Six reasons to engage with an offshoring consultant

If your organisation wants to offshore operational functions, you have a few paths to choose from.

You could build a large team on your own. That means renting space, hiring local operations, IT, finance, HR, and admin staff, then placing expat resources to set up and run the work. If you are weighing that choice, our quick take on the reasons to engage a BPO shows when a provider beats building in-house.

Alternatively, you can partner with a BPO provider for your office, finance, HR, IT, and admin functions. Then you focus on hiring the right people to serve your customers.

When Change Fox founder Chris Winfield-Blum set up his first team as COO of an SME software provider, he took the second path. The challenges he faced, the people he met, and the impact he had on their lives inspired Change Fox. It was clear to him that BPO providers did some things very well. Still, there were some things they were not set up to do. So this leads into the reasons to engage an offshoring consultant, specialist, or consulting firm such as Change Fox.

There are different types of offshoring advisors in the market. Some offer BPO tours and introductions. Others, such as Change Fox, take a more integrated approach. They get you up and running, then stay on through an ongoing engagement in a staff and team management role.

Why engage an offshoring consultant?

An offshoring consultant helps you pick the right BPO partner and then run your offshore team well. The best ones stay on after setup, so you keep the benefits long after the provider is chosen.

• They match you with BPO providers that fit your goals, regions, and roles.
• They bring hands-on expertise in building and managing offshore teams.
• They lift retention, culture, and results while they cut your total offshoring costs.

For a wider view of the market, see this guide to the pros and cons of offshore outsourcing. Below are six reasons to engage an offshoring consultant.

01. Partner alignment

Offshoring consultants have far more exposure to the many BPO providers out there. So they can recommend the ones that fit your strategy and operations. A good consultant will answer these questions for you:

• What regions are they primarily servicing?
• What types of roles and operational functions are they specialising in?
• Do they prefer “task” based resources (jobs) rather than “self-managed” resources (where you manage job design, team performance, and tasks)?

A quick note: you should absolutely ask about any “arrangements” or “relationships” between the consultant and the BPO providers they introduce. Many offer introduction payments that may push one BPO over another. I’ve even heard of tours that end in an introduction to the consultant’s own BPO centres.

Consultants who exit after the BPO provider is selected cannot provide the extra benefits listed below.

02. Their expertise in the industry

Offshoring consultants have worked with many organisations. As a result, they know how to build and manage offshore teams well. They can review your current processes and point out where to improve. So you manage your offshore team and their daily work more effectively. Strong firms also apply offshore team best practices from day one.

An effective offshoring consultant will answer these questions too:

• How should we communicate with and manage our staff effectively?
• How should we integrate our offshore team members?
• What changes does the organisation need to make to succeed with this initiative?
• What cultural awareness training should we provide, and to whom (hint: it should not be just for the offshore team)?

03. Get focused on what matters to you

As noted, many BPO providers do a great job on operations, HR, IT, and admin. However, their focus sits on operational factors. Those factors are critical, yet they do not always add much value to your team or organisation.

Offshoring consultants who stay engaged work differently. They need not worry about daily operations (unless something is really wrong!). Instead, if they are any good, they focus on continuous improvement. So they lift your offshore team, their outcomes, and your wider organisation.

A worthwhile offshoring consultant will answer these questions in their sleep:

• How can we best use our new resources to meet our short-term and long-term goals?
• How should we gather and encourage feedback within our team?
• What new processes should roll out across the whole organisation, not just the offshore team?

04. Increase staff retention rates

Again, offshoring consultants who stay active with your team can apply strategic HR principles. As a result, they raise staff retention rates. Change Fox, for example, uses community managers who engage with your staff often. They also give regular feedback to both the chosen BPO provider and your organisation.

They work with you to set development plans. Then they seek input from your team on progress toward agreed goals. A superstar offshoring consultant will answer these questions without blinking:

• How is my team going?
• How do they feel about their jobs and their future with us?
• What areas should we focus on in the coming weeks and months?

For more on why this pays off, see these offshore staffing benefits.

05. Drive positive team culture

Offshoring consultants and their community managers stay visible to your offshore team. So they can drive a positive culture by reinforcing your values. We can run initiatives on your behalf, such as team events, corporate apparel, and even weekly treats like fruit baskets. It may not sound like much. Still, it makes a real difference when the team feels valued by their organisation.

The team at Change Fox will answer these questions for you at any time:

• How well does our corporate culture align with the offshore team?
• What exercises can we run to build a bigger sense of team?
• What upcoming events can our team join?

06. Reduce your overall offshoring costs

It may seem odd that a consultant can cut your total offshoring costs. Yet with the value Change Fox adds, we are confident you will agree. Beyond the strategic and managerial expertise you gain, you also save in these ways:

• You reduce management overhead, especially in performance management and feedback data gathering.
• You reduce head-office visits and their travel costs, although we still encourage semi-regular visits.
• You avoid the costly first-time mistakes in time, effort, and cash that many organisations make.

To make things even better, it is never a bad time to engage an offshoring consultant. The right model also depends on your setup, so this guide to staff leasing vs seat leasing vs BPO vs BOT can help you compare your options.

Offshore consultant

If you are just getting started, we can help. If you are already building your team, we can help make it better. If you have an existing team that is not performing, we can help with that too. We would love to hear about your organisation and its goals. Then we can discuss how offshoring can help you succeed. For a deeper dive, see our guide to working with an offshoring consultant.

This article was originally published in Change Fox website.

Offshoring consultant: FAQs

What does an offshoring consultant do?

An offshoring consultant helps you plan, set up, and run an offshore team. First, they match you with the right BPO provider. Then, if they stay on, they manage culture, retention, and continuous improvement.

How is an offshoring consultant different from a BPO provider?

A BPO provider runs the office, HR, IT, and admin. An offshoring consultant advises you across providers and focuses on your goals. So the consultant works for you, while the provider delivers the operations.

When should you engage an offshoring consultant?

You can engage one at any stage. For example, you might start fresh, improve a new team, or fix a team that is underperforming. In each case, early advice helps you avoid costly mistakes.

Do offshoring consultants help with staff retention?

Yes. Consultants who stay engaged apply HR principles and gather regular feedback. As a result, staff feel supported, and retention tends to rise.

Can an offshoring consultant reduce costs?

Yes. They cut management overhead, reduce travel, and help you dodge first-time errors. So your total offshoring cost often falls, even after the consultant’s fee.