As I was browsing this morning, I came across an interesting article on outsourcing. It was about factors that discourage people to outsource. Since I am in the outsourcing industry myself, I decided to write one on it and pen down my own thoughts on how to overcome them.
Here are some of the most common outsourcing related concerns.
Security concerns
Since confidential data are sent overseas, businesses understandably worry about data security. When services such as accounting and bookkeeping are outsourced, there is added concern as they are dealing with financial information.
Quality of work
Another area of concern is the quality of work done. Will they be good enough? Since they have not even met them in person, business owners are quite apprehensive about how a handful of strangers overseas would handle their work.
Language barrier
Business owners are also quite concerned about the language. Communication would be chaotic if the outsourcing experts do not speak the language of the clients clearly. Nothing tangible can be accomplished without clear communication. So, this is also a cause for concern.
Ethical dilemma: To outsource or not to outsource
Several companies face this dilemma when it comes to outsourcing. Is it ethical to outsource? Are they depriving their own countrymen of employment by outsourcing their business activates? Unlike others, this is a moral dilemma and is quite subjective.
These are some of the most common factors that discourage businesses from outsourcing business services. However, there are ways to overcome them.
How to overcome these concerns?
When looking for an outsourcing partner, the business owner must ensure that the company is reliable. There are trust symbols and valid certifications to look for, such asCOP (Certified Outsourcing Professional), Six Sigma, BS 7799 and so on.For example, you can refer our own bookkeeping site. We display the accounting organizations that we are a member of. This would give more confidence to a prospective customer.
As regards to security, you have to look for security measures such as 128-bit encryption and 24/7 surveillance at the least.
As far as language barriers and quality of work are concerned, check for training in that particular accent and ask for a sample recording of the virtual assistants. The quality of work is the most important. You can also look for certifications, qualifications of the individuals and choose the most desirable.
As for the ethical dilemma, your decision depends on what is on your priority list – the profit motive with which your company was started, or the well -being of the economy. To be honest, it may not be practical to miss out on the larger benefits of outsourcing just because of this ethical dilemma.
When you select the right outsourcing partner, your costs are brought down greatly, while the quality of work remains intact.You can think about what is more important for you and make an appropriate decision. The choice is yours.
I hope this was an informative read. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the same.
