6 Problems Associated With Outsourcing And How To Prevent Them
By Andrew Carroll
Business enterprises, no matter big or small, popularly opt for outsourcing. It is quite the strategy to lessen the operational and recruitment costs of the business and divert focus on core operations and processes to boost quality.
KPMG’s market research found that outsourcing app development is ideal for those who wish to reduce expenses without compromising on quality. It is a great way to bring talented and professional people on board without long term commitments. Computer Economics stats reveal that more than 45% of businesses who had outsourced some of their work is going to do more in the future.
Outsourcing has the potential to address some a variety of issues effectively, but there are also some issues associated with it. To ensure that your outsourcing experience bears positive results, here are the 6 common problems with outsourcing that you can prevent them:
- The Difference in Working Hours
The first and foremost problem is the difference in the working hours. With a remote working team, your in-house team necessarily won't be working the same hours. And if your project requires the team members to collaborate closely, the time difference could be problematic.
But with flexibility in working hours, this issue can be efficiently resolved. Vendors can assign particular working hours or make slight adjustments.
- Loss of Control and Visibility
Another common issue you have to face with outsourcing is the loss of visibility and control. How do you ensure that the people you have hired are doing their job? Communication problems and delays in response could add to product costs, not to mention increase the time required to complete the task/project. Discuss these things beforehand, such as the method of communication and the methodologies of choice.
Apart from improving your communication, you could invest in an employee monitoring app. Say you have given them a personal phone for work communications, so you can also invest in an employee monitoring app, for instance, Xnspy, that can monitor your remote workforce’s movements and activities through the working hours.
- The Risk of Hidden Costs
Although outsourcing could be a cost-effective solution, there is a risk of the additional cost. Sometimes the vendor charges fixed rates while hiring unqualified specialists. The ideal way to avoid this is by educating yourself about the potential hidden costs of the new project to know about the exact cost.
Create an in-depth analysis and plan the budget of your project, taking into account all the possible charges that could occur during any stage of the process. Go with a model that adds the cost allowing you to control the remote team. Sometimes, the vendor could expect you to pay for the work that the contract does not cover, and you might end up paying more than the initial agreement.
With a remote team, you cannot always keep an eye on the workers. Also, they might charge you more than the time they spent on the site. Xnspy’s Watch list alert could help you determine how many hours the task force was present at the site. You can set automated alerts on virtual boundaries and know right away when an employee enters or exits that area. This would let you know about their exact working hours.
- Language Barrier
As stated earlier, effective communication is fundamental to the success of your outsourcing venture. Apart from poor communication or delays in communication, there is a language barrier issue. If the people you have outsourced the work to cannot or do not speak English, collaboration can become a serious issue. There are more chances of mistakes, which could lead to failure of the project. Even if the project gets completed, the results are going to be poor.
Project leaders should pay attention to outsourcing the work to that country/city where there is no language barrier. Select the outsourcing company carefully and select the country with a track record of teaching the foreign languages that you need with the guarantee that your remote team stays in contact with you and completes the project using the language of your preference.
- Security
If the quality of the task completed or the product is not your primary concern right now, then it should be data security. It is crucial to hire experienced and reliable people who can keep your information safe. See that the company you outsource the job to is trustworthy and keeps your data safe, especially if it involves sensitive information.
It is better that you conduct a thorough background check of the vendor. See if they came across any security or data leak problems in the past? Inquire them about the security method they opt for and how do they deal with any security breach. If their answers are vague and they are unable to convince you, they might not be the best option for you.
- Absence of Technical Documentation
It is necessary to prepare the technical documentation to set the course of the entire project. It serves as a map so the team can effectively dodge threats and challenges. You can expect accurate results if your technical document covers all the important and informative aspects of the project.
Make sure that your document does not miss out on any detail to avoid miscommunication or a mistake that could lead to damaging results. It should mention all your requirements and expectations. Make the outsourcing team go through it and ask if there is any confusion. As technical documentation serves as a guide, its absence could lead to confusion and higher chances of mistakes.
Outsourcing is beneficial for many businesses and leads to immense time and cost-saving. With the right planning, security, and monitoring measures in place, it could lead to great results. Also, knowing about the possible issues and ways to prevent them could lead to the optimal results and success of your project.
About Andrew Carroll:
Andrew Carroll is an expert in cybersecurity. He helps businesses both small and medium-sized, in implementing and adopting the best security methods for their organization and network. He gives great advice regarding and assists people in boosting the security measures for their website and business.
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