Starting a business should obviously mean you choose an industry which you know a lot about or at least are passionate about pursuing. More often than not, industries often require manpower. Not just plain and low-rent manpower, but highly specialized or skilled jobs at that.
This might allow a businessperson to ask do I want to outsource some of my task to someone else? The answer isn’t always cut and dry, but it depends on your needs. The one thing that all businesspeople desire is momentum. And the best way to do that is to somehow farm out some of the more administrative, repetitive and tedious work to people who have the capabilities and the motivation to do such work.
So how do you find the right outsourcing company?
There are a couple of things to consider.
1. To what degree do you want Operational Control?
Do you want to just farm out all the tasks and ask a management team to simply implement a set of metrics and just leave them alone in a box? If this were the case, then you might as well use a traditional BPO or Outsourcing provider. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that but with this approach, you won’t be able to relate to your customers in an up, close and personal fashion.
2. What kind of business do you own?
It’s important to also qualify if you ever need an outsourcing firm to begin with. It might do well for you to oversee all affairs yourself if you’re simply doing direct sales or marketing which is on the lower end of size. However, if you have sales needs, marketing, leads generation and tons of appointments to set, doesn’t it make sense to delegate?
If you’re already starting to grow your company and you have a lot of branches over there in the UK or the States, it generally makes sense to start taking advantage of good customer support or at least a Digital Marketing specialist who might help you out.
3. What are the On-Shore Costs of Opening an Office?
If you’re talking about opening your establishment there in Cincinnati or over at Westminster or Melbourne, what are the costs of opening an establishment? If you’ve found a good partner over there, then why not.
However if you’re looking to cut costs without sacrificing efficiency, it might make sense to select an outsourcing partner who can allow you to carry out your tasks. But don’t stop there. If you feel it is right, then also ask for the option to customize the way you hire and the way you implement your metrics and KPI’s.
If you simply hire people, without setting the groundwork, you might leave them to their own devices and they might not be able to help you with the specifics of your industry.
4. Give them a call
If you find an organization with potential, give them a call. You can get enticed otherwise with a piece of brilliant copy or fantastic images of an office, but that won’t wash if any of them are not transparent in their dealings with you. They need to be sincere and upfront about how they want to do business with you.
And in turn, you have to be forthcoming about your own expectations about what things you need accomplished.
5. Look at their track record
How reputable are the staff and the management in that Remote Staffing firm you choose anyway? Do they even how their industry well? If they have some sort of experience in related parameters and are willing to play ball with you, then of course you might be talking about a deal here.
If they have demonstrated efficiency and the ability to implement your plans, that shows their potential to be a good partner. But don’t stop there…
Ask them how they intend to comply with their labor laws and compensation bringing us to the next step.
6. Do they have HR or are they just a Seat Leasing firm?
Will your remote employees be compensated with benefits? Or is this done in a shady manner where seat leasing is afforded but you might be cutting corners? Don’t cut corners. That is never a great precedent for a businessman in the West or in the Philippines.
At iSuporta, we embrace the best of all practices in BPO Outsourcing and Remote Staffing through Seat Leasing. We incorporate the elements of what makes a great staffing provider. So don’t get stuck in a rut. Allow yourself to offload some tasks but still retain the ability to customize them as you see fit.
But again, don’t cut corners. Since we pay our employees twice the national average here, this permits you to reduce costs but you’ll still be getting highly competent and highly motivated employees.
7. Top Notch Infrastructure
IT, equipment, office space, air-conditioning, and fundamental utilities are all essential to create a working environment that is world-class.
If they have dual redundant Internet lines and fail-safe back-up power, that might make sense to hire them.
You want your operations to be continuous. It goes without saying then that you should think twice before hiring a freelancer. You don’t want a hobo or a work at home Dad or work at home Mom doing your chores and being the head of your marketing department.
That said, a Remote Staffing office is what enables you to grow and scale while keeping your investments almost Risk Free.
Ultimately, it’s all about how you choose to regard them in your initial dealings with them. It’s best to have a company that adheres to the highest of operating standards.
Sure you do reduce costs and that’s why you work with highly reputable BPO’s. But the thing is, the region in which they operate and the tenets they adhere to as an organization are a match to your values.
And even if you are in an industry they may or may not have tapped, what matters is their willingness to choose from the best of the best and to enable you to customize the employee or the number of employees you are gonna choose.
Email us, we’d love to hear what you think and what you require in choosing an Outsourcing partner.