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If a company has entered the expansion phase in its growth, then recruiting fresh employees is the next logical step. However, that is easier said than done because hiring someone is not so easy. Can outsourcing help here? Yes, it can!
Today, outsourcing has gone beyond what it had originally started off as – short-term project outsourcing to freelancers. It is much more bigger than that now, with a whole lot of offerings in its vast kitty. Say you are a software development firm based in the UK and wish to expand your operations in India. But the logistics are mind-boggling not to mention cost-prohibitive. Offshore expansion is often necessary but beyond the reach and budget of many SMEs. In such a scenario, outsourcing comes to the rescue of companies who wish to add to their employee strength while setting up an offshore office remotely. Here are 5 check points to consider before you think of adding to your existing staff with the help of outsourcing. - Am I getting a dedicated staff? Does the outsourcing service provider that you have contacted offer you more than just a random freelancer? Or will you be getting a dedicated staff? In other words, the new face of outsourcing – the virtual employee. A virtual employee would work exclusively for the organization that has hired them on a dedicated and full-time basis.
- Am I getting a skilled staff? While employing a freelancer, the only credentials are those that the freelancer themselves provide. Few companies bother to crosscheck those references. The only way to find out is to actually start working with the freelancer to see how much he or she really knows. But if you want a really skilled staff then a virtual employee is the natural choice. This is because a virtual employee goes through several levels of screening and is personally verified and vouched for by the remote staffing company's HR executives.
- How are the communication channels? Let's face it. When your employee is sitting thousands of miles away from you, effective communication is crucial. This means that your outsourcing service vendor whose virtual employee will end up handling your work, should be able to provide you with satisfactory means of communication – telephones, internet, emails, Skype, instant messenger, Video Conferencing – all geared to eliminate the perceptions of time and distance.
- What kind of infrastructure support will I get? Is it like actually having an extension of my office? This refers to hardware and software, and issues of office space, rentals, taxes, employee benefits, overheads and all the matters related to running an office on a daily basis. This should ideally be the responsibility of the outsourcing vendor since your virtual employee will be working for you but out of the office of the vendor.
- What about supervision and accountability? As everyone knows, it is next to impossible to make a freelancer accountable or supervise their work. But that is not the case with a virtual employee who works from a controlled office environment and under constant supervision of the HR managers. Any issue can be discussed directly with the employee or with the HR. You exercise total control over the employee and the work.
So, be sure to make a calculated and well thought-out decision before expanding your employee strength and let outsourcing help you open your own offshore office in a foreign land! Daya Mukherjee is a Senior Content Writer and Editor working for a Remote Staffing Outsourcing company in India. You can find out more information by visiting our Outsourcing Services, Outsource Web site and Our PHP Outsourcing Firms Blog.
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