In many cases, to stay competitive, companies must think strategically about how to stay within budget while optimizing their business processes. Offshoring allows businesses to hire professionals and get work done at a significantly reduced cost.

Benefits of Offshoring

There are many benefits to moving functions offshore beyond reducing business costs:

• Accelerated Business Growth: Reinvest freed-up funds to spur business expansion.
• Global Access to Talent: Tap into a vast pool of professional talents worldwide.
• Focus on Business Development: Allow your core team to concentrate on growth and strategy.
• Enhanced Control: Maintain more control by having a dedicated core group of staff.
• 24/7 Operations: Benefit from time zone differentials, enabling around-the-clock business operations.

Although offshoring brings many benefits, it has its own distinct set of challenges if not managed properly—enough to deter some organizations from implementing an offshore program.

Key Challenges and Solutions

One consistent question for implementing offshore teams is: “How do I get my offshore team to deliver to expectations consistently?” For many organizations, this is a major source of frustration because it is very hard to do. However, there are two key factors you need to understand well if you’re going to manage your offshore team effectively.

Be Clear with Your Expectations and Track Goals

• Clarity: Be super clear with expectations and goals, and make sure that the team is aware of them. An offshore team can be highly effective, but they can’t read minds. When the team knows what is expected of them, they are more likely to deliver according to expectations.
• Specific Goals: Agreeing on specific goals gives you a framework for measuring performance and allows you to easily assess their progress. Setting up goals also motivates and builds confidence in your remote employees when these expectations are met.
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Communicate Effectively

• Clear Channels: Ensure that the team knows what channels they should use to communicate with you and each other—email, Slack, Hangouts, WhatsApp, to name a few. Focus on the communication tools that suit the messages and needs of your team.
• Timely Communication: Setting communication timeframes (e.g., emails should be responded to within 24 hours) helps balance spammed inboxes and employees that are off-the-radar. This allows either party to reply at a convenient time.

Reward Achievements

Offshoring means that traditional rewards and recognition styles might need adjustments to suit the demands of a remote workspace.

• Frequent Recognition: Ensure your offshore team feels remembered and valued. Frequent recognition can raise team morale. Acknowledge business results and give feedback. When an employee takes initiative or exceeds expectations, specific acknowledgment of their accomplishment is appreciated. This helps retain talented individuals who stay committed to your team.

In summary, offshoring can be a highly effective strategy for businesses looking to save costs, focus on core tasks, and scale quickly. By being clear with expectations, communicating effectively, and rewarding achievements, companies can overcome the challenges and reap the benefits of offshoring.