Offshore outsourcing is becoming increasingly common in the West, and a growing number of businesses are looking to learn more about how the sector works. This is in addition to their concerns over the cost and the safety of their data when it comes to outsourcing a procedure.
Many business owners wonder if offshore outsourcing is the best strategy for them and if so, how to find success in assigning tasks to employees in remote locations. Finding a reliable business process outsourcing (BPO) provider to act as your company’s spokesperson, promote your brand, and address your customers’ concerns can be a daunting task. How do you know that your clients will be well cared for?
In this article, ADDMORE Outsourcing lists the most common concerns about delegating business functions to a third-party services provider and provides answers with an essential outsourcing checklist.
1. Who is my primary point of contact?
When establishing a partnership with an offshore outsourcing firm, it is important to establish a single point of contact with a knowledgeable expert in your field. This employee needs to be experienced, quick to respond, and fluent in English.
Having a dedicated account manager in addition to a team leader is the ideal setup. If any project is not meeting expectations, or the team is not making productive progress, your first point of call should be the account manager. The team leader is responsible for monitoring and managing the day-to-day activities of your professional workers.
2. What industry experience does the provider have?
Anyone you hire to perform any outsourced business functions must, without a doubt, have extensive expertise in that field. Preference is given to candidates with more relevant experience or education. Each team member has completed post-secondary education is encouraging, but service providers should also verify that they are certified by application and software partners and certified as qualified professionals.
Whether or not you believe the BPO provider can provide real-world advice that is relevant to your business is another crucial item to include in your offshore outsourcing checklist that relates to expertise. Do they frequently use complex terms that you have difficulty understanding? Can you say that they understand your business’ needs and how to reach out to you? To succeed as a sole proprietor or small business, you need a partner that understands your unique issues and can offer effective,
realistic, and individualized solutions. This is certainly not what large corporations can afford to do. If it helps, then use it.
3. What kind of software/s do they use?
It is crucial for successful offshore outsourcing to make use of cutting-edge technological platforms that are applicable to your business and that integrate and streamline all those monotonous, repetitive, and finicky procedures.
See if the BPOs you are considering are recognized as trusted or certified partners by the services you currently rely on. If you are just getting started with using software, buying it through a trusted partner could get you discounts or other perks. Your chosen BPO’s extensive familiarity with your preferred system means they can quickly and easily set you up.
4. What are their scalability options?
Companies range in size, maturity, and complexity, each with their own set of challenges and opportunities. Select a service provider who can adapt to your evolving business needs while still satisfying your immediate requirements. It is possible that you would not want to commit to a service for a full year if you could instead adjust the level of assistance you receive as needed.
In the end, outsourcing should be viewed as a collaboration between companies. Pick a service that you believe will go above and beyond in supporting your company’s development rather than simply performing the bare minimum to billable hours.
5. Will my data be safe?
When you hire a third-party to handle your books or other administrative tasks for your company, they will have access to confidential information. You definitely don’t want to leave yourself open to a cyber assault or data leak.
In addition to making sure they can successfully carry out your business’s activities, you should ensure that the service provider you end up working with stores and communicates with your data utilizing the latest in secure and encrypted technologies.
6. Do they have positive reviews from clients?
Any company can have a professionally designed website with all the appropriate content. However, having people who are willing to promote them is the true litmus test of how good their services are to use. How about positive client reviews? Do they have any that can be seen by the general public?
It’s a red flag if you can’t find any, but you may always ask the company for references. You might also inquire with colleagues about the service providers they’ve used and liked.
Conclusion:
Offshore outsourcing is a huge step forward. Picking the right outsourcing partner will make the shift less stressful and more productive, allowing you to concentrate on running your business.
By keeping this outsourcing checklist in mind while you investigate and evaluate potential service providers, you will be well on your way to making the best possible decision.
Check out ADDMORE Outsourcing’s free Ultimate Outsourcing Formula if you’re just getting started with outsourcing. Get in touch with ADDMORE today for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about how its highly-skilled pool of experts in the Philippines may assist you in outsourcing successfully and efficiently.