If you’re looking to tap into African talent pools as part of your corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals, there are a few key steps we recommend you follow in order to develop and implement an effective impact sourcing strategy in Africa. 

From securing internal buy-in to selecting the right location and BPO partner, it helps to have a clear roadmap. Having a solid strategy in place up front will set your business up to create meaningful social impact while also benefiting from Africa's growing BPO potential.

Step 1: Building the business case and securing leadership buy-in

The first crucial step in developing your impact sourcing strategy is to build a compelling business case and secure buy-in from your company's leadership and key stakeholders. This typically involves:

• Research and data gathering. Before you approach the decision makers in your organization with your impact sourcing plan, you’ll have a better chance of getting buy-in if you do your research first. Compile data on the potential benefits of impact sourcing in Africa, including cost savings, access to talent, and positive social impact. Use reports from organizations like the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC) to support your case.
• Align with company goals. Senior leadership will want to know how this initiative marries up to the overall goals of the business. Be sure you’re able to demonstrate how impact sourcing in Africa aligns with your company's broader CSR objectives, growth strategies, and talent acquisition goals.
• Address concerns. Anticipate potential objections or concerns from leadership, such as quality of service, infrastructure challenges, or political stability. Prepare well-researched responses to these concerns, highlighting success stories from other companies that have implemented similar strategies.
• Develop a presentation. Create a comprehensive presentation that outlines the business case, potential benefits, risks, and a high-level implementation plan. Include case studies of successful impact sourcing initiatives in Africa to illustrate the potential. Keep the presentation itself concise but have your supporting information on hand if questions arise.
• Engage key stakeholders. There will likely be a number of stakeholders who would have a say in an impact sourcing program – it’s a good idea to get them on board earlier, rather than later. Schedule meetings with decision-makers across relevant departments (e.g., Operations, HR, Finance, CSR) to present your case and gather feedback. Be prepared to iterate on your proposal based on their input.

Step 2: Establishing clear objectives and KPIs

Once you have leadership buy-in, the next step is to define clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for your impact sourcing initiative. This will help ensure alignment across the organization and provide a framework for measuring success. 

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Define impact goals. Determine the specific social impact you aim to achieve, such as the number of jobs created, percentage of employees from disadvantaged backgrounds, or improvement in local economic indicators.
• Set business objectives. Establish clear business goals, such as cost savings, quality improvements, or expansion of service offerings.
• Develop KPIs. Create a balanced scorecard of KPIs that encompass both social impact and business performance. For example: Number of jobs created in target communities, additional jobs created, number of women in leadership positions etc.
• Establish baseline metrics. Gather data on your current operations to establish a baseline against which you can measure the impact of your new initiative.
• Create a reporting framework. Develop a system for regularly tracking and reporting on your KPIs to both internal and external stakeholders.

Step 3: Researching and selecting the right location

Choosing the right location for your BPO operation is critical to the success of your impact sourcing initiative. Africa offers several promising markets, each offering its own strengths and challenges. 

As you’re researching the best location, there are a few factors you should be keeping in mind:

• Talent pool. What is the availability of skilled workers? Are they proficient in the English language? And what are the education levels in the locations you’re researching?
• Infrastructure. Look for locations that an ensure a higher reliability of power supply, internet connectivity, and transportation networks.
• Government support. Some locations may offer government incentives for BPO operations and impact sourcing initiatives in different countries.
• Business environment. Consider factors such as political stability, ease of doing business, and legal frameworks for foreign companies.
• Existing BPO ecosystem. Look for locations that already have established BPO industries, as they may offer better support services and a more experienced workforce.

If you’re not sure where to get this information, consider engaging a consultant who specializes in impact sourcing in Africa or reach out to industry associations to gain deeper insights.

Step 4: Finding the right BPO partner

Once you've selected a location, the next key step is finding the right BPO partner. This partner will be instrumental in implementing your impact sourcing strategy and ensuring its success. 

But where do you start?

