GXS recently conducted a survey of its Managed Services customers to identify the key business drivers behind B2B outsourcing* and to quantify the return on investment associated with those business drivers. The survey set out to answer three fundamental questions:
- Why do companies outsource their B2B operations?
- Once they have outsourced, how do they measure the ongoing value of their B2B outsourcing solution?
- What is the return on investment (ROI) associated with B2B outsourcing?
According to the survey, the top 5 reasons customers chose to outsource their B2B operations were:
- To reduce B2B costs (chosen by 71% of respondents);
- To gain access to enhanced B2B technology (chosen by 66% of respondents);
- To improve customer service and responsiveness (chosen by 65% of respondents);
- To automate additional trading partners (chosen by 63% of respondents); and
- To increase focus on higher value business objectives (chosen by 49% of respondents).
According to the survey, the top 5 key metrics used to justify the value of B2B outsourcing were:
- To reduce B2B operating costs (chosen by 86% of respondents);
- To increase customer satisfaction (chosen by 78% of respondents);
- To improve responsiveness to new trading partner requirements (chosen by 65% of respondents);
- To increase B2B system uptime/availability (chosen by 57% of respondents); and
- To increase the number of trading partners using the system (chosen by 49% of respondents).
Return on Investment
In addition, respondents quantified the ROI gained through the use of GXS Managed Services. For example, respondents reported an average 42% reduction in B2B operating costs. Other ROI figures appear below:
Survey Respondents
Sixty-five of GXS Managed Services customers responded to the survey. The respondents cover a wide range of industries and revenues. Their breakdown is as follows:
