How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Partner

How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Partner

Outsourcing is a comparatively newer word that spawns newer definitions. In simple terms, it means contracting your products or services to a third party in order to benefit your business in terms of cost, quality or availability of resources.

There are numerous organizations in the market, which provide outsourcing solutions, but the real hassle lies in choosing the right one for your business. Outsourcing should give you enormous profits, if you choose the right partner. The word on the street is “choose wisely.”

It is by no means easy to choose the right outsourcing partner. However, you could choose the right partner by merely sticking to certain guidelines before you collaborate with an outsourcing solutions provider.

1. Ask around for options

A good reference from a trusted source or a positive reference is always better when you are choosing the right outsource partner. Consequently, you could try to get references from similar organization much like yours.

2. Try online platforms for outsourcing solutions

If you have a small or medium sized organization and looking to outsource jobs, you can try online outsourcing platforms like Elance.com. Always search for companies with proven record of accomplishment and with specific experience and talent pool that will satisfy your outsourcing requirement. You may be able to find some great companies who are offering some great prices too.

If you are looking for a company as an outsourcing partner for your customer support requirements, you can post the job in Elance or wait for companies to respond. Another method is to search for companies, in Elance with experience in the required field with very good rating and experience in customer support. When companies respond to your job posting, always choose the one with good customer reviews the ones that offer a great price.

3. Size of the organization

You should be well aware of the size of the company you are going to work with. For a small or medium sized company, it is not advisable to go for big multinational organizations. They should be able to cater to your requirement, but they would, be interested only in large-scale processes for big corporations. In addition, they might not be affordable too. For example, if you are looking to outsource for your small/medium sized organization, it is always better to choose Phykon Solutions than going for MphasiS, which is one of the largest BPO service provider in the world.

4. Gather maximum information about your prospective partner

It is always better to gather maximum information about your prospective outsourcing partner through any medium necessary. You could always search on the internet for reviews. Nevertheless, internet searching cannot be trusted. Therefore, it is better to ask the organization about their clientele and their history with their clients and client satisfaction.

5. Infrastructure of the outsourcing partner

You should be well aware of the infrastructure of the company and examine whether they have adequate infrastructure to satisfy your business. It is always better not to collaborate with organizations without sufficient infrastructure suitable for your requirement.

If you are searching for a 24/7 support team for your office, it is always better to find a company which is already working 24/7 and which has back up servers and back up power generators in case of power, technical or network discrepancies. You would also want to look into data, operational and network security of the company that you are going to collaborate.

6. Resources, Expertise and Talent pool

Always look for companies with sufficient resources, expertise and talent pool for your requirement. If you are looking to outsource your back office, look for companies with expertise in non-voice process implementation. You would also want to check into their response time and quality of the work they have already done. You can also look into the training provided to the employees for complete, concise and timely reply, in this case, to emails.

7. Cost and other additional services the company provide

Always look for better cost effective solution provider. You should not look for the cheaper provider, but the one with reasonable prices and a good history of working. Organizations offering the cheapest prices may not be able to provide the best service. So look for cost effectiveness, transparency and reputation.

If any company if offering cheapest price and if they do not have operational history in the field, I would advise against it. If another company is offering a higher price with the promise and history of a better price, go for it.

I have merely pointed out some crucial points for you to go through in the “identification” phase of an outsourcing partner. There are other areas that you should be critical about when it comes to actually going in for the deal like accounts management, agent interview, security levels and the point of contact. I hope this article helps you find the right outsourcing partner.

Source: EzineArticles
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