The Issues With Outsourcing
Outsourcing certainly has a buzz around it at the moment, with John Reese launching a big product around the process of outsourcing. Here we will look at both the benefits and issues of outsourcing and then discuss why people use outsourcing.
Outsourcing when you get it right is great. If you are a small business owner this means that you probably will not have time to learn every single task which you are required to do, in fact it is likely that you time is better spent doing the things which you are good at, rather than learning things which you probably will not be good at to begin with.
There are lots of different types of outsourcing including, outsourcing a role which is required for your organisation, down to getting someone to complete a task on your behalf. Depending on the level of quality of outsourced providers which you use, will depend on the level of quality work which you receive in return. In my experience the longer term the arrangement is, and the higher the pay you are offering, this will normally increase the level of quality which you are able to select from.
There are lots of businesses which outsource particular functions within the UK, most large corporations will have outsourced functions, these will normally include the company car provider, pension providers, life insurance providers and some organisations now use external HR companies as well.
The internet has made outsourcing much easier to do. So if your business has a requirement for an online presence, it is very easy to locate someone who has specific experience for a role. Most businesses do have (or at least should have) some kind of a web presence, and using outsourcing for these companies is likely to be an essential part of the business. There are lots of different platforms where you get people to bid for particular pieces of work, in which they specialise.
The difficulties with outsourcing are as follows. You have to trust the person who is doing the outsourcing, there are potential come-backs if somebody does something wrong, which could potentially damage your businesses reputation long term. Also, you need to make sure that the people are actually doing the work that they say they are doing. You have to set goals on an hourly daily, and weekly basis as otherwise your work will quickly fall to the bottom of the pile.
You need to be clear about what it is you want doing. This is especially important with design. There are lots of “designers” out there, and even the most experienced of these will probably not understand what it is you are looking for at the first attempt.
Check that the person has the experience of doing whatever the task you are setting. Ask them for examples of the work which they have previously done, and make sure that you check the standards which it has been completed to. Make sure that you set clear time frames, which can potentially included bonuses if the work is completed quickly and to a high standard.
You will need to keep close checks on the progress of a project, particularly at the beginning of an outsourcing arrangement and for many business owners this is a real struggle, as they do not like to let things go. However, if you find the right partner, which may take a few attempts, you could soon have whatever the task is being completed to an extremely high standard for an extremely good price.
In summary, outsourcing can be very useful and most companies will require some type of outsourcing at some point in their existence, the important thing is to manage the process properly, and don’t necessarily take the cheapest quotation and this will probably not result in the best results at the end of the project. Make sure you see examples of previous work and also ask for testimonial.
