8 Outsourcing Tips

Don’t let outsourcing be a dirty word in your organization. Follow these tips and you will increase your chances of a successful experience.

Are you looking to reduce costs, add horsepower, grow your business, or leverage specialized skill-sets by turning to a partner outside of the organization? There is a wider than ever acceptance of outsourcing as a viable method for completing high-stakes projects. So, how do you choose the right partner?
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8 tips for choosing the right outsourcing partner:
 
1. Build a Solid RFP
Request for Proposals (RFP) are still the most used method to elicit an outsourcing partner. Not only does it force you to define your requirements but it also allows for a competitive bidding process and can lead to a variety of solutions. The devil is in the details.
 
2. Regulatory Requirements Knowledge
With ever-evolving regulatory and privacy requirements, it’s critical that your outsourcing partner understands the regulatory landscape in your industry. This may save you many headaches down the line.
 
3. Proactive Partner
Look for partners capable of identifying needs in a proactive fashion and with a long-term vision. This requires experience, solid account management and communication structures. Look for lean, multi-skilled teams possessing subject matter expertise.
 
4. Low Staff Attrition Rates
Is your outsourcing partner doing a good job of keeping its core team in place? Ask about their average tenure and compensation. Go to their offices. Are people enjoying themselves and actively participating? Happy, well-compensated employees are loyal employees – ones you can trust to do a great job on your project.
 
5. Innovative Partner
Do they have an innovative culture in place? Look for a partner that emphasizes shifts toward next generation technologies and methodologies in its day-to-day operations. This should be ascertained in an RFP if possible.
 
6. Reliable Partner
An established partner that has delivered for you in the past will always have an edge. Look for a proven track record, credibility, competence and what customers have to say.
 
7. Transparency
Look for a partner that will give you access to their communications, workflows, project and task management tools. It is important for clients to be able to verify the work that is being done.
 
8. Cultural Compatibility
It’s important that the outsourcing partner understands your company’s culture or personality. This includes how employees actually correspond with one another, the frequency of interaction, and if they work independently or collaborate. Understanding all these will help make communication more direct and easier, even when conflicts arise.
 
Look to build partnerships rather than obtain a service. Create win/win situations, have a long-term vision and get to really know your external partner. This will lead you to mutually root for each other’s success.

[1] Team International. The 9 outsourcing stats every business needs to know. https://www.teaminternational.com/white-papers/the-9-it-outsourcing-stats-every-business-needs-to-know/
 
[2] Booth & Partners. 5 tips for choosing the right outsourcing partner.
https://boothandpartners.com/blog/5-tips-choosing-right-outsourcing-partner/