Over the years I have spoken to quite a large number of companies and individuals about finding the right outsourcing partner and each one has a story to tell. You will hear the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The purpose of this article is to provide you with some key
pointers so when you decide to launch your search for an Outsourcing partner
you are not Stung by the Bee.
Stung by the Bee – You Churned
You will hear a lot of stories from different people that
they tried to Outsource and they had to close the project because:
- The Quality was Poor
- The Service Provider did not meet the SLA
- The Quality of Team members was inferior as
opposed to what was promised.
- The infrastructure (Internet Connection) was not
Stable and therefor there were continuous work interruptions
- Agreed to meet the deadlines but never
delivered.
Well, once you are stung by the Bee its to late to apply a remedy because the time and effort you have spent did not deliver the Savings you were looking for. In reality, it has cost you more in terms of time and effort you spent to launch the project. This is not the Customer Outsourcing Journey you were looking for or the kind of Outsourcing partner you had in mind?
How to Find the Right Partner?
Finding the right partner who can deliver on the Customer
promise while helping you achieve your business objectives is the Key to
Successful Outsourcing.
Step 1: Tap into Your immediate Network
- Ask your immediate Network if they are
Outsourcing?
- Do your Independent Research.
- Go to Slack Channels or LinkedIn groups
- Go to Entrepreneurial Meetups and talk to people
- Canada is a country Full of immigrants so talk
to someone from that country. Someone always knows someone in developing
countries.
Once you have done your initial search of finding Outsourcing companies in Philippines or in Canada here is a list of questions to start with.
Step 2: Questions to Ask
Company Background Questions
- What is your relationship with the Service
Provider in the Off-Shore country?
- Do you have direct Ownership?
- Do you have direct Control of the resources that
are put on the project?
- Which companies you are working with?
- Can you provide references?
Project Resource Questions
- How much control do they have on the resources
that are deployed to the project?
- What happens if a specific resource is not
meeting the standards?
- What kind of Quality Control or Supervision you
have in place?
- How are escalations managed?
Technical Infrastructure and Security
- What kind of Technical Infrastructure they have
in place? Firewalls/Router/Switches/Dual Authentication
- Type of Physical Security to the Building
- Types of Computer Hardware Used?
- Is the software they use legally licensed/no
pirated copies?
- What is their Business Continuity Plan?
Workplace Questions
You can also read the article I have written called Ethical
Outsourcing but here are some of the main questions you should Ask:
- How are the Working Conditions where you operate?
- What does your office look like?
- Can you show us your office remotely?
- How much Control you have on the Working
Environment?
The above questions are just the basics to point you into the right direction. Most of the companies follow the same old path of India and Philippines but there is something called Road Less Travelled which can provide you amazing results.
With COVID-19 we all are now working remotely so when searching for an outsourcing company in Philippines this blog has some additional criteria such as local electrical grid and internet infrastructure at residential level http://perfectque.com/blog/outsourcing-to-philippines/.
Look into the peripheral – Central and Eastern Europe
There are more than few advantages for looking
into this part of the world:
- Time
Difference is Only 6 Hours. Once a year time difference reduces to five hours
for a week. 😊
- You can take
a flight from Toronto at night or in the evening and be in Europe in the
morning
- Amazing Pool
of talent with University Degrees
- Geo-Political
Stability and Infrastructure Stability
- Cultural
Differences are minimal
- Spoken,
Written and Comprehension Skills are excellent for the majority and everyone
speaks more than one language
- Cost
Competitiveness when compared with India or Philippines
In less than 4 Years PerfectQue team in Central Europe has grown to more than 100 team members and it is playing its part to make a Difference.
- Paying our Employees above Market Salaries
- Having a Clean Working Environment where I feel
Comfortable to work
- Having a Fully Air/Conditioned / Heated Work
Environment
- Providing Yearly Bonuses to Employees
- Promoting from Within
We are a Husband and Wife team who are changing the way people think about Outsourcing by building Teams that are integrated into Your People, Process, and Products. So, for your next Outsourcing Project be a part of the Change and feel free to contact me (Asif) at 416-271-7110 or asifc@perfectque.com.
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