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So, you’ve taken the next step in your outsourcing journey and decided to hire an offshore team member. But what next? How do you guarantee success?
The answer: communication.
Outsourcing is an investment for your business that can yield amazing results. It is important to ensure you have everything in place from the outset in order to maximise this relationship. In this blog we discuss how important communication is when you’re selecting an outsourcing provider, through recruitment and training, and on an ongoing basis with your new team member.
Communicating with your outsourcing provider
Successful communication begins before you recruit your staff. Set the tone by making sure your outsourcing provider has a good understanding of the skill set you require and your organisational objectives. This way you are able to ensure that you recruit staff that are perfectly matched to your needs and business objectives. You also want to use this opportunity to gain a good understanding of how your outsourcing provider works, the processes they use and the support they will provide on an ongoing basis.
Communicating with your offshore team
Once you have successfully completed the recruitment process, it’s time to begin building a relationship with your new team members. Jodie Thompson, Managing Director at PJT Accountant and Business Advisers, has had an offshore team for more than three years. She had this to say about successfully integrating offshore team members – “The best advice I can give you is really work on your communication… The way you communicate with your team members in Australia, you talk to them every day and explain how things need to be done, do the same with your team members there. Treat them like another office in Australia and in that way, things will work out great.”
Communicating as one team
It is important to incorporate your offshore team members into regular staff meetings, morning catch ups and one-on-one’s, the same way you do with your team in Australia. Jodie goes on to describe how they ensure that both their onshore and offshore teams are both treated in the same way, “I think the main thing is that we use our processes and procedures in Australia here [in The Philippines].” Think of things such as marking the team calendar with your new team member’s birthday, celebrating their achievements and acknowledging milestones the same way you would with your team in Australia.
And finally, technology to support successful communication
You want to be sure that your outsourcing provider can guarantee a good, high speed internet connection and infrastructure to support successful communication. You will more than likely be using video conferencing platforms, email and perhaps a task manager program to communicate with your offshore team.
In addition to this, an outsourcing provider with an ‘on the ground’ team to assist in facilitating this communication is imperative – which is exactly the experience that Jodie has had with her Beepo’s Client Experience Managers. They are able to step in whenever needed and provide the extra support to staff offshore and the team in Australia as well.
Wondering what else you should take into account when considering outsourcing?
