How to avoid mistakes when outsourcing

Outsourcing is an important and effective growth strategy for businesses around the world, but there are a few pitfalls that you should watch out for. Follow these tips and avoid the most common outsourcing mistakes that businesses make. 

Common outsourcing mistakes and how to avoid them

1. You treat your outsourcing staff differently

This is the most frequent mistake that companies make when trying to offshore. To begin with, why would you hire a team of experts overseas if you’re not going to treat them as part of your team? The saying “out of sight, out of mind” shouldn’t be applied here. To make offshoring a success, you need both your onshore and offshore teams. That means they have to continuously communicate and collaborate with one another to become more effective.

There are many excellent apps that can help you stay connected with them at all times no matter where they are in the world. Keeping the two teams close also helps your offshore team to adopt your company culture. If you value them and treat them right, you’re well on your way to achieving great business outcomes.

2. You don’t provide the right resources

How can you expect your staff to be productive if you don’t give them the tools and resources that they need? You’ll only make them feel as if you don’t value them and their contributions to your company. This, in turn, diminishes their loyalty and self-esteem. It can also increase your staff turnover rates.

You should be able to provide the resources that your staff needs so they can accomplish their job. They need to have a proper workstation, the right software, and a stable internet connection. A good working environment will help them work at their best. So if you’re offshoring elements of your business, make sure that your service provider can deliver what you and your employees need.

3. You don’t have a disaster recovery plan

If a disaster such as a fire, earthquake or flood were to strike, how would it affect your business? Even short amounts of downtime could potentially cause you financial pain, which is why having a business continuity plan is so important. When outsourcing, it’s equally as important that your provider also has a well-defined plan.

Top outsourcing providers should have redundant internet and electricity sources, and many will also have multiple locations. For example, Cloudstaff has eight offices across three cities. Many of our clients choose to split their offshore teams across multiple locations. When an earthquake struck in early 2019, some offices were temporarily closed, but the businesses who split their teams across multiple offices were able to continue operating with minimal disruption. Additionally, we were quickly able to move staff from affected offices to our other locations.

You can’t control when a disaster will strike, but you can be prepared. Make sure that your outsourcing provider is too.

4. You don’t invest time in your offshore team

If you want a successful offshoring process, you need to invest time into getting it right.

From the very beginning, take the time to research different service providers to find who can give you what you need. Consider the systems and processes you will use before you start the hiring process. Recruit and hire the right people and set aside time to train them so they can understand your products or services well. Communicate with your staff daily and provide feedback. It’s also advisable to visit your offshore team once in a while. If you make the effort for your people, they’ll do the same for you and your business.

5. You choose an outsourcing provider that doesn’t share your vision

Choose a service provider that fits your business culture and shares the same vision. Not all service providers out there will be the right fit.

Remember that you’re integrating your people and business processes with another business. So you need to be confident that you and your staff will be given the support you need to reach your goals. After all, offshoring is no longer just about reducing costs. It’s really about taking your business to the next level.

Cloudstaff: Experience you can trust

Cloudstaff has been helping businesses grow and scale for ten years, and in that time, we have learned the keys to successful outsourcing.

When businesses partner with us, they don’t just get great staff and facilities; they also get years of experience to assist them throughout their entire outsourcing journey.

Each client has a dedicated Account Manager to assist them every step of the way. They provide the support and advice you need to get the most out of your remote team.

Importantly, we also give you the right tools. We have a suite of custom applications so you can communicate and stay connected with your offshore team, assign tasks and monitor their progress.

Cloudstaff is committed to providing world-class services. We make sure that our customers are happy with the results they are getting. Our dedication to our customers and staff has helped us create the next generation of outsourcing.

We can help you outsource your business the right way. With cost-effective resources, you can get the results you want. Send us a message at [email protected].