As an entrepreneur, you already got through the preliminary process of setting up a sustainable business, but now comes the hard part: maintaining your stride and growing it. We’re sure your curiosity about business process outsourcing has led you all the way to this article, so we’re going to list down a few crucial aspects to consider before you jump on board the offshoring train.
Be Very Critical in Choosing a Partner
As mentioned in a previous blog article, not all BPO companies are made equal. There will be service providers that cannot fully cater to your needs, and though not all outsourcing companies do this, some will always stack up hidden charges on top of your monthly bill. Finding the right partner and double-checking their credentials help ensure that you’ll be getting a fair deal and services you can trust.
Another way to help you deliberate reliable partners is to do some digging on the internet–look for reviews or client testimonials about outsourcing companies you are interested in partnering with. Take note of bad reviews, fact check, or contact other businesses that provided your prospect outsourcing partners with the negative feedback you found online: hear it straight from the horse’s mouth to see if the bad review has legitimacy and weight to it. You can even go as far as searching them up in their base country’s legal databases, just to make sure they don’t have any outstanding lawsuits, labour law violations and other fishy practices. Better safe than sorry!
Having the right outsourcing company can launch your business in the right direction, so invest your time into researching and don’t stop until you find the best option for you. And when you finally find the right partner for your startup, always read the fine print to make sure you’re getting the most out of your contract.
Don’t be Easily Swayed by Dirt-Cheap Prices
One of the worst mistakes new business owners can make is that they flock towards BPO companies with the lowest prices thinking they just snagged a great deal–unaware of the disadvantages that come with it. There’s a good reason why some companies offer seemingly-impossible rates of savings but beware! It might cost you more down the line. Maybe they are hiring staff members with very limited training or low level of expertise, or they are currently subscribed to cheap and unreliable network service providers, or that the wages are shown as low but the utilities will be twice as expensive.
Another thing to note when checking price ranges is your distance from the country your prospective partner is based in. Opting for countries that are near the same time zone as you, or speaks the same language as your home country can eliminate a lot of the barriers you might encounter when working with an outsourcing company. It’s also preferable to look for BPO companies in countries with favourable or similar work culture practices as your own, as it eases communication and understanding between you and your offshore staff.
Ensure Control Over Your Team
A lot of business owners are dissuaded from outsourcing because they think that they will have little to no control over their offshore staff. This is true, to some extent, because not all BPO companies are operating in the same way. Contact centres, in particular, often lack interdepartmental communication. This means that some outsourcing partners will provide the training and manage employees on their own to cut you some slack, and some might even let you manage the offshore team but train them on their own terms. To avoid this, opt for outsourcing companies that offer an interactive hiring process and collaborative planning. That way, you can make sure that you hire the right people for the services you need, and you will be able to train them according to your standards and your business’ needs.
An interactive hiring process can save you a great deal of hassle in the long run, because you know you have control over which people you get to hire and you can make sure that they are qualified for the job you need to be done.
Looking for a reliable outsourcing partner? You can check out our services or give us a call for a free consultation! DBOS can help you find the best opportunities to grow your business.
