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The education sector evolves rapidly due to rising competition, costs, and shifting student expectations. The e-learning market also experiences significant and consistent growth due to the growing demand for online education. To address these shifts, many institutions turn to business process outsourcing (BPO).
Specialized outsourcing companies provide educational institutions with expert knowledge, advanced technology, and essential resources to enhance their capabilities and deliver exceptional student experiences. Keep reading to learn why outsourcing education services is becoming a strategic necessity.
BPO’s role in education
What is BPO in education? This strategy involves contracting out specific administrative, operational, or technological functions of an educational institution to a third-party service provider. Commonly outsourced educational services include:
- Student admissions and enrollment
- Financial aid processing
- Human resources and payroll
- Information technology (IT) support and help desk
- Academic advising and tutoring
- Online course delivery
- Student recruitment and marketing
Educational organizations can concentrate more on core competencies and activities by delegating these non-core tasks to specialized companies.
Top reasons to outsource education services
BPO in education reduces operating costs and boosts overall organizational efficiency. Here’s why outsourcing education services has become a vital strategy for many institutions:
Operational efficiency, productivity, and adaptability
Delegating time-consuming administrative tasks such as data entry and record management allows educational institutions to focus on delivering higher-value activities. This strategy improves decision-making, innovation, and student satisfaction.
Outsourcing also provides flexibility to scale operations based on changing needs and technological advancements, helping institutions adapt quickly to market trends.
Improved access to specialized talent
Labor shortages make recruitment challenging. Quality offshore providers offer skilled, cost-effective staff from extensive talent pools.
Countries such as the Philippines provide well-educated, passionate workers and robust tech infrastructure for seamless remote work. Educational outsourcing helps overcome talent gaps and access specialized expertise without hiring or training full-time in-house staff.
Enhanced focus on core activities
BPO enables educational institutions to concentrate on teaching, research, and student development while leveraging the expertise of outsourcing partners for supporting activities. This capability allows them to deliver exceptional educational experiences, achieve institutional goals, and become more competitive.
Long-term sustainability and cost-efficiency
Outsourcing education services reduces costs by optimizing resources and eliminating redundancies. BPO providers offer access to cost-effective talent and economies of scale, reducing labor and infrastructure expenses.
For example, institutions outsourcing to the Philippines can save up to 70% on labor costs by avoiding additional office and digital expenses. They can reinvest the savings in academic programs and student support, making outsourcing a cost-effective, sustainable strategy.
Thorough risk management and disaster recovery planning
Educational institutions face threats such as natural disasters and cyberattacks. Outsourcing non-core functions enhances risk management by leveraging the provider’s disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning for over 1.5 billion students and youth worldwide, underscoring the need for continuity. Outsourcing tasks such as student support helps maintain operations during crises, mitigates disruptions, and preserves the student experience.
BPO’s role in navigating critical trends in education
The education technology market surged 78% from 2019 to 2021, reaching $85 billion in just two years. The education sector saw an influx of advanced technologies that enhance student engagement, including smart devices, digital tools, and cloud platforms.
BPO in education allows institutions to integrate such innovations into their operations without significant upfront and maintenance costs. Outsourcing companies continuously invest in technology to support organizations in navigating the following critical trends:
- Online education. The rise of online learning has shifted from a reaction to a transformation. Global institutions now embrace digital classrooms, virtual exams, and advanced tools, driving a significant boom in digital education and reshaping the learning landscape worldwide.
- Hybrid learning models. Blending physical and virtual classrooms offers flexible, tailored learning experiences. Hybrid models address diverse needs, leverage technology for interactive education, and prepare students for the digital workforce, ensuring adaptability, accessibility, and relevance in a changing world.
- Personalized learning. The education sector moves beyond a one-size-fits-all model by using technology and innovative methods to address diverse learning styles. This approach fosters engagement and ownership, with educators guiding tailored curricula to unlock each student’s potential and improve educational outcomes.
- Technology integration. Technology integration in education enhances engagement and interactivity. Advancements boost distance education, narrow the digital divide, enable students from remote areas to access educational programs, and promote better inclusivity.
- Microlearning. Delivering content in small, digestible units caters to learners’ short attention spans and busy schedules. This approach, ideal for on-the-go professionals and students, offers quick, accessible learning through mobile platforms. It enhances knowledge retention and supports continuous, efficient education.
- Massive open online courses (MOOCs). These include free or low-cost courses from universities and the integration of technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), and gamification to enhance learning. Online platforms partner with employers to offer job-specific training and certifications for learning and upskilling.
Key considerations in choosing an outsourcing partner
Selecting the right BPO vendor is crucial for successful education outsourcing. Institutions must carefully evaluate potential providers based on industry experience, expertise, track record, and security protocols. They should review their past work and experience in education, seeking evidence of successful collaborations and an understanding of educational challenges.
Additionally, institutions need to consider the potential for a long-term partnership. Trustworthiness and a shared vision for quality education are vital for building a productive and enduring relationship. They should ensure the BPO partner commits to a lasting collaboration to achieve the best outcomes.
Successful outsourcing of education services
Many educational institutions have effectively used BPO to address various challenges. Outsourcing student recruitment and admissions processes has helped increase enrollment numbers.
At the same time, partnerships with BPO providers for online course delivery and virtual learning support demonstrate the versatility and benefits of outsourcing in higher education. Below are some more examples of successful outsourcing of education services:
Duolingo: Enhancing global expansion
As it expanded globally, Duolingo faced increasing user support and content localization challenges. Multilingual support and localized content were essential for maintaining a high-quality user experience across diverse markets.
To address this, Duolingo outsourced these functions to a specialized contact center. This allowed Duolingo to leverage the BPO partner’s expertise in managing high volumes of inquiries and providing accurate, culturally relevant content translations. This strategy enabled Duolingo to focus on developing new language-learning features.
The BPO partner’s efficient handling of support and localization significantly enhanced the user experience, which fueled Duolingo’s global growth.
Coursera: Optimizing operations
Coursera faced challenges managing a high volume of customer support requests and moderating diverse course content as it expanded its offerings and features. To maintain a high-quality learning experience, Coursera outsourced these functions to a specialized BPO provider.
Coursera leveraged the BPO partner’s expertise in handling numerous student inquiries and enforcing strict content standards. With efficient support and content moderation, Coursera could focus on expanding its courses and improving platform features.
The BPO company’s effective management enhanced the user experience, supported Coursera’s rapid growth, and reinforced its reputation in the market.
The bottom line
The future of BPO in education looks promising. As technology advances and the need for flexible, cost-effective education solutions grows, outsourcing will become increasingly vital for educational institutions. It helps colleges and universities adapt to market changes and achieve exceptional student outcomes.
Explore how outsourcing education services can transform your institution and drive success. Let’s connect to discuss your opportunities.
