Outsourcing toolkit part 1

OUTSOURCING:

What it is and how to get started

Outsourcing, you’ve heard the concept before but are unsure what exactly it involves. Here, you will learn just what outsourcing is and understand how to choose the right provider for your business. Essentially, you’ll learn what you need so you can begin to set yourself up for outsourcing success.

THE OUTSOURCING BASICS

Running a business can be tough - intense competition and challenging economic conditions are causing business owners to think differently to ensure their businesses remain viable.

What is outsourcing?

Outsourcing provides opportunities for your onshore team to focus on important, high value tasks that make a real difference to your bottom line. It’s essentially a strategy that involves hiring a Philippines-based team member who is 100% dedicated to your business, to support your local team in whatever capacity they require.

Why outsource?

Outsourcing can benefit organisations in many different ways, with the key benefits being:

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COST SAVINGS: by outsourcing you will free yourself and your team up to focus on other tasks that contribute to overall business success. You will also save money by having the day-to-day tasks completed in a much more cost-effective way.
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INCREASE IN STAFF SATISFACTION: Your local staff will find more time to work on higher-value, revenue generating projects and will appreciate the challenge resulting in greater job satisfaction and staff attrition decreases.

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BUSINESS GROWTH: Creating more time and freeing up funds within your business allows staff to spend more time focusing on what they do best.

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EXPERT ADVICE ON-DEMAND: Much more than just ‘an extra pair of hands', the offshore specialists completing this work from administrative tasks to sales and marketing support are highly trained professionals who can offer insights, advice and add value to each stage of the process.

Why outsource to the Philippines?

The Philippines is one of the highest ranked outsourcing countries in the world. With half a million English-speaking university graduates entering the Philippines labour market each year, more and more overseas businesses are engaging with offshore teams.

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UNDERSTANDING HOW OUTSOURCING WORKS

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You might find it difficult to imagine how offshoring could ever be viable for your business, but step into a skills-rich country like the Philippines and you soon discover what’s possible.

Businesses outsource low value, time-consuming and repeatable tasks so that their onshore employees have the time to focus on the high value tasks that assist greatly in generating income - strategic projects, nurturing client relationships, closing deals and so on. Your offshore team member can support your business in whatever capacity you require.

Contrary to how some people view outsourcing, it doesn’t take jobs away from local teams. In fact, outsourcing supports you and your current team to build a stronger, more viable business - it helps you add value to your product offering and can assist your business in improving customer experience.

What infrastructure and location considerations do I need to be aware of?

Communicating with your offshore staff is very similar to the way you work with your local team. With the right measures in place, you can pick up the phone and directly dial your staff, email, IM chat, or video conference them using tools like Skype and Zoom. That’s why a fast and reliable internet connection is vital for a successful offshore strategy.

The Clark freeport zone in the Philippines was originally a U.S. military base and because of this Clark has world-class infrastructure and facilities. Once the control of the area was handed over to the Philippines government they installed a world-class fiber optic backbone in the area. Clark has internet speed and reliability equal to, if not better than, the western world.

Clark is also the first city in the Philippines, and one of the first cities in the world to make 5G available. This is part of the regions’ plan to create a ‘City of the Future’. Not only is Clark a world-class business location, but it is also a region committed to the future and staying at the forefront of innovation.

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HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT OUTSOURCING PROVIDER?

Before selecting an outsourcing provider it is crucial you understand how they operate and what they do to ensure important metrics are achieved and maintained. Here are the 5 main areas you should keep in mind, including a few example questions you should ask, when deciding and speaking to a potential outsourcing provider:

  • Do your staff work from home or in an office?
  • What tools do you have in place to ensure staff remain online and productive 100% of the time?
  • Do you operate 24/7?
  • How do you supervise my outsourced staff?
  • What public holiday schedule do your staff work to and how do you manage the additional costs involved with public holidays?
  • How many annual leave days and sick days do your staff receive?
  • Can you detail your standard security policies and infrastructure to manage data, security and privacy?
  • How do you ensure staff cannot access cloud-based systems and applications outside of the office?
  • Have there been any data breaches in the past?
  • How do you review staff performance?
  • How do you measure employee satisfaction?
  • What do you do to ensure staff retention?
  • What productivity reporting do you provide as a standard?
  • How does your recruitment process ensure you find the best candidate for my role?
  • What testing is standard for applicants during the recruitment process?
  • What currency do you invoice in?
  • Do you have an account manager in Australia?
  • Do you have a customer onboarding process? If so, what is it?
  • Do you have a minimum contract term?

Choosing the right outsourcing provider for your business shouldn’t be a quick decision. Before you take the leap of faith, you want to make sure that the outsourcing provider you are choosing values your business practices and will ensure all important metrics are met and measured.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

If you want to learn more on the above topics, as well as the myths of outsourcing, how to effectively introduce outsourcing to your local team, and an example of what an outsourced model could look like for your business, then download the full version of our Outsourcing Toolkit Part 1 today. Just fill in the form below.