BPO and IT outsourcing are complex. Not everything goes according to plan.
Sometimes issues arise with a client or service provider counterpart that you cannot resolve together. Such situation may lead to an escalation.
Escalation is typically perceived as something negative. This doesn’t have to be the case.
Try to set aside emotions and agree to disagree. Then say the following: “we cannot reach an agreement at our level, let’s jointly escalate to our superiors”.
The key here is to escalate jointly. And try to reframe the word escalation to consultation.
Part of the reason you disagree might be because you both don’t have enough mandate or information. Your superiors might have that or maybe they also need to go to the next governance level.
To better understand the concept, let's trace the origins of the word "escalation". It derives from the verb "escalate," which, in turn, comes from "escalator." All three words have their roots in the Latin term "scala," meaning "stairs" or "ladder."
So freely translated, to escalate basically means “to go up (the stairs)” or, in outsourcing terms, moving up to the next governance level, a step towards resolving complex issues through consultation. See below figure for a simple governance structure.
In other words, escalation does not need to have the negative connotation it has been given in recent times. That’s also why I prefer the word consultation, which has a more positive association.
To this end, it is important to let emotions subside and have an open mind to finding solutions. Second, it is important to follow the designed governance structure. In this way you avoid unnecessary noise that results from anecdotal information and coffee machine conversations rather than fact-based evidence.
I’d encourage you to consider the above approach to resolve seemingly unresolvable issues with your counterpart. For a more elaborate explanation of these concepts do not hesitate to send a message e.g., via email or LinkedIn.
Extra
Some further useful escalation tips can be found here.
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