Outsourcing Success: Tips for Choosing the Right Service Provider for Your Small Business
If your small business is ready to grow, always remember these questions to ask when choosing outsourced service providers for rewarding results.
Outsourcing can make small businesses more efficient and prepared for their workload needs. However, if you’re worried about hiring the wrong outsourcing company for the job, let’s dive into a few tips for how you can avoid that. Read below to learn several key questions to ask when choosing outsourced service providers.
What Equipment Do You Use?
One of the most important questions to keep in mind revolves around the technology you’re investing in. You should know whether your outsourcer is using the proper equipment. After all, it helps to avoid outdated equipment that will hinder the final product.
Suffice it to say that if the service provider is getting the job done worse than you would in-house, that’s a problem. By investing in great service providers and hardware, you can more easily ensure your business is in good hands. However, as you’ll learn below, there are more steps to follow to find the right service provider.
Do You Have Referrals From Previous Clients?
Another way to ensure you’re in the right hands is by asking about previous clients. Whether hiring janitors or international shipping experts, you should know where they’ve been before and their reputation. That way, you can find trustworthy experts you can rely on while focusing on other facets of your business.
Providing referrals shows that the company is transparent, but be sure you talk with those referrals directly. This step will help you understand what the outsourced expert excels at, how consistent their performance is, and other important information.
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Who Is My Point of Contact?
Lastly, who will be your point of contact? This is critical to understand on day one because your point of contact is your way of speaking with the company directly. This person should be very familiar with your outsourcing needs and can discuss current workload expectations, problems with workload results, and other details when necessary.
For example, one of the most common myths about outsourced bookkeeping services is that you have to work with someone overseas. Luckily, you can get a local point of contact, which makes it easier if you want to have a face-to-face conversation with someone. However, you must find the right service with your local preference in mind. And however you prefer to communicate, make that clear with your point of contact ASAP, so you can be on the same page from the get-go.
Take advantage of this list of questions to ask when choosing outsourced service providers so you can get the results that you desire for your small business.
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Meet The Writer!
Hi! My name is Nadia Ibrahim-Taney and I help people design happy and fulfilling careers through authentic career coaching. My expertise includes career exploration guidance, resume writing, interview prep and LinkedIn profile optimization. My pronouns are She/ Her/ Hers and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I focus on how diverse identities impact and influence folks holistically and professionally. Please connect with me on LinkedIn or at Nadia@beyonddiscoverycoaching.com
