FAQs

Tips for Effective Outsourcing

 
     Is outsourcing for me?
     Finding the right outsourcing partner that fits my requirement
     Tips to get the most out of outsourcing with Brickwork
 
Is outsourcing for me?

Outsourcing is not a mantra for any and all of your business problems. You need to first identify your business’ core capabilities and strategic applications. Unless you actually are an accounting firm, it is very common for a lot of businesses to outsource burdensome and time-consuming administrative tasks such as payroll processing, payroll tax filing and benefits administration. The questions below will help you get some insights into your own readiness for outsourcing:

 

   Do you have a list of tasks that are time-consuming, repetitive and routine?
   Are these tasks that you would prefer not to do yourself?
    Do you want to outsource personal or professional tasks or a combination of both?
    Do you have a regular stream of full-time or part-time work? Or do your projects come in spurts?
   How much time do you expect to save by outsourcing?
   What do you plan to do with the additional time you save by outsourcing?
    Is there someone else who can execute this particular element faster, better, simpler, or cheaper?
    Do you want your VA to work in tandem with you i.e., during the daytime or are you alright with your VA working in the evenings or nights?
    What do you see as the potential risks of outsourcing your business/project/assignment and what strategies have you put in place to guard against these risks?
    Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
    Are your business operations and processes well laid out to just hand over some tasks to a virtual assistant, or will you have to start documenting the flow and the tasks from scratch?
    Am I ready to spend the time to train my REA initially and communicate regularly until they understand my business, style of functioning, and my priorities?
    Are you ready to tolerate some delay or inefficiency initially as the investment for long-term benefits?


Finding the right outsourcing company that fits my requirement?

There are many outsourcing companies today. There are also several individuals who are ready to provide services to you virtually. There are virtual services offered as low as $5 and it can be very tempting as well as confusing for a person contemplating on outsourcing. Your decision should not be solely on the basis of price. Proper research, sufficient time and care in setting up your initial outsourcing relationships, are very critical because identifying and working with the right outsourcing partner is one of the best investments you could ever make. Below are a few points which you can consider in order to make a more informed decision:

    The credentials of the company and the management
   Whether the company has a professional setup and strong processes
   Reading testimonials and talking to references
   The quality of the resources in terms of education, experience, and skills
   The size of the company
   The reputation of the company
    The flexibility the company provides in terms of time, skills, and services
    Whether the company has strict security norms, NDA, and confidentiality agreements in place
    The quality of the information and the transparency of the people you have dealt with, during the initial period
    Whether the company gives any kind of guarantee for the quality of the service
    Whether the company can help you with different business requirements other than an administrative assistant, such as business research, accounting, web development, software development, etc
    The mode of payment

Processes :

   We have a well-defined and documented delivery process
   All REAs sign an NDA to ensure confidentiality of client information
    We have a strong IT and security system
    We have 2- 3 levels of quality checks: At peer level, Team Lead level, and Manager level depending on the complexity of the project
    Our backup plan avoids disruption in client projects
    Our defined escalation process helps in timely intervention for client grievances
    Our online feedback system ensures that client feedback reaches the senior management directly for effective implementation of client suggestions.
    We communicate with our clients by email, Skype, chat or phone and share data through e-mail, remote desktop connection and File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
    We send daily or weekly updates to clients regarding the completed tasks and the number of hours utilized, depending on the total project duration, difficulty level, and deadlines of the project.

Tips to get the most out of outsourcing with Brickwork

Communication :

   Please note that even the best English-speaking REA will have her/his native accent and you need to just ask them to speak slowly or repeat themselves. They would not mind it at all. They would also appreciate if you could speak slowly to ensure they understand you completely
    Give very clear and precise directions. Ask your REA to rephrase or write a mail with their understanding of your instructions.
    Clearly define the scope and schedule for your project at the beginning of the relationship.
    Have an agreement defining the project objective and scope, delivery and payment schedules, and ownership of resulting work product.
    Make sure that the outsourcing partner understands how you intend to use the deliverables and the implication for you in case of delay or sub-par quality.
    Communication is an essential key to any outsourcing project. Take personal responsibility or designate a member of your staff to regularly communicate on project progress and deliverables.
    Regular feedback on tasks completed provides a direction to the REA on how to proceed further. This also encourages them to clarify anything that is not clearly understood and builds a stronger working relationship.
    Make sure you cc your REA’s team lead and manager in all e-mails, especially important ones. This will help to ensure timely intervention.
    Communication is mainly by e-mail, instant messenger, and the occasional Skype phone call. Initially, there might be a language barrier with the quality of communications- both oral and written. As the REA becomes more experienced with your tasks and your expectations, daily communication may not be necessary.
    If you’re outsourcing copywriting, editing, proofreading or PR activities, you need to be quite certain that not only is the level of language competency high, but also the understanding of colloquialism and nuance; as pertinent to your target audience or customer demographic is also high.

