The hyper-connectivity of the world we live in gives birth to many possibilities that would be completely impossible otherwise. One of them is offshoring – the possibility of having a team in a different country or continent, that will perform a function crucial for your company’s survival. In the age of cloud computing, emails, IM tools and collaboration platforms, such a thing is possible, from a technical standpoint. Still, the success rate of this trend won’t be determined by tools, software and gadgets but by adequate leadership, business practices and utilization of adequate trends. With this in mind, here are a few tips that can help you offshore your way to the top.
1. Onshore leadership
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that just because you decided to outsource some, or even most, of your company’s functions to an offshore company, doesn’t mean that the issue of onshore leadership is irrelevant. Those willing to maintain their pre-offshoring business structure, therefore, need to handle an issue of a business management team that is capable of efficiently managing offshore projects. Sometimes, this means being fluent in the language of the business world, other times it means being up all night working in a different time-zone. Still, enduring this kind of ordeal is definitely more than worth your while.
2. Clean, open and efficient communication
While a lot of people think that the language and cultural barrier is the main culprit for a failed international coordination, more often than not, the problem lies in the issue of communication. You see, if you are reluctant or unable to present the bigger picture to an offshore office or a company you are working with, you can’t expect to see the desired results. Therefore, your offshore partners need to know exactly what’s on your mind and the only way to achieve this is through a clean, open and efficient communication.
3. Know who you are offshoring to
The next important item on this list is inquiring about the region and the company you are outsourcing to. Countries like India are known for their cost-efficient customer service, while the same can be said about mobile app development companies in Hong Kong. Therefore, just by choosing the right hub to outsource to, you can ensure significantly better results. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should work with any company from a certain region without inquiring about them further or learning about them from a reliable platform.
4. They need an incentive as well
Perhaps the greatest mistake that offshore businesses make is believing that offshore companies require a different treatment than your own in-house teams. Think about it, just because someone is working for an agency half a world away doesn’t mean that they don’t care about your approval. In fact, sometimes, praising one for a job well-done can mean as much to them as an actual bonus. So, by commenting the right thing at the right time, you can give your offshore workforce a significant morale boost and therefore improve their productivity.
5. Pay them a visit every now and then
Finally, even though this is something you shouldn’t be doing too often, for budget-related reasons, it is vital that you pay your offshore partners a visit every now and then. Visiting your offshore teams brings many benefits to the table. For instance, by getting a better grasp on the local culture, internal teams and strengths of individuals, you will have a much easier time managing from afar and devising more effective strategies. Apart from this, visiting in person can help them appreciate and respect you more as an employer, expert and individual.
Conclusion
There really isn’t much difference between an offshore and in-house team, in terms of efficiency. A well-managed offshore team is always going to outperform a disorganized in-house department. In other words, it all comes down to your managerial skills, strategies, as well as the use of efficient collaboration tools and trends. Nonetheless, this takes time, patience and dedications. Luckily, all of these traits are characteristics of a successful businessperson, in the first place.
