Are you considering outsourcing some of your business processes and are unsure of what you can expect? Outsourcing has been a business practice for decades and many companies make significant cost savings and have access to several other benefits. If you’ve never worked with outsourced staff before, it’s natural to have a few questions.
In the ten years plus that we have been helping businesses set up successful offshore support teams, one of the most common questions that we are asked by companies new to outsourcing is, ‘What can I expect from my remote team?’.
While there are many things you can expect from your outsourced staff, we’ve come up with a list of things you should know before you begin your outsourcing journey.
What should I expect from my outsourced staff?
- Expect them to be talented and highly educated
- Expect their work quality to meet or exceed expectations
- Expect your outsourced staff to speak and communicate in excellent English
- Expect them to be punctual and efficient
Top global talent
The world’s top outsourcing locations place a lot of importance on education . When looking to engage outsourced staff, you can expect to find highly educated candidates who are fully qualified for any role that you require.
It is often the case that staff are overqualified for their roles. For example, at Cloudstaff, over 85% of our staff have an undergraduate degree or higher, even for entry and low-level positions. Our customers often comment they’d never be able to find the same calibre of people if they were employing 100% of their roles onshore.
Through outsourcing, you’ll find professionals with varying levels of experience to fill your available roles. The global outsourcing industry is mature and well established, meaning it won’t be difficult to find senior staff with years of experience working in their respective fields with US, UK, Australian and other international companies.
Exceeding expectations
One of the biggest misconceptions about outsourcing to an offshore destination is that the quality of the work will be of a lower standard than if it were done locally. The thinking goes that ‘If I pay a lower price, then the quality will not be as high’.
The cost savings made through outsourcings to developing nations comes from a variety of influences. One being the lower cost of living in these destinations. In most cases, including Cloudstaff, cost savings made by outsourcing doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing quality. In the rare cases that it does happen, it’s time to re-evaluate your service provider.
Excellent English
It is understandable that when businesses outsource roles to another country, they may have concerns about how well their offshore staff’s communication capabilities. This is a legitimate question to ask, and in some outsourcing destinations, there may be cause for concern.
However, in the most popular outsourcing destinations, such as the Philippines and India, you have nothing to worry about.
If you have these concerns, it’s important that you communicate them to your outsourcing partner. Additional ways you can alleviate these worries is through video interviews and spoken communication evaluations.
Punctual staff
It’s widely known that outside Western norms, time flows differently and has less importance placed on it. Some cultures are well known for habitually being late – and outsourcing destinations are immune from this. While this may be part of their culture – they don’t bring it into their careers, especially when working with Western businesses.
Remote staff are held to the same standards as local staff. They arrive on time, work efficiently and complete projects in a timely manner. Nations who outsource pride themselves are being one of the most sought after outsourcing countries and hold themselves to high standards.
Outsourcing with Cloudstaff
Cloudstaff’s outsourcing experts are always available to help. We specialize in helping small to medium sized businesses to set up successful and cost-effective global outsourced support teams.
As a leader in the industry for over a decade we have an abundance of knowledge and expertise to share with you, helping you reach your goals.
Want to take the next step? Speak with one of our friendly outsourcing experts today.