Work Schedule:

   Difference in time could be a challenge, if you have to stay up late or wake up early to provide instructions or feedback. So try to assign smaller or simpler tasks initially and move on to more complicated tasks once you are confident of the REA’s capabilities.
    Spend time before hiring an REA while listing down your tasks and the possible errors.
    If it is a subscription-based engagement, give contact details of other people in your team for the REA to contact in case you are not available or don’t want to be disturbed. If it is a complicated assignment and you want the REA to be coordinating with different people in your organization and multi-tasking, then it is advisable to have a manual or document of instructions. You can consider time spent on initial training as an investment for future productivity.
    Don’t expect miracles! An REA’s efficiency and productivity increases when s/he works with the same client for a longer time. So please be patient! The initial period of getting to understand each other’s personality and skills, is the same as when you hire a new person in your organization. Frequent communication, encouragement, training and interaction with you and other people in your team, reaps greater benefits. Only those who plan on outsourcing over a long term and are prepared for frequent communication with their REAs will reap the maximum benefits.
    Keep a tab on your business (even if it is just checking emails on Monday morning and a Friday afternoon to check that everything is running smoothly).
    For subscription or retainer engagements, you can ask for a weekly time sheet to know exactly how your REA spends the time you pay for. This helps you to understand on what activities the REA spends maximum or minimum time and thus work around this information to get the best from your REA. However this may not be necessary for a time-bound project.
    Set deadlines and followup to make sure your REA will be able to meet the deadline
    If you give too many tasks, then make sure you have set them in the order of priority.
    Be realistic in your time estimation: If you are too conservative in your time estimation, then your REA may either not be able to complete your assignment and/or may not be able to ensure quality or completeness of information. This could result that you have to spend some time in reworking on the deliverable. It is understandable that you would want to maximize the value for the dollars spent on each hour. But please remember that you are working with a person, even though s/he may not be sitting in your office. Your task could take more or less time depending on the REA’s familiarity with the topic. Firstly s/he is not an expert in the task as much as you are. She may not have the general knowledge of the topic because it is not what she specializes in. So doing internet search or understanding the logic of the information may take longer. However if your REA works with you for a longer time then you will see a marked improvement in their productivity.

Relationship

   Cultural divide: Although outsourcing has made the world a global workplace, and our REAs have worked with various western cultures and countries, yet there is certainly a cultural divide. Our REAs have all studied English from kindergarten and regularly watch English movies and TV serials and know the latest Hollywood actors and pop stars. They are used to western accents and styles. Yet there may be certain workplace behaviors that may frustrate you. In spite of our training, they may hesitate to give you any bad news. They may try to resolve the obstacles they face in your assignment themselves instead of “troubling” you. They might ask for your help only when all their attempts have failed, and this could result in some delay. The best way to avoid this is to set your expectations clearly to your REA at the outset and to develop rapport and friendship so they are not afraid to ask you questions freely.
    A brief pilot or trial period just gives you a taste but not the entire experience of outsourcing. In that short duration, your REA may not display the productivity that you expect. This is why, it is better to engage an REA for at least 3 months. However, if your assignment is a simple, brief, one-time assignment, then you can certainly benefit from the trial.
    Start with a project that is relatively small and simple in scope to give you a better idea of the company’s functioning and capabilities.
    Be prepared for challenges. Even from across the oceans, personalities can clash, and schedules can take a while to sync.
    Invest time in building the relationship and get better performance and productivity, through regular interaction, encouragement and training. Don’t settle for poor quality but escalate it in a timely and positive manner. Don’t hold it against the REA, but provide enough time for the REA to work on your feedback.
    In spite of all your feedback and escalation if you find your REA is just not up to your expectations, ask for a replacement. Let your current REA transition your assignment to the new REA and then you can take over, so your initial training time is reduced.

 
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