Outsourcing has become a really popular practice in the past decade, especially now, during the Covid-19 crisis when most of us are working from home, and social distancing. The practice of outsourcing means that you can hire, or get hired by a company that is located on the other side of the world. When you hire remote workers, it means that you can choose any person you want from the industry, and you are open to a lot larger market that can be better skilled and more knowledgeable.
However, working remotely has as many drawbacks as advantages, and this begs the question – when is the right time to choose a service like this? In this article, we are going to talk about some of the benefits and the risks that come with outsourcing IT support services. Continue reading if you want to learn why you should choose this practice, and what are mistakes that you should try and avoid.
Why you should choose this practice?
Source:ccitsolutions.co.uk
First, let’s talk about the advantages that come with choosing remote workers for the job position opening you have in your company. The best thing about the practice is that you can choose people from all over the world. Sometimes, you may need a candidate with a specific set of skills that you may not be able to find in your location. When you can choose from thousands of candidates, not just dozens or hundreds, it means that you are more likely to find the right fit for the job opening.
The reason why so many employers choose to go with IT outsourcing services is that they can lower their costs, and they won’t have to spend so much money on the hourly rate. In addition to this, you can choose if you want to hire just one person, or if you are looking for an agency that will provide as many people as you need. Know that you are free to choose if you want to look for the candidates one by one, and hire individuals that you can put together in a team later on, or if you are looking for an already established service with years of experience.
When you choose to collaborate with someone that is already established, you will be able to compete with other large corporations, and you can increase the workflow. You will be able to find faster solutions and provide better support for your customers. You can create new ideas, find a better approach for your brand, and improve the overall way you are doing things.
According to CG Technologies, if you choose the right IT outsourcing service, you can get a custom-tailored experience just for you, receive the needed support when it comes to management, security, as well as cloud services. This means that you don’t have to choose just the plans other local companies offer, but you can get the features you need to improve your business without having to pay for things that you currently don’t need.
Source:bxsp.org
In addition, when you collaborate with a remote service, the whole process is a lot more scalable, you are the one that picks the things you need, and you don’t have to settle for a company that does not provide all the things you need.
When you collaborate with a company remotely, you can have access to the newest platforms and technologies, and even things that are not currently available in your location. Note that you can learn how to approach problems from a different angle, and you don’t have to focus just on things that you already know and use.
What are the drawbacks and most common mistakes?
The biggest drawback of this practice is that you won’t have as good communication or collaboration with your employees as you would if you were working in the same office. Nowadays, there are a lot of platforms that will allow you to communicate with them uninterrupted, but chances are, all of your conversations will be just about work, so you won’t create any personal relationships. Even though this does not seem like a big deal, when you work with someone for years, you need to know more about them besides how skilled they are.
Know that someone, especially in the IT world, things need to be extremely clear and precise, and miscommunication is easy when you are not working in the same place. Things can get forgotten, you may not understand, or they may not understand the task at hand, and this could create a larger issue. Note that you will need to spend some time adjusting to this type of process, and you will need to learn what is the best way to stay clear and to remove any possible confusion.
One of the biggest risks that come with outsourcing is trust, and sometimes candidates will try and deceive you. They may present themselves as the best person for the job, and you may not notice that they are lacking skills for a long time. In addition to this, they will not be bound to your business, and they can leave as fast as they were hired. Because of this, you need to have a good vetting and screening process, and you need to be able to provide a great working environment.
Source:designrush.com
Lastly, when it comes to outsourcing, we are all bound by our internet connection, and if it is not stable at the moment, tasks can get delayed. In addition to this, time zones can be extremely challenging, and some of your team may need to work in different hours than they are used to. The good thing about this is that you can be flexible with their hours, and you can allow them to work when they are most focused as long as they provide the needed results.
These are some of the benefits and the risks that come with outsourcing IT support services. Know that some are going to be better than others, and you need to know what you are looking for before you choose to collaborate with an individual or a company. Look for a service that has the needed skills, knowledge, and experience, and people that can show recommendations from previous employers. This is a great practice that is said to become even more popular in the future, so don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone so you can explore new, and possibly better solutions.
