Over the years, outsourcing as a business strategy has become a term that’s synonymous with opportunities, growth, and efficiency. However, it can also be a mysterious concept that can be overwhelming, especially to a new business owner. If you’ve wondered about outsourcing for your business at some point, it’s natural to be on the fence because of a few concerns and misconceptions. These misconceptions can certainly affect the way you view outsourcing, and how you handle your own outsourcing project.
In this blog, we’ll help you identify the top 5 outsourcing myths and bust them. We hope this will help you keep a level head when setting expectations and making decisions for your outsourcing venture! Let’s take a closer look:
Myth #1: Outsourcing is solely meant to cater to big businesses
It’s true that large corporations have been quick to embrace outsourcing, with 66% of U.S. companies with 50 or more employees utilizing this business strategy. However, the biggest misconception is that outsourcing a team is only feasible for huge corporations. These days, that’s no longer the case. Small- and medium-sized businesses all can benefit from outsourcing, and some outsourcing companies even specialize in offering their services to companies with less than 50 employees. In fact, 37% of small businesses outsource at least one business process.
While smaller businesses might argue that outsourcing entails complex contracts and long-term commitments, the truth of the matter is — you can get started with outsourcing with as little as one to five employees and minimal setup costs.
Outsourcing is a flexible strategy designed to accommodate scalability for businesses, so even with limited resources, there can be an outsourcing partner out there that can align themselves with your needs. If you have limited resources to hire and train, struggling to find staff available locally, or want to streamline your process while saving costs, then outsourcing is a viable option worth considering.
Myth #2: You won't have control over your project
Another common myth is that once you outsource a project, you’ll lose control over those involved with it. In reality, though, effective outsourcing still boils down to two important things: collaboration and communication. Even if you partner with a provider that claims to be the best outsourcing provider, if you don’t properly set goals, expectations, milestones, and lay down processes with them, you’ll most likely hit a rough patch.
Make sure to partner with a reliable outsourcing provider to establish these points, and you’ll hit the right balance of delegation and oversight to ensure your project stays on track.
Myth #3: Outsourcing negatively impacts the quality of work
Quality is indeed a concern when it comes to outsourcing. When talking about quality, it’s essential to understand that work your team puts out closely correlates to how well you define your requirements and expectations with your outsourcing partner. You can definitely expect the same level of quality you would from an in-house team — and even exceed it — as long as you choose a reputable outsourcing provider and clearly communicate your expectations. In fact, a recent report found that 54% of companies say that their service quality levels were maintained even as they outsourced.
Myth #4: Language and cultural differences can be hard to navigate
Navigating the language barriers and cultural differences can be obstacles that can prevent you from communicating with your offshore team.
This is not the case. Many of the world’s top outsourcing destinations, namely countries such as India and the Philippines, have a strong mastery of American and British English. The Philippines, in particular, is the 3rd-largest English speaking country in the world. Not only that, Filipinos and Indians alike are aware of the Western cultural landscape, making them highly adaptable peoples and easy to converse with.
Myth #5: You're better off doing things yourself
As a business owner, you have a full understanding of how your business works, and what your brand stands for. However, some business owners might not trust other people with that, leading them to constantly micro-manage their outsourced team’s work.
This shouldn’t be the case! One of the main benefits of outsourcing is being able to reclaim your time as you enable other people to do specific tasks for you, according to the KPIs and processes you’ve set. Micro-managing employees defeats this purpose. A good outsourcing partner will continuously oversee their work for you according to your standards — making things easier for you, so you can focus more on high-priority tasks as a business owner.
In Conclusion
Outsourcing is a powerful tool that’s accessible to businesses that are willing to break boundaries. With a clearer approach and realistic expectations, you can unlock its full potential to drive growth, efficiency, and success in your business.
Don’t let these misconceptions hold you back. FGC+ is a great outsourcing partner if you’re looking to take advantage of outsourcing and discover how it can transform your business for the better.
Explore our website at www.fgcplus.com or estimate your potential savings when you outsource with our Cost Savings Calculator.