Language plays a very important role in ensuring the success of outsourcing because one has to go past the boundaries of geography and time to establish communication with the business partners. A client can never be confident enough to outsource a business to a vendor unless there is a very good understanding between the two. This understanding can only develop as a result information exchange in a language which both the parties understand.
For the success of outsourcing, it is imperative that there is no ambiguity in the clauses of the outsourcing contract. Here, language comes as a handy tool to make sure that each and every detail of contract is thoroughly understood by both, the client as well as the vendor. Any language barrier at this stage leads to disruptions in the outsourced project. Language plays a pivotal role in the success of outsourcing by providing the basic ground to create understanding between the client and the vendor.
Language barrier can (and often does) become the biggest stumbling block for outsourcing. This is because language expedites the communication between the client and the service provider. Any language barrier between the clients and the people working on their outsourced process can completely derail the whole process. Therefore, it is imperative that the clients lay appropriate emphasis on the language skills of the people responsible for executing their process.
To make sure that the language barrier does not become a hindrance in outsourcing, the client should:
- Check the language skills of the remote employees: To make sure that language barrier does not affect your outsourced process, personally gauge the language skills of the people who would ultimately execute your outsourced process. Either visit the vendor site or conduct interviews via video-conferencing. Make sure that the perspective remote employee is proficient with your language and is well versed with the professional terminology.
- Train remotely working resources on local terminology: At two different geographical locations the same language may be used in two completely different ways. Even if your remotely working employees are well versed with your language, you need to train them further on your colloquial styles, phrases and terminology. This would make your mutual communication more unambiguous.
- Conduct regular workshops on the use of language: Regular knowledge sessions on the usage of language make your remote employees more proficient in using it. To make sure that your remote employees are able to use your language in the same way as you do, conduct weekly or monthly language tests. A reward and recognition program can greatly enhance the language of your remote employees.
- Make sure that your remote employees use your language at the workplace: Make sure that the people working on your outsourced process speak your own language at workplace. This practice will create an environment at the workplace that would further enhance the language skills of your remote employees.
The use of the same language by both the client and the vendor removes ambiguity in communication, becomes a effective tool to implement a strategy and above all saves a lot of time for both the parties.
Daya Mukherjee is Head - Content working for a Remote Employee Outsourcing Services in India. You can find out more information why a Virtual Employee is better than your In-house Employee by visiting our Dedicated Virtual Employee Website.
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