How to Make Better Outsourcing Decisions
How to Make Better Outsourcing Decisions
1. low-cost, low-overhead work without the typical initial recruiting/hiring expenses
2. a wide and more diverse global pool of skilled freelance talent
3. a mutually beneficial pay-for-performance compensation structure
4. flexibility within a predefined project arrangement, and
5. real-time management tools.
Though outsourcing managers are left with the same ultimate hiring decision when contracting freelance professionals as when hiring in-house staff, the virtual world offers the following unique human resources option...
The challenge.
Being confident as an outsourcing company that you're hiring the best freelance provider for the job at hand is a daunting challenge. Organizations obviously want to know that the professionals they hire are qualified, but also that these freelance providers fit within their company and its business processes.
By examining provider profiles, freelance portfolios and critical feedback, outsourcing companies can get a basic feel for the type of off-site agent they may be considering hiring. But this may not be enough.
There’s more to outsourcing than selecting a qualified person: Will the freelance provider work well with management? Will they meet specific expectations, time constraints and budget requirements? Will the relationship be effective and productive?
The solution.
There’s an easy way to sample freelance providers with little risk (especially when using a Workteam Solution such as oDesk), an easy way to answer these important questions and ease the worries that come with any new hire (one which can be of particular importance when filling a long-term outsourcing position).
The solution is simple. Outsourcing companies need just to post their job and expectations normally, interviewing freelance providers with the necessary qualifications. Then, however, these outsourcing organizations need to hire the selected freelance professionals for a limited number of hours and assign them a portion of a project (or a smaller but similar project). Companies can create several small projects and test the most promising freelance providers. The cost is minimal, as little as a single hour of compensation for each freelance provider selected.
The commitment is limited, but the experience of working remotely and using tools like oDesk to communicate with a particular freelance provider can be invaluable. If work samples and cover letters are the gold standard for an outsourcing company when evaluating freelance providers, then sampling is the platinum standard. Companies get to see how one (or multiple) freelance professionals actually perform an agreed-upon task, and interact with their team.
More Advantages.
Outsourcing organizations know that jobs evolve– goals change, deadlines and scope get modified, new ideas are introduced and new concerns need to be addressed. Sampling freelance providers allows outsourcing managers to do an initial shake-out and tighten their focus before deciding on the right approach. It may be that the position for which a company is outsourcing requires a different mix of talent than originally thought, or that the deadline or budget were too optimistic. Sampling is a great way to clarify things.
Sampling by limiting hours also protects outsourcing companies from an unscrupulous freelance provider who ‘milks’ time. If a provider cannot produce a quality product within a reasonable amount of time, the outsourcing mistake has been made at a rock-bottom hourly rate. Trying before buying allows businesses to find out before committing.
Finally, sampling freelance providers lets outsourcing companies filter a larger set of qualified applicants to find the best fit. By hiring several freelance providers and sampling them, the outsourcing manager can see exactly what their organization will get for their money and keep the best of the group.
How to Make Better Outsourcing Decisions - To learn more about this author, visit Daryl James's Website.
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Virtual outsourcing is an exciting opportunity that offers multiple advantages for small to mid-sized businesses, including:
1. low-cost, low-overhead work without the typical initial recruiting/hiring expenses
2. a wide and more diverse global pool of skilled freelance talent
3. a mutually beneficial pay-for-performance compensation structure
4. flexibility within a predefined project arrangement, and
5. real-time management tools.
Though outsourcing managers are left with the same ultimate hiring decision when contracting freelance professionals as when hiring in-house staff, the virtual world offers the following unique human resources option...
The challenge.
Being confident as an outsourcing company that you're hiring the best freelance provider for the job at hand is a daunting challenge. Organizations obviously want to know that the professionals they hire are qualified, but also that these freelance providers fit within their company and its business processes.
By examining provider profiles, freelance portfolios and critical feedback, outsourcing companies can get a basic feel for the type of off-site agent they may be considering hiring. But this may not be enough.
There’s more to outsourcing than selecting a qualified person: Will the freelance provider work well with management? Will they meet specific expectations, time constraints and budget requirements? Will the relationship be effective and productive?
The solution.
There’s an easy way to sample freelance providers with little risk (especially when using a Workteam Solution such as oDesk), an easy way to answer these important questions and ease the worries that come with any new hire (one which can be of particular importance when filling a long-term outsourcing position).
The solution is simple. Outsourcing companies need just to post their job and expectations normally, interviewing freelance providers with the necessary qualifications. Then, however, these outsourcing organizations need to hire the selected freelance professionals for a limited number of hours and assign them a portion of a project (or a smaller but similar project). Companies can create several small projects and test the most promising freelance providers. The cost is minimal, as little as a single hour of compensation for each freelance provider selected.
The commitment is limited, but the experience of working remotely and using tools like oDesk to communicate with a particular freelance provider can be invaluable. If work samples and cover letters are the gold standard for an outsourcing company when evaluating freelance providers, then sampling is the platinum standard. Companies get to see how one (or multiple) freelance professionals actually perform an agreed-upon task, and interact with their team.
More Advantages.
Outsourcing organizations know that jobs evolve– goals change, deadlines and scope get modified, new ideas are introduced and new concerns need to be addressed. Sampling freelance providers allows outsourcing managers to do an initial shake-out and tighten their focus before deciding on the right approach. It may be that the position for which a company is outsourcing requires a different mix of talent than originally thought, or that the deadline or budget were too optimistic. Sampling is a great way to clarify things.
Sampling by limiting hours also protects outsourcing companies from an unscrupulous freelance provider who ‘milks’ time. If a provider cannot produce a quality product within a reasonable amount of time, the outsourcing mistake has been made at a rock-bottom hourly rate. Trying before buying allows businesses to find out before committing.
Finally, sampling freelance providers lets outsourcing companies filter a larger set of qualified applicants to find the best fit. By hiring several freelance providers and sampling them, the outsourcing manager can see exactly what their organization will get for their money and keep the best of the group.
How to Make Better Outsourcing Decisions - To learn more about this author, visit Daryl James's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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