Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has time and again stood the test of helping organizations better manage crisis. The recent scourge of Eyjafjoell (better known as the volcanic ash crisis) saw BPO proving itself vociferously once again. The link in the PDF/Presentation is not working due to some changes in the website. Please refer to the new link http://bit.ly/hHJBFC

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Did Airlines That Outsourced Operations Handle The Volcanic Ash
Crisis Better?
By Peter Grover
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has time and again stood the test of helping organizations better manage crisis. The
recent scourge of Eyjafjoell (better known as the volcanic ash crisis) saw BPO proving itself vociferously once again.
As Iceland’s volcanic eruption had everyone glued to their television sets and other communication devices, scores of
flights were cancelled leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Passenger claims and re-booking were at an all-time
high ─ a leading airline client of WNS saw 40%-60% growth in call volumes. Post the crisis, when researchers and
organizations analyzed their crisis management measures, many online forums were found echoing that airline companies
that had outsourced their contact center and help-desk jobs had the competitive edge during the crisis.
The reason is simple. An organization is always short of measures and manpower while handling a crisis. Their BPO
service providers are the extended arm that they need, be it to augment their trained resources or to manage disruptions
seamlessly. Here are three areas that BPO service providers could help with. While they could seem standard during
normal times, they are of immense value in maintaining organizational agility during a crisis:
1. Identification of the areas that need to be addressed: When phone lines are incessantly ringing and
passengers are extremely anxious, it’s panic everywhere! It might seem that every area within the organization
(be it reservations or HR or Finance) has to work overtime to handle the crisis. The truth is far from that. BPO
service providers can work with the client to understand crisis-stricken areas. For instance, during the volcanic
ash episode, WNS identified the teams for its clients which had:
 A spike in volumes due to the disruption (For example: Customer relations, e-mail, refunds, re-booking,
re-issues and cargo)
 Teams, which had a corresponding reduction in activity (Flights and PNRs)
 Teams that were neutral during disruptions (For example, finance shared sevices, HR shared services
and revenue reports teams)
2. Re-deployment of resources: While organizations are usually stretched in finding re-deployable resources
(be it in terms of number or skill sets), BPO providers offer scalable solutions. Their HR and training processes
are more than agile in enabling rapid re-deployment. For instance, during the same volcanic ash crisis, as part of
a short- and medium-term plan, WNS proposed re-allocating approximately 3% of the staff from teams that had
seen a reduction in work to help out in the areas, which had seen a spike. This not only displayed greater
flexibility, but also helped airlines save on costs.
3. Crisis management frameworks: Disruptions are typically unique and require specific responses. BPO can
help with different kinds of disruption management frameworks. For instance, a leading airline client of WNS
needed a separate cell to manage the overload of cash refunds while facing the volcanic ash crisis. Within the
shortest span of time, WNS hired 60 staff for four months to help manage refund volumes and customer
relations.
As Bill Gates once said, “A company needs to have good business reflexes, to be able to marshal its forces in a crisis or in
response to any unplanned event.” And those reflexes could be yours or of that of your partner, in this case – your BPO
service provider.
Acknowledgement: Additional inputs from Gloria Giri, Account Management, WNS Travel and Leisure Services
http://www.wns.com/blogs/TravelandLeisureServicesOutsourcing
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