Outsourcing is a great way for a business to get important work done. When your company does not have the time or expertise to complete a task, outsourcing the job ensures that it is completed efficiently and in a quality manner. But outsourcing is not without risks, which is why you should avoid these ten mistakes when you are outsourcing work.
- Kickoff Meeting
It is vital to have a “meeting” where you are going over all the important aspects of the contractual relationship. Discuss the related tasks, timeline, payments, objectives, expectations and other relevant details.
- Previous Samples
It does not matter whether you are contracting written, graphic or social media work – you must see previous samples. Getting these samples will show you the standard of that contractor’s work, and the entities they have worked for in the past.
- Communication
Always communicate about what you want from a project. For instance, if you are outsourcing the creation of your company site, make sure that you are giving out plenty of information about the way you want this project structured.
- Slow to Pay
If a project is submitted on time and you are happy with the work, do not delay on making the payment. It will only force talented individuals away from your company.
- Collaboration Across Time Zones
Always be aware of where your contractor lives. If you are up at 7am and you want to talk about the project, but it is 9pm where your contractor lives, it may not be such a good idea to spam messages until they respond.
- Expecting Brilliance at Minimum Wage
Every country has its own wage structure. But if you are on a contracting website and trying to hire someone for a job, and you are only offering a few dollars an hour for the work, do not expect brilliance. People will put in what they are getting out. If you are paying someone $10 an hour, then you will get work at that level of quality.
- Getting Angry
If you are having problems with your freelancer, we can understand that you may get angry. However, contractors are juggling many tasks and want to do a good job. They are not purposely delaying or submitting poor work. Make sure you take a breath before you send angry messages, as it will only make things worse.
- Only Communicating Via Text or Email
It is great that we can get so much done via text or email communication. However, some tasks are too complicated or nuanced for such communication. For instance, you might have outsourced a managed it team to take care of your entire tech support for your company. Therefore, it is better to speak over the phone or video conference if you are hoping for proper collaboration over such complex tasks.
- Wrong Outsourcing
If you are taking core business tasks and you are outsourcing them, you could be harming your business. Ensure that you are outsourcing the right jobs, and not just the ones that you find tedious or annoying.
- Micromanagement
There is a middle path that you must find with outsourcing. Going completely silent is not good, as you are not giving enough information to your freelancers. But micromanaging every detail and step of the process is going to hurt their creativity and expertise, and it will diminish the final product.
