By Bobby Hicks
A lot of people who have online businesses most likely have dabbled in outsourcing one time or another. For the most part, they may have average to slightly pleasant experiences, and sometimes, they encounter a truly stellar freelance worker online. However, there are those times when a lot of online business owners encounter an unpleasant experience when it comes to outsourcing their work, and it turns them off towards outsourcing.
Here are the top 10 problems (in no particular order) that you might encounter when you outsource, and how hiring in the Philippines can help solve these particular problems.
1. Lack of Proper Communication
Just like in any business, the key is always good communication. You need to be able to communicate accurately and regularly with your outsource worker to ensure that your business runs as smoothly as possible.
Hiring in the Philippines will help ensure that you get a contractor that has regular internet access (as Internet shops abound in the Philippines, and most professional contractors will have access to regular and reliable Internet connection), and that you will find a contractor that has a solid grasp of the English language. Most of the time, the language barrier is a strong reason why a lot of outsourcing contracts don't work out, and with many professional Philippine contractors, you will be able to find a person with English speaking and writing skills that can equal any US or UK native.
2. Poor Business Planning
While most outsourced businesses do have excellent business plans in place, there are times when poor business planning can also be the cause as to why your outsourcing does not work out. Whether it's poor logistics planning, poor financial planning or poor manpower staffing, it's all the same: it causes your whole outsourcing structure to fall apart.
When you look for professional freelance contractors in the Philippines, you're sure to find people who will be as critical to your business plan as possible, simply because they will be business-savvy enough to know when they see a good business plan or not. A lot of these experienced freelance contractors will tell you upfront which parts of your business plan they find lacking, and they will usually be more than happy to use their experience to help you fix these problem areas.
3. Too High Expectations
There's this certain strange perception when it comes to freelancers that they are able to handle more work in terms of bulk and quality compared to office workers. While this is true in some senses (such as in the fact that they may be able to dedicate more time to working because more often than not, they work at home), this type of perception could be damaging because they could cause the employer to have unrealistic and unreachable expectations of the contractor.
Hiring in the Philippines can help solve this kind of perception because professional Filipino contractors will be honest and upfront about the amount and quality of work that they will be able to perform in a certain time frame. Most of them understand that there is no benefit in overselling their own abilities because they will be the ones who will suffer in the future.
4. Too Low Compensation Rates
Yes, it's common knowledge that outsourcing your work will more often than not lead to lower costs at the same level of quality of work; however, this causes a lot of outsource employers to low-ball their outsource workers. Keep in mind that most self-respecting contractors would never compromise their work or their time to make a few quick bucks!
In the Philippines, you will definitely get what you pay for. Since freelancing is a popular job, the cream of the crop will survive because it's a quick weeding out process for those who don't make the cut, quality-wise. Sure, they might be a bit more expensive than their counterparts, but you will definitely get what you pay for. Quality compensation for quality work!
5. Choosing the Wrong Type of Contractor
The world of freelancing is a sticky one; there are times when an employer would ask more from a single contractor than what they are capable of. For example, they hire a contractor for hiring services, then suddenly ask for layout or Photoshop services. Of course their hired outsource worker would not be able to perform as well as a person who has these specialized skills would be able to!
When you hire in the Philippines, you may be able to find people who are jacks-of-all-trades, and may have passable skills in different specialized areas, but it would be more prudent to hire multiple people who specialize in these areas, even if it would cost a little more. There's nothing smart about compromising quality for quantity.
6. Underestimating Cultural Differences
When it comes to outsourcing work to different countries, there are times when employers don't take into account that cultural differences might be a hindrance to having a smooth working relationship. There are times when ideas and principles that are acceptable to an employer would not be acceptable to an outsource worker because of their native culture.
When you look for a contractor in the Philippines, you will most likely find people who are easygoing and easy to talk to, and will have no problems with most types of outsource work. If you do find a contractor who has personal issues with a certain body of work, you will have the option of either finding a middle ground with the employee, or finding another contractor to work with.
7. Too Little Research in Terms of Choosing a Contractor
This is most likely the most common problem when it comes to outsourcing work; you might encounter a freelance contractor who is lazy, deceptive or oversells their own abilities, then you end up with sub-par work, or no work at all to show for your time and money.
Hiring in the Philippines can be an easier task than you think, provided that you take the time to put a little research into looking for your contractor. It's not a bad thing to be able to ask around and see which contractors already have referrals that would be able to vouch for their work ethic and skills.
8. Providing Unclear Instructions
One of the biggest difficulties when it comes to outsourcing work is that since you don't really talk to your contractor face-to-face, all the time, there may be moments when there are blurred lines of communication, or the instructions regarding a certain project becomes unclear.
The solution to this problem is very similar to having a poor business plan; when you hire in the Philippines, you will find professional contractors who will have no problems with asking questions until the nature of the work in the contract becomes crystal clear.
9. Waiting Too Long to Outsource
Time constraint is also a problem when it comes to outsourcing because there are times when working in different time zones becomes a problem. Either you and your chosen contractor misunderstands the time frame for a chosen project, or your expectations when it comes to project turnaround time is unreasonable.
Most professional Filipino freelancers are time-conscious, and are punctual when it comes to their work. This comes from a very strong work ethic, as well as an innate desire to please when it comes to their work place.
10. Outsourcing Too Quickly
Finally, the last top problem when it comes to outsourcing is choosing your contractors too quickly. Research is key when it comes to outsourcing because you want to be able to choose the best suited contractor to a particular body of work.
When you choose a contractor from the Philippines, make sure that you ask around before you finally choose a contractor. Canvassing around for the perfect contractor is not difficult since most professional freelancers would already have references and a portfolio ready and waiting for you!
There you have it: the top 10 reasons why outsourcing becomes difficult, and how hiring in the Philippines could help you overcome these problems!
Want to learn more about outsourcing or about hiring a Filipino Virtual Assistant? Be sure to check out the Blog at HireinthePhilippines.com
