satisfy requirements within each industry will be a particular focus.

Corporate Executives and Decision Makers

• Profiles of key providers and services relevant to the document outsourcing needs they have.
• An understanding of the challenges and solutions being employed within each vertical market. Particular focus will be on the benefits and ROI being realized from outsourcing.
• A discussion of the key criteria for selecting the right service provider.

The specific deliverables from this project will include:

• An Executive Summary PowerPoint presentation that addresses key issues, findings, and overall recommendations.
• A detailed written report with text, charts, and graphs addressing the objectives of the study – with the discussions and interpretations defined above.
• Tabulated data: This information represents the full set of data responses to the e-mail/Web surveys.

Getting Started

For more information on the study or to sign up as a participant, contact Jennifer Skerrett at +1 , ext. 111 or via e-mail at . Early subscriber discounts are available until November 28, 2008. Clients that sign up early can also provide input and review of the survey prior to its launch.