In the competitive landscape of visa outsourcing, transition is inevitable and a critical phase to ensure a smooth handover between suppliers. Far more than simply a procedural formality, transition management is fundamental to the successful launch of any new outsourcing contract. It therefore requires meticulous planning, careful execution, and proactive problem-solving that will set the tone for the entire contract lifecycle.
Upon securing new business in a market where a supplier is already in place, we launch a comprehensive programme designed to facilitate a seamless transition for all stakeholders, particularly our government clients and their customers. At TLScontact, we have some of the most extensive transition experience in our sector. This has enabled us to refine our processes over the years and craft a bespoke strategy to address the unique and specific requirements of each government client.
What it takes to implement an effective transition programme
1. Strong collaboration with our government clients
A transition programme involves intensive client interaction, to allow us to anticipate client needs, validate requirements, and address areas such as cyber security, data privacy, and location strategy, all of which are critical for successful visa outsourcing.
Effective liaison with our client and internally with our senior executives guarantees that we remain responsive and proactive. This approach is vital to maintaining transparency, reassuring clients, and establishing a collaborative partnership from the very beginning of a new contract.
We work closely with our clients to customise the transition process according to their preferences, whether at local or central levels. Ultimately, we understand that success isn’t just in the end result of opening a new visa centre, but in the journey itself. We therefore tailor our services to make the transition period a positive experience for our clients and a seamless one for their customers. Through this work, we aim to instil confidence in our clients, assuring them that our operations will be of high quality once our new centres are opened, and managed with meticulous care and consideration.
2. Careful coordination of internal resources
Transition between service providers involves a highly complex series of deliverables that need to be managed across a large range of corporate departments, from human resources, finance and legal, to facility management, operations and technology. This complexity is amplified when managing transition across multiple countries and legal jurisdictions. That is why it is so important to be able to properly coordinate internal resources and understand exactly what is required for each separate location.
Throughout the transition phase, programme managers at TLScontact can depend on a wealth of expertise from our internal teams. They have extensive, proven experience in working on international transitions and each manages its specific part of the puzzle to help us to achieve the smoothest transition possible and, ultimately, excellent service delivery from day one.
The work of our human resources team is particularly critical as we prepare for the launch of any new contract. We need to ensure that we have the right people in place well in advance, either through external recruitment or internal promotion, and that teams are fully trained on client requirements and procedures.
3. Implementation of robust transition methodologies
By adhering to established methodologies for risk assessment and requirement planning, we uphold a commitment to consistency and reliability throughout the transition process. This approach allows us to make sure that potential risks are systematically identified, evaluated, and mitigated. Anticipation is key, to identify possible issues before they emerge, and make sure that we are able to deliver according to the agreed timelines, whatever the challenges along the way.
Strong transition management plays a pivotal role in avoiding service disruption for customers, and can also allow governments to introduce changes and improvements to their operations. We therefore emphasise the importance of a smooth, carefully coordinated handover to ensuring a consistent, and even improved customer experience. By investing in experienced personnel, robust methodologies, and tailored client approaches, we guarantee that our government clients not only receive high-quality operations for the duration of the operational contract, but also experience a positive and collaborative journey right from this first, critical phase.
Article written by
Luis Faria da Fonseca, Head of Project Management &
Cedric Benslimane, Programme Manager