7 Ways To Work With Offshore Teams Smoothly
What It Takes to Run An Offshore Team
There are many meaningful benefits to offshore outsourcing which is why an increasing number of companies today are outsourcing some of their processes. The business processing outsourcing (BPO) industry is expected to grow by $108.3 billion dollars since it’s proven to help businesses run effectively and scale.
Businesses of all sizes are outsourcing some of their business processes offshore as a potential way to reduce costs and streamline their operations. Business owners are always looking for ways to cut costs to offer competitive pricing and increase their profits. Because of this, outsourcing offshore tends to save on a majority of these costs. The second biggest benefit is increased productivity which especially helps small or start-up businesses with few employees.
Stats on outsourcing:
- 78% of businesses all over the world feel positive about their outsourcing partners.
- Almost 54% of all companies use third-party support teams to connect with customers.
- 24% of small businesses outsource to improve efficiency.
Once you’ve decided to outsource some of your business processes, you may then wonder, now what? Where do you begin? How do you effectively and smoothly work with your remote offshore team? How do you get the best results and maximum productivity?
What It Takes to Run An Offshore Team
1. Language
From the start, you want to make sure you hire a team that speaks and reads fluent English so that you can easily communicate with them. There are some countries where English is a common language fluently spoken, like the Philippines. Whether they are working on web development, customer service, or data processing, you will want strong language skills so they fully understand the task at hand. Poor communication could cost you a lot of time, money, and stress, so hiring a company you can easily communicate with is key to smooth operations.
Along with language, hiring a company with similar company values and culture will help support a great working relationship and smooth process. When you could relate to them and have real conversations, it’s just easier to work with them and overall a more pleasant experience.
2. Open Lines of Communication
Being available and easily able to contact your offshore team when needed is important for smooth operations. When a business need arises that you want your offshore team to handle for you, you will want to quickly get it over to them to get started right away.
Establishing how you will communicate with your offshore team should be a conversation with them early on. For example, is it best to email them or call them and what time of day is best since you will have a time difference - sometimes a big one. If your offshore team is handling multiple tasks for you, you will want to find out who the assigned leaders for each project are and get their contact information to stay in communication when needed.
3. Establish Expectations
When you hire your offshore team to handle a particular task, ensure you have clear directions, expectations, and deadlines to get the results you want. By providing written communication of the project’s details, your team will be clear on what’s expected and how they could deliver the best results. Your offshore team should be working towards the same end goal as you - a successful and profitable business for you. When they understand your goals and what you are looking to accomplish with each task, they can successfully complete the work to your liking. When everyone works towards the same goal, success is easier to achieve.
4. Treat Your Offshore Team as Part of the Team
You should team your offshore team like they are in fact, a real part of your team because they are. Even if they are across the world, you could still engage with them like you would a team member in your office. You could get personal with them and really get to know them to build a really strong relationship. Share your business goals with them so they could also work towards the same goals for you.
Give them positive feedback, show gratitude, and appreciation for their hard work. Encouragement and praise often are a way to promote positivity and motivates them to work harder. When employees feel valued and appreciated, it can improve engagement, productivity and boost morale. This is also a benefit of having a fluent English-speaking team so you could build a close business relationship with them.
5. Work Closely with Your Team
Working closely with your offshore team doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of time each day micromanaging the task at hand. Your team should be skilled and professional to effectively handle your tasks with just a little direction from you from the start. Working closely means scheduling meetings with them to get updates, feedback, results, etc. Staying in contact and providing them the necessary details they need when they need them. This could be done as often as you feel necessary through different channels like phone, email, or instant messaging. Establishing communication expectations early on during project kick-off promotes frequent communication throughout the project.
It is important to realize that extra time at the beginning of projects is imperative for more frequent communication while your team is getting established. This helps to identify and raise issues early on to ensure a smooth process and a successful end result. Also, being in communication often at the beginning will build a strong relationship and gain trust as projects advance.
6. Raise Trust and Confidence
You are an expert in your field, and you could do the work in your sleep. You hired an outsourced company to complete tasks that they are experts in. Building trust in their abilities and raising confidence in them will help with a smooth process and optimum end result. Be confident in your decision to hire the experts to complete the tasks so they are don’t quickly and correctly. Put trust in the company and your team there and understand they know what they’re doing and have your company's best interest at heart. They want to keep you as a long time customer so they will work hard to complete the tasks perfectly to ensure you’re satisfied and are loyal to their company.
7. In Person Visits
While making in-person visits definitely isn’t necessary for successfully working with an offshore team, it could be helpful when you’re hiring them for large projects or working with them long-term. You could then collaborate in person, trade ideas, discuss concerns, and see the operations. It’s also a way to build a close relationship with your team there. Having a close relationship with your team will also help you build your trust and confidence in them.
Final Thoughts
Hiring an offshore team to complete some of your business processes can be extremely beneficial and help you scale your business. The cost savings alone is a huge benefit since you could use the cash flow to put towards revenue-producing tasks like marketing. Outsourcing also increases productivity and helps streamline your business processes.
Your offshore team will be part of your team, and you should treat them as such. Share your visions and goals with them from the start so they too will be working towards the same goals. Show appreciation and give acknowledgments which will encourage them to work harder for you and boost morale.
Having access to skilled experts at an affordable cost will assist with getting tasks done quickly and accurately. Trust your offshore team is qualified and experienced to handle the job you hired them for and will work hard to get it done right. They want to keep your business long-term, so they will be working hard to ensure you’re successful and happy with the results. Set expectations and understand communication lines at the start of a project. Being able to communicate with them effectively will help grow a great working relationship.
Hiring the right offshore company is the start of a smooth working process. Ensuring they are fluent in English so you could successfully communicate your wants and needs with them is vital. Also, having similar business culture and values will support a great long-term working relationship with them.
Contact Awesome CX today for your outsourced business process needs, and we’ll show you how awesome we are!
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