I posted the following on the Connect website and based on the response, I thought it would be a valuable post on HP Communities.

Note: If you want to see me and Elvis :-), you'll have to go to the Connect site!

I recently attended the Gartner Outsourcing Summit in Las Vegas. HP EDS was there and my time in Vegas would not have been complete without a photo op with Elvis. He really does ‘live’.  

One of the highlights of my trip was attending a keynote delivered by Daniel Pink, former aid to US Secretary of Labor, Daniel Reich and chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore. The theme: What Can’t Be Outsourced There is understandably a concern, especially in the US about jobs being outsourced. But what the real focus should be on is what we can’t outsource and how to prepare ourselves and our children for the new paradigm. I thought I’d share some of my notes from the keynote. 

Why we outsource: 
1.       Asia (low cost)
2.       Automation (we’re automating everything with software like TaxCut, LegalZoom, 123Divorce.com,) Shoot even in Vegas, they’ve done away with cashiers and replaced them with voucher redemption machines.
3.       Abundance  - We’ve over produced so the cost of overhead is too high to maintain until we catch up with consumption. 

Bottom line: If it’s routine, it will either be automated or shipped offshore.   

The future and what we cannot outsource: 

1.       Design – Basically the heavy lifting will remain offshore and our ability to design and create ideas, concepts, products and solutions will stay and grow!
2.       Empathy – Schools (med, legal, business etc) are teaching empathy as a means to connecting with clients. There have been many attempts to offshore customer service. I’ve seen a lot of companies publicly fall on their sword and bring it back to their native countries. But it’s not just the call center, it’s any aspect of connecting with the customer that will help them succeed.  Mark Hurd talked about this a few years ago during his keynote. If you focus on customer success, the profits will follow.
3.       Symphony – working in concert within a company and a community to inspire and innovate based on understood need. You can’t offshore that.  

Although this was an hour keynote, I’ve kept this overview short and sweet. If you want to know more, Daniel has written a book on this topic  called “A Whole New Mind”.  

I loved being in Vegas at the Mandalay Bay as I feel like I know this venue like the back of my hand! If for some reason you have not registered for the HP Technology Forum & Expo, jump on it! www.hptechnologyforum.com Looking forward to seeing you there!  

Cheers,

Nina
Connect President
www.connect-community.org