It’s no secret that outsourcing can allow you to achieve financial savings, improve scalability, and ensure that resources are available when and where you need them. A wide range of business processes can be outsourced, from accounting to payroll and everything in between. However, before you hire any virtual staff, you need to understand some of the most critical considerations to make when choosing an outsource provider.
1. Financial Savings
One of the most important considerations when it comes to outsourcing is that it allows you to enjoy financial savings. These need to be obvious from the beginning. If necessary, ask the virtual staff firmly to provide you with an estimated cost saving based on the services they are providing you with. In addition to financial savings, you should also see savings in terms of time spent and resources used.
2. Pricing
Most companies consider outsourcing for the pricing – you get quality virtual staff for less. However, avoid the temptation to choose a “bottom-dollar” choice. It’s likely that such a company’s rates are so low because their virtual staff is not as qualified or well-trained as others.
3. Tools and Technology
When you outsource, make sure that you ask about the tools and technology the provider will offer you. Is there a central dashboard where you can find all the information you need? Can the company provide for all of your needs or are you outsourcing only some of them because of technology limitations?
4. Timely Service
Any virtual staff must be bound by the same time constraints as your in-house employees. As such, when you choose to outsource, it’s imperative that you consider the company’s ability to meet deadlines. Failing to do so will ultimately cost your company time and money, and will usually negate any benefits that you gained from working with the outsourcing company in the first place.
5. Self-Starter
In an office environment, there is usually a manager around to ensure that work gets done, to answer questions, and provide leadership. In an outsourcing situation, sometimes this isn’t the case. Therefore, you need to ensure that the company’s specialists are capable of working with minimal supervision. There should also be some form of quality control in place so that you know you’re getting the right quality of work.
6. Who’s In Charge
Leadership is a major consideration when it comes to outsourcing. There should be leadership on the other side of the outsourcing agreement. Who is in charge of the remote team? What are their qualifications and background? Are they capable of handling things to your satisfaction? Learn as much as you can about the leadership of the remote team so that you have peace of mind about the arrangement.
7. Commitment to Communication
Nothing is more important than open, ongoing communication between your in-house team and the outsourcing team. In fact, the communication should be as good or better than what you would expect if the remote team was actually working on-premises. The outsourcing provider you choose should be willing and able to foster ongoing communication at all times.
8. SLA
The SLA, or service level agreement, between you and the outsourcing firm, spells out exactly what’s what. As such, it is incredibly important that it be detailed and unambiguous. Study the SLA and ask for clarification on anything that isn’t completely clear so that you can avoid hassles, holdups, and misunderstandings down the road.
Interested in experiencing the benefits of outsourcing for yourself? Contact Valenta today to learn more about our outsourcing expertise and solutions and how they can fit your business.