An ultimate FAQs guide on Outsourcing

1. What Are The Different Types Of Outsourcing?

There are plenty of outsourcing methods that are opted for various types of outsourcing depending on the type of industry or product and service that a business offers.

It helps companies to save a lot of time and cost and enables them to focus on rebuilding their companies. Some of the different types of outsourcing are mentioned below:

1. Business process outsourcing
2. Professional outsourcing
3. Multi-sourcing
4. Manufacturer outsourcing
5. Project Outsourcing
6. Offshore outsourcing
7. Process-specific Outsourcing
8. IT Outsourcing

2. Why Do You Think That Companies Outsource, And What Benefits Does Outsourcing Provide Them?

Outsourcing comes with its own set of advantages for its client companies. The advantages mainly include:

1. The job is done at a relatively lower cost and with better quality. The cost differs in different geographical locations and thus one can save a lot.
2. Outsourcing businesses increase efficiency. There are companies which give the best results with their experienced and expert team.
3. They focus on core ideas and build a solid concept that can be applied to building the brand.
4. Outsourcing helps to save on infrastructure and technology

3. What Would You Say The Top Risks Of Outsourcing Are?

Though outsourcing has a number of benefits, it has some risks for the client company too, which consists of:

1. Possibility of weak management
2. Inexperienced staff
3. Hidden costs that are not shown in the agreement
4. Lack of organizational learning
5. Less innovative capacity in the team
6. Uncertainty in business
7. Endemic uncertainty
8. Poor or outdated technologies used for development

These risks must be taken into consideration before selecting any of the outsourcing businesses for work-related queries.

4. What Challenges Do Companies Face While Outsourcing Their Call Centre Functions And How Should They Minimize Risk To Their Core Business?

Following are the risks that companies face while outsourcing their call center functions:

1. Loss of control
2. Compromise with service quality
3. Data breaches
4. Communication barriers
5. Geopolitical risks
6. Violation of regulatory compliance
7. Labor Market issues
8. Weather Anomalies

These risks can be mitigated by defining the business objectives clearly and communicating well with the company.

It is important to define all legal processes and development requirements clearly so that it does not create problems in the future.

5. What Are The Top Three Questions That A Company Should Ask A Potential Outsourcer?

When choosing an outsourcer, plenty of questions arise in a company and its team. As it greatly affects the success or failure of the company, the top three questions that a company needs to ask before making the decision are as follows:

1. What kind of companies does the outsourcing company work for and of what operational level and size have they worked?
2. Is there any project that has been done before that is similar to the company’s project?
3. How do you strive to deliver a product that meets the expectations of both the client company as well as the market?

6. Which Industry Sector Outsources The Most?

According to statistics, there is no industry in the market that has been left untouched by the outsourcing companies. Almost every industry uses outsourcing extensively.

As per recent trends as well as KPMG’s outsourcing deal analysis some sectors that use outsourcing companies the most are defense and government, media, health, and pharmaceuticals, as well as retail industries.

There are many other industries such as eCommerce industries, food delivery services, etc. that have been using outsourcing companies the most in recent years.

7. What Are The Top Five Reasons Organizations Outsource?

There are plenty of reasons which leads to the massive usage of outsourcing companies by organizations:

1. Companies spend a lot of time-solving minor problems in the in-house departments
2. It might affect the primary area in which the company works
3. The quality of outsourced work is maintained
4. No burden of managing an extra department
5. A skilled and experienced team is provided by a good outsourcing company that makes sure that the project is completed in the best way

8. What Effects Do Legislation (E.g. DMA/FTC, Etc) Have On The Outsourcing Industry, And What Are Your Views On This?

These legislations make sure that no outsourcing companies and other organizations violate any rule.

The rules are made to make sure that companies work in a proper manner so that both sides get the benefit.

There are many companies that may look to get more benefits than the other but the DMA/FTC have rules that ensure good work ethics. No fraud can be done and quality and proper pay are also ensured.

9. What Challenges Do Offshore Outsourcers Face That Domestic Ones Do Not?

Offshore outsourcers can sometimes face problems like not being able to meet the team personally.

Domestic outsourcing companies are accessible and outsources can know if they are genuine and what they say is true, but the same is not possible with an offshore outsourcing company.

Companies that are not in the same countries could be better or also the worst, and that said, it gets more important to research them.

10. What Are The Key Drivers For Companies To Outsource Offshore?

Companies that are looking to outsource their work to offshore companies might be compelled with the quality.

Another thing that can attract companies to offshore outsourcing companies is their way of working and the functions and features that they include in their products.

The latter is the major reason why most companies look for offshore companies. There are companies that also provide better offers to international clients.

They also provide them with better services in order to get more clients from their country.