• Decide on your selection criteria. Start by creating a comprehensive list of criteria that you’ll use to evaluate potential BPO partners. First and foremost on your list should be experience with impact sourcing.
• Conduct market research. Industry associations, local chambers of commerce, and government investment agencies can all help you identify potential BPO partners in your chosen location.
• Reach out to your network. Do you have contacts at other companies who have experience working with BPOs in Africa? Tap into their knowledge – they’ll have insights you may not find readily online.
• Request for proposal (RFP). Once you’ve got your shortlist of companies, have them submit an RFP so you can gather detailed information about their capabilities, experience, and approach to impact sourcing.
• Site visits and due diligence. After the RFP process, you’ll probably have your selection narrowed down to a couple of potential partners. At this stage, you’ll want to conduct on-site visits so you can evaluate your potential partners firsthand. Meet with their leadership teams, tour the facilities, and speak with employees to get a sense of their culture and operations. Ask if you can shadow the employees in action for a couple of hours so you can get a sense of how they work.
• Run a pilot project. Partnering with a BPO can be a big commitment. Consider running a small pilot project with one or two top candidates before committing to a long-term partnership so you can better assess their capabilities and cultural fit in a real-world scenario.

Again, finding a consultant with expertise and connections who can help you navigate the African BPO space will save you a lot of time and frustration.

Step 5: Developing a comprehensive implementation plan

You’ve selected your location and you’re happy with the BPO partner you’ve chosen – now  it's time to develop a detailed implementation plan. This plan should cover all aspects of setting up and running your impact sourcing BPO operation:

• Legal and regulatory compliance. Work with local legal experts to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations (you’ll need to involve your own company’s legal and/or compliance teams here). This may include registering your business, obtaining necessary licenses, and understanding local labour laws.
• Facility set-up. How you set up the facility itself will set the tone for the team and play a big role in keeping morale high. Give thoughtful consideration to the physical setup of your BPO center, including office space, IT infrastructure, and security measures.
• Recruitment and training. Develop a strategy for recruiting impact workers, including partnerships with local non-government organizations (NGOs) or educational institutions. Create comprehensive training programs that address both technical skills and soft skills.
• Technology and systems integration. Your BPO operation will need to integrate with your existing systems and processes. For example, setting up secure data connections, implementing quality control measures, and establishing communication protocols.
• Cultural integration. This is a critical consideration that often gets overlooked and is essential to the success and morale of your African team. Be sure to build this in to your strategy to bridge any cultural gaps between your existing operations and the new BPO center. This might include cross-cultural training for both your home office staff and the new BPO team.
• Impact measurement. Put your systems in place for tracking and reporting on your established KPIs, ensuring you can demonstrate the social and business impact of your initiative. Set expectations with your leadership team as to how often you’ll be reporting results and what format that will take.
• Scalability planning. Even as you’re just starting you, you should be thinking ahead as to how you’ll scale your impact sourcing initiative over time. This could include potentially expanding to other locations or adding new service offerings.

Step 6: Launching and continuous improvement

With your implementation plan in place, you're ready to launch your impact sourcing BPO operation. However, you already know that the work doesn't stop there. 

Here are a few tips that can help ensure long-term success and maximize impact:

• Regular performance reviews. Conduct regular reviews of both business and social impact KPIs, adjusting your strategies as needed.
• Stakeholder communication. Keep the lines of communication open with all of your stakeholders, including leadership, employees, customers, and local communities. Be fully transparent about your successes as well as any challenges you’re facing.
• Employee development. Invest in ongoing training and development programs for your impact workers. Be clear in the steps they need to take in order to advance in their careers and provide the training they need to get there.
• Community engagement. Look for opportunities to deepen your impact in the local community, such as through education initiatives or local supplier development programs.
• Continuous improvement. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging feedback and ideas from all levels of the organization.

The extra effort is worth it.

Yes, you will likely invest considerably more time upfront when you’re setting up a BPO in Africa than if you were doing so in North America. Impact sourcing requires patience, flexibility, and a genuine commitment to creating shared value for all stakeholders involved.

But if your goal is to create meaningful social change, tapping into Africa’s growing potential as a BPO destination will be well worth the journey.

Ready to start your impact sourcing initiative in Africa? We can help you with that.