Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in outsourcing services begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In outsourcing services: Clients want lower cost and steady quality; define the process you will run.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a client firm. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many service contracts could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs a handled back-office or support process.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a client firm within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 17.600 per service contract and complains about delay. We target 3 service contracts a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for outsourcing services. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the service contract price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In outsourcing services: Contracts state data duties, service levels and penalties; LGPD roles are named.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for outsourcing services: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new outsourcing services trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 80.000 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For a handled back-office or support process, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In outsourcing services: Offer scope, volume bands, service levels and reporting.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (a handled back-office or support process), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'A handled back-office or support process, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 16.000 per service contract. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 16.000 to R$ 14.400 per service contract. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 6.500 to R$ 4.900 per service contract; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Ask three possible clients which routine tasks steal their week, and choose one such as order entry, billing follow-up or call answering. Write the scope: what you do, in how many hours, to what accuracy and by which deadline. List what the client must send and by when. Divide your monthly cost, including training, software, supervision and unused hours, by the volume of tasks. Show the client the in-house cost beside your price with every line visible. Propose a thirty-day pilot with one success number agreed in writing. A lawyer should read the thirty-day pilot agreement for confidentiality and data-handling clauses before the first file arrives.
Extra worked example. A provider sells each monthly service contract for R$ 16.000. Staff time, tools and licences cost R$ 9.500 per contract, leaving R$ 6.500, or 40,6 percent of the price. Fixed costs of R$ 22.000 a month for the office, management and security are covered after 4 contracts, since R$ 22.000 divided by R$ 6.500 is 3,4. With 5 contracts, sales are R$ 80.000, contribution is R$ 32.500 and profit is R$ 10.500. The client compares the invoice with the old payroll line.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For outsourcing services, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In outsourcing services: Hand-over, training, live run, quality checks, monthly review.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the service contract, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a trained team and service levels. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 2 service contracts last week; cause: missing check on a trained team and service levels; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 5 service contracts last month, 1 had a defect traced to a trained team and service levels. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 20 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is errors that reach the client's customer. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In outsourcing services: Data leaks and errors; access control and double checks.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: errors that reach the client's customer. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each service contract, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: errors that reach the client's customer nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In outsourcing services: Train agents on scripts and escalation.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Write a manual for each client with screenshots, sample cases and the five mistakes seen most often. Qualify two people on every client account so absences do not stop delivery. Give each client one named contact and one channel for urgent problems. Use a short Monday call to confirm the week's priorities and check the previous week's results. Measure accuracy, deadline hits and client comments, and show the numbers to the team. Give each person access only to the files they need and remove it when a contract ends. Confidentiality agreements for every staff member and a clear line on subcontracting are worth drafting with a lawyer first.
Extra worked example. A provider runs 5 contracts and rework from errors uses 40 staff hours a month, costing R$ 2.000 (hours and hourly cost are worked-example figures, not market data). After a checklist and a second reviewer, rework falls to 15 hours, costing R$ 750. The monthly saving is R$ 1.250, or R$ 15.000 in a year. That equals 19 percent of a contract's margin. The second reviewer's initials on each batch are what show that the rework hours are really gone.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In outsourcing services: Price per transaction or per head; utilisation matters.
- Contribution per service contract = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 16.000, variable cost R$ 9.500, contribution R$ 6.500 per service contract. Fixed cost R$ 22.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 22.000 / R$ 6.500 = 3,38, so 4 service contracts a month. At 5 service contracts a month, profit = R$ 6.500 x 5 - R$ 22.000 = R$ 10.500. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 3 service contracts a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 6.500 x 3 - R$ 22.000 = R$ -2.500; compare with break-even of 4 service contracts and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In outsourcing services: Grow by service level performance.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every service contract. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 2 service contracts a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 1.600 to R$ 17.600. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Send each client a one-page monthly report showing volume handled, speed and accuracy. During the review call, ask which neighboring task causes the most trouble and offer to try it for a month. Record revenue, margin and months of relationship for every client. Once a year, compare your price with your real cost and propose a fair adjustment. When a client leaves, write the reason in a log and read it quarterly. Hire only after demand has stayed steady for several months. Share a short case result only with the client's written permission. Renewal clauses, notice periods and annual price adjustments belong in the contract, so have them reviewed once by a lawyer.
Extra worked example. A provider has 5 contracts at R$ 16.000, with R$ 9.500 of variable cost and R$ 22.000 of fixed cost, so profit is R$ 10.500. One more contract is signed (an assumed sale, not market data), making 6. Sales rise to R$ 96.000 and profit to R$ 17.000, a gain of R$ 6.500 a month, since the office and management already exist. Over twelve months the gain is R$ 78.000. The owner checks that the team can hold the quality level before taking a seventh contract.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.