11. How Has The Campaigns And Projects Companies Outsourcing Changed Over The Last Five Years?

The campaigns and projects that companies used to outsource five years ago were mostly related to marketing and transportation.

Nowadays companies have started outsourcing pretty much everything that they think is distracting them from their main motive.

Software companies have got the most outsourced projects as most companies now prefer getting their apps/software developed.

This is what they also want to be developed by the best companies that have the best developers.

12. What Would You Say Are The Top Five Questions A Company Should Ask A Prospective Outsourcer?

A prospective outsourcer is a company or an individual from a company who might be looking for an outsourced or might do it if asked.

Outsourcing companies need to identify these individuals or companies. The questions that they can be asked are as follows:

1. Are you facing difficulty focusing on the primary tasks because of some other task?
2. Do you pay more to the in-house team for temporary tasks?
3. What are your views about outsourcing work to other companies?
4. Do you have any department that you need to outsource sometimes and its management sometimes feels like a burden to you?
5. Would you outsource if you get great quality services in your budget?

13. Do You Feel That A Client Of An Outsourcer Should Have Unrestricted Access To Agents/Reps Working On Their Behalf, And If Yes Then Why Do You Believe This?

This we feel is something that should be limited. Though there should be transparency at every stage and the clients and developers/agents need to work together to make sure that all requirements are fulfilled.

When clients get unrestricted access they tend to change things at every stage which makes it difficult to complete the production or development.

To ensure speed and quality, the clients need to be allowed to have a look only when a phase has been completed.

14. Which Industry Sectors Tend To Outsource More Than The Others (E.g. Financial Services, Utilities, Etc)?

Two industries that tend to outsource more than the others are eCommerce companies and on-demand services.

Both these services need outsourcing in various tasks like delivery, packaging, development of applications, and management of support centers.

All of these things, if done by the parent organization, might give them unwanted stress and also alter the quality of the services.

This is the reason why they wish to outsource these services and give them to the best companies.

15. What Management And Motivation Challenges Do Outsourcing Companies Face With Their Staff?

Outsourcing companies need to keep their staff motivated at all times even if they are getting the same type of jobs.

They can arrange for activities that can be a nice change for the employees from their monotonous lifestyle that involves working on the same things over and over.

The company can also look for changing the type of work they are accepting work from new partners.

Management of the staff and keeping them motivated is important to maintain their efficiency.

16. How Can Outsourcers And Clients Ensure A Fair Partnership Agreement?

The FPA or Fair Partnership Agreement is something that all outsourcing companies and their clients need to sign.

This agreement needs to have all the points that make sure that the work between them happens with transparency and integrity.

None of the enterprises should use foul methods of manipulating the others. If there is a probability of this then companies need to mention the consequences of it properly.

17. What Are The Main Advantages Of Using Brokers When Considering Outsourcing Some, Or All, Of Your Contact Center Functions?

This can be tricky. It sometimes can be a golden service and sometimes it might be a deal of loss.

All of this depends on the brokers and that is why companies need to research the companies that they wish to hire for outsourcing.

This is what makes a difference in getting the best outsourcing service or normal mediocre service. Brokers know the best but not all, and if the companies find the best one, they have hit the jackpot.

18. What Would You Say Are The Top Five Questions A Company Should Ask A Prospective Outsourcer?

A company that is looking to outsource any service needs to ask the outsourcing company some questions.

These questions allow companies to know what they should expect from their outsourcing partners. Five questions that they need to ask outsourcing companies are as follows:

1. How skilled are the developers/employees?
2. Can they work on deadlines?
3. What is their area of expertise?
4. What is their style of working?
5. Are there any hidden charges?

19. What Is The Role Of Service Standards In Outsourcing?

It is important to set service standards while outsourcing projects to ensure quality. This also makes sure that projects get completed in due time.

Standards will also make the projects fit international standards. All the companies need to ensure to set standards because without them there will be no limits and pressure on the outsourcing company. This makes sure that outsourcing companies work as they are supposed to.

20. What Role Do Associations Play In Helping Companies To Select And Use Outsourcing Services?

An association can help companies in selecting the best outsource services as they have all used and tested the services.

In the market, companies can never trust outsourcing companies without doing proper research about them.

Associations are the best in terms of knowing which companies have credibility in the market and which ones are just mediocre.

Organizations need to also search through other sources after knowing from their associations.

21. Have You Seen Any Trends In The Type Of Outsourcing Companies That Have Established Themselves In Your Area And What Would You Attribute This To?

There are many companies that are working for software development outsourcing. All companies need to have a strong team in order to get and complete projects in the best way.

This is something that cannot be ignored. A weak team can never give a strong result and performance is really important to stay in the market.

Developers in a software outsourcing company need to have all the relevant skills in the market.