Ever wondered what separates those who benefit most from outsourcing and those who don’t? Well if you’re still curious then it’s worth taking a couple of minutes to log on to Accenture.com to hear the company’s chief executive for outsourcing, Kevin Campbell, impart some words of wisdom.

Focusing on the bigger picture and not getting bogged down in day-to-day issues are just two of the key messages from the man at the top, who also insists that taking the time and effort to build relationships with outsourcing providers is another key to unlocking the secrets of outsourcing success.

“Too often people get caught in the contract or the cost reduction,” Campbell warns. “They get focused on the inputs not the outputs.” Something we can all relate too.

“You need someone to contribute to how you’re moving your company forward, that’s not a provider, that’s a partner,” he adds.

Creating additional value through the leveraging of gain sharing is also one of the attributes that separates the best from the rest, alongside ensuring that the relationship is managed by a dedicated executive.

“This is not a part-time job, this is not a some-time job this is not a job that someone can do two hours a week,” Campbell says.

Moving on, he then debunks and deals with some of the current myths that have been built up and surround outsourcing, such as companies believing that when they outsource they lose control.

Not so, says Campbell : “In general a well constructed contract and relationship will actually improve control, you don’t lose control.”

And if companies thought that outsourcing was the preserve of struggling companies they couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The best companies in the world, the ones that are the top performers are the ones that are making extensive use of outsourcing,” he says. “It’s the stuff that the leaders do.”

You heard it here first.