Finding the right outsourcees can make your business run faster, more efficiently and more easily. Finding those outsourcees can be a daunting and tough process, however. Here are a few smart outsourcing tips to make sure you find the right people to do the task at a fair price:
State Your Expectations Up Front
Tell them up front what to anticipate working with you and what kind of relationship they can expect.
Let them know if you are looking for someone to do a bunch of repeat work, or if you just need a one-time project completed. Also let them know how you want them to communicate with you, whether with project management software or to be in constant contact with you by email. The more you can define how you want the working relationship to work, the better the outcome will be.
Start with At Least Three Providers
You will find many impressive resumes when you start looking at potential outsourcees. Unfortunately, the only way to find out if they are as good as they seem on paper is to give their services a test run.
Always test out at least three because one or more of them might not work out. Even if they look great on paper, they may not deliver the quality of work you expect when you contract them for a real job. Another reason is that they may all deliver top-quality work, but one may be significantly lower priced. In short, you just don’t know what the market can provide you without testing it out. Testing one outsourcee isn’t testing the market. To find the best deal for you and your business, always start by testing at least three outsourcees.
Don’t Always Go for the Lowest Price
With so many people in developing countries willing to work for as little as $2.50 an hour, it can be very tempting to choose the lowest-priced providers, but don’t as you almost always get what you pay for online. After all, if a provider can truly provide a high-quality service, they wouldn’t charge less than other providers who are getting clients at higher rates. If you want to try out a lower-rate provider, make sure you also simultaneously test out one or two higher-rate providers to see the difference.
Start Small
Start your test runs with small projects. If you are looking for a provider to do a $2,000 project for you, start them out on a $50 project, and then a $150 project. If you are satisfied with both the communication and the quality of the work, then contract them for your big project. Never start out a new contractor on a high-ticket project. There are just so many variables that can go wrong. Test on a small project before awarding the large project.
These tips can go a long way towards making sure you find and hire the right outsourcee without losing a lot of money on outsourcees who didn’t work out.
