The document outsourcing market in Canada is similar to that of the United States. It is engaged in a series of immediate changes and long-term evolution, both of which are profoundly reshaping the marketplace from a customer and vendor perspective. 

Value-Added Services – Full Speed Ahead!

Canadian service providers’ approach towards the implementation of value-added services is best described as “full speed ahead.” Service providers have partnered effectively to offer their customers a number of services beyond basic print, and major providers have extended service offerings such as document assessments into Canadian markets with great success. 

Canadian enterprises have embraced outsourcing not only as a way to improve quality and reduce costs of document production processes, but also as a way to reduce future cost increases and enhance competitiveness within the continental and global economies.

Service providers reported a definite increase in the complexity and value of additional services offered within the past year, as well as customers’ recognition of that value. In general, this success is based on service providers’ understanding of the unique business challenges of the customer enterprise as well as general industry conditions, and their willingness to innovate and create unique service offerings rather than taking a “one size fits all” approach. In those situations where pricing remains a concern, several factors can contribute to challenges:

• The relative newness of many of these services makes it difficult for some providers to articulate competitive value against other players in the marketplace, especially when the services are not expressed in industry-specific terms  
• Customer expectations sometimes focus too heavily on cost rather than ROI (Return on Investment)  
• A lack of business process-centric planning makes it difficult for providers to explain value in terms that a customer can understand  
• The “a la carte” syndrome causes customers to perceive value-added services as a way for businesses to increase total service provider revenue rather than a way to create value for the customer

Fully benefiting from the provisioning of value-added services will require service providers to gain a greater understanding of customer business challenges and present the value-added services within the context of those challenges – in other words, as an opportunity for customers rather than simply another service from a list.

The preceding is an excerpt from CAP Ventures’ forecast entitled Canadian Document Outsourcing Market Forecast: 2002-2007. The complete document is available immediately. To learn more about the report or to make a purchase, please contact Alison Hipp at (781) 616-2100, ext. 126 or alison_hipp@capv.com.

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