Choosing the right outsourcing partner is crucial to business longevity. There are several factors to consider before making a decision, because partnering with the wrong company could set you up for a world of distress.
Grow your business with outsourcing
Outsourcing is an ideal business strategy in uncertain times. It gives you access to global talent that can keep your business running smoothly and efficiently.
Outsourcing helps companies focus on growth, increasing profitability and streamlining business process efficiency. That’s why finding an outsourcing service provider that fits well with your business’s culture, values and operations is paramount for success.
To grow your business, you need to have all staff and management pulling in the same direction. You can’t afford to be doing business with a service provider that doesn’t ‘get’ your business or, even worse, doesn’t care about your way of doing things.
So how do you make the right decision? Here are ten things to consider when choosing an outsourcing provider:
Geographical location and time zone
Does your outsourcing provider offer 24/7 support? In many cases, it’s more practical for business owners to outsource tasks to another country in a different time zone. It creates an opportunity to run your business around the clock. Your offshore team can offer support and services to your customers outside your standard business hours.
Differing time zones can create challenges in terms of communication. Partnering with the right service provider will ensure smooth communication across time zones, allowing your offshore teams to be productive and efficient – even when you’re sleeping.
Availability of talent and resources
Through outsourcing, you gain access to a wider pool of skilled professionals, but it’s essential that you ask potential outsourcing partners about their recruitment and hiring processes. Ensure that they can provide you with reliable staff that your business requires to achieve its goals.
Data security and confidentiality
Keeping your information and data secure is vital when outsourcing to another country as a breach could negatively impact your business.
Your outsourcing provider needs to understand and comply with your intellectual property rights. See to it they are willing to sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure that your company’s data is fully protected.
Cost transparency
One of the primary reasons businesses outsource is to reduce overheads. But with so many outsourcing providers offering the same thing, a thorough comparison of options is a must.
If the supplier is providing a lower cost than others, make sure they can still fulfill your business requirements at that price. Ask for a quotation and research what is and isn’t included in the price before diving into contract details.
The management team
Look beyond the offshore team that will be working directly with your business. Knowing the management team who will lead and guide your remote staff is important.
Do a background check on the management team and decide whether they have enough experience in the field. That experience will be handy when it comes to transitioning work, helping to support your business in achieving its goals.
Company culture and values
One of the most vital questions to ask is whether a potential outsourcing partner shares your company values. Establishing a partnership with a company that understands and shares your business goals and philosophy is vital to long term success. Remember that your remote staff will be an extension of your onshore team.
They are part of the team and will be working closely with your onshore team.If your onshore and offshore teams aren’t a good fit, it will be difficult to fully achieve your goals and objectives.
Effective communication
For a business to run smoothly, it requires efficient communication across all areas. An important thing to consider is any language barriers.
Choose an outsourcing partner who is well-versed in your language. For instance, if English fluency is what you need, then consider outsourcing to locations where English is widely used and understood.
Infrastructure and technology
More than anything else, you want to make sure hiring remote staff works smoothly for your business. To avoid any potential issues, it’s necessary to check potential outsourcing partners have the infrastructure and technologies to help boost your productivity and provide the capability to work seamlessly with your offshore team.
Are they an experienced provider?
When you’re looking to grow your business, an outsourcing company with an excellent track record is what you need. We suggest doing your research. Research into potential outsourcing partners should include reviewing their website and reading customer testimonials and case studies.
Doing this is a great way to gain a greater understanding of what they can offer and whether you’ll have confidence in their ability to perform the tasks you require.
Visit their facilities
Are you a bit hesitant about implementing an outsourcing strategy? If so, take the time to visit the offices of your potential outsourcing partners. It will give you perspective into their culture, premises, staff and processes.
Of course, it is not always practical to get on a plane and travel to another country, so if this is an issue, speak to your prospective providers and ask them to take you on a video tour. This should not be a problem for any reputable outsourcing provider.
Partnering with Cloudstaff
Cloudstaff has a strong, experienced global management team with both Western and Filipino executives. The core management team is based in the Philippines and closely interacts with the operational staff.
With a proven track record, Cloudstaff has successfully delivered outsourcing solutions to businesses of all sizes.
We provide structured implementation frameworks necessary when outsourcing and allow our customers to experience more significant gains. They can increase flexibility and add expertise they didn’t previously have.
Outsourcing with Cloudstaff reduces the cost of labor-intensive, time-consuming tasks that are substantially higher in the US, Australia and other Western countries. Our customers and clients can then take that extra capital and invest it into the areas that can help their businesses grow.
We aim to deliver world-class services and the highest level of customer satisfaction while adhering to a strict code of ethics that protects our staff and clients, and provides support for the community.
Choosing the right outsourcing partner is vital to your business’s success. Visit us and take a tour of one of our modern, well-equipped offices. Just contact us to get started.