- PhoneHawks - November 20, 2020 - 3 min read
How do you evaluate your outsourcing options?
You have done your homework and are convinced that outsourcing is efficient and will save you lots of money and manpower. The next step is for you to go ahead with your outsourcing plans. One of them is choosing an outsourcing partner.
Clarify the Requirements
The first step is to ask 'what functions in my business need to outsource?' Pull your team together and discuss your goals. List all the tasks and determines that needs to be outsourced. The second thing you will need to do is list the critical process. The procedure your outsourcing team must follow.
At the end of the day, it is you who knows your business better than them. The more detailed you are in your requirement, the more you make the job easier for them.
Evaluate Industry Experience
So how do you evaluate your outsourcing service provider? There are a lot of ways to do this but what you are looking for is the quality, quantity, and industry level of experience. You can do this by tracking their client's records to find out whether their clients are happy with the services or not.
Since you expect the business to grow, you also have to consider the outsourcing company’s ability to handle should you scale up the business.
Another thing to consider is to make sure that the company you choose to work with must have adequate knowledge and experience to qualify the tasks you have. Ask them questions about what kind of projects they have handled in the past. Questions like, what did you like about this project? What was the most challenging part about it? Do you have team members with these skills and what is their experience? The more questions you ask at this stage, the more confident you will be whether they can handle the job or not.
Assess their Technical Skills
The outsourcing provider needs to explain the methodology they use to manage their projects, track their results, and solve their issues so you understand how they will handle your projects.
That said, the outsourcing partner you choose has to have excellent project management skills and quality control. Also if they have a business continuity plan, assure you of uninterrupted services and support.
Provider’s Reference and Samples
Before you outsource any project to the outsourcing company, you must know their background. That will give you a better understanding of how they treat their clients and the delivery of their services.
The best thing you can do is to request feedback from their past clients to find out the scope and quality of services. You can also inquire about the challenges they faced and how the team solved it.
Alternatively, if they have case studies on their website, you can familiarize yourself with them to find out how the company achieved certain results. If possible, you can ask them for a portfolio of their work or prototypes so you have a deep understanding of their output before you sign the contract.
Communication and Client Management System
When outsourcing any project, communication is vital to the success of the project. Excellent communication will ensure that everyone's expectations are met and you guys are on the same page. One thing you need to ask is their mode of communication.
What do they use to communicate with their client? Do they use email, phone, Voice over Internet Protocol, or other messaging services like WhatsApp, Slack, or messenger? If you are also in a different time zone, you need to know their working hours and agree on the time of communication so that you don't have gaps in communication.
IT Infrastructure and System
An excellent IT service provider should have the needed infrastructure and systems in place to support your company's objectives and goals. What that means is, they should have the latest software and hardware components, reliable servers, better internet, and other IT utilities integrated into their system. That way, you will have confidence that you are receiving the latest products from them without any bugs or hiccups.
Test their Competency
Every business person will tell you that outsourcing carries some risk which most people don't love. Imagine feeling confident outsourcing the work only to come back with lots of revision or to turn out bad. It is a complete waste of time and money for your company. What you can do here is to offer the provider one-off IT projects to test their core skills. If the first few projects turn out well, that's when you can outsource the entire project. A little test will expose their side of work and you can use that to gauge their communication skills, quality, and support. That way, you won't be risking your time and money, which can hurt your company.
Need to outsource a lead generation? Phone Hawks are here to help you make an informed decision. To discuss our services further give us a call 1-805-874-2829