Choose the Best Outsourcing Business Partner

Getting into an outsourcing relationship is like choosing to get married. You would expect a good level of trust, before marrying some one. Wouldn't you? The same goes with finding an outsourcing partner. You have to do the home work and find out everything about the outsourcing partner, before deciding to choose them.

You have to know the strengths, weakness and their cultural fit for you. Transparency must exist between you and your outsourcing partner. Just as in marriage, you are giving away the control of important functions of your business to your partner. So the relationship must be strong, successful and long lasting.

You don't think about lengthy legal battles and messy divorces, before marriage. But if you did, you would be all the more prepared. That is exactly what is required before choosing your outsourcing partner. If you do your homework well, there is a very good chance that you will "live happily ever after!".

What should I look for in an outsourcing partner?

• Experience and track record
• Do they have any US based support staff?
• Measurable quality of service
• Competitive pricing
• Flexibility in partnership

Experience and track record

Successful execution of similar requirements will tell you a fair deal about the ability of the outsourcing supplier. Also if they have multiple departments, then they may not really be specialists in your area. You are better off choosing a supplier with your domain experience.

US based support team

Communication between your offshore outsourcing partner is very essential, especially in the early stages. If the company has a US based support team, it will become much simpler.

Measurable quality of service

Quality is a very generic term, so look for the measurable quality. If the service provider has standards and measurable quality for their tasks, then you must give additional preference to them. The service level agreement should mention this and be agreed between you and your partner.

Competitive pricing

Quality comes at a price. But you should look for competitive price wherever possible.

Flexible partnership

The agreement between you and your outsourcing partner must be flexible. The ability of the partner to adapt to your needs is very important. They should be big enough to cater to your needs.

Apart from these, there are various factors such as their history, senior management people and financial stability of the company.

Success of outsourcing is finding the right partner. It must be mutually beneficial and the relationship must be honest and transparent. To achieve it, you must do the home work. If you do that properly, then success is guaranteed.