Okay, so you've employed the services of an agency, call centre, lead generation company, freelancer or any kind of outsourcing job in order to perform some work on your behalf. But whatever the work is, may it be gathering sales leads in UK, telemarketing services, data profiling services, data management, etc., you would acquire a greater opportunity for being delivered quality results, not to mention a good working relationship if you do the following:
1. Stop bidding the outsourcer dry. When you look around, always bear in mind that you get what you pay for. Which means that you better offer competitive rates and avoid bidding to the very last drop. Plus, it's the only fair thing to do, given their skills and expertise.
2. Perform your own homework. Prior to ultimately deciding on outsourcing a certain task or project, research on the industry or project in detail and then take note of the specifications. Get all the areas covered.
3. Never ask the outsourcer to perform the job for free. Although it's called freelancing, nothing is for free. Well, nothing in this world is, anyway. It is a real job and these freelancers are skilled and professional individuals. Not only do they support themselves, but also their families; they have mouths to feed, bills to be paid, and some, they use their salaries to send their kids, siblings, nephews or nieces to school. It's okay to ask for samples of their work or test your applicants and see if they fit your qualifications. For instance, if you're outsourcing writers, a fair writing test would be a single article with 150-300 words focused on a certain niche; anything more than that is already taking advantage. For web designing, it's easier said than done--better give them paid tests. As for backlinks or link building tasks, 2 URL samples would be enough.
4. Treat them as if they're your permanent employees. If you invest time and effort in training the people in your company, in turn, then they will perform up to par, plus they would deliver satisfactory performance and results for you.
5. Pay your outsourcers on time. If you were in their shoes, it's difficult to work that hard if your employer or manager never pay you on time, right?
6. Appreciate what your outsourcer contributes to you. Appreciate the fact that someone with the right skills and experience is bringing something to your organisation. In addition, remember what made you decide to outsource a certain project/task. It may be that you lack the manpower for the job, or your staff do not have the skills you're looking for. Value what they bring to the table.
7. Offer recommendations as well as referrals. If they deliver a good job, then of course, gladly pay it forward and offer referrals. You may also create a good recommendation on their LinkedIn.
Do these 7 tips and then you can improve on your working relationship with your outsourcers and get the best out of them. Who knows? You may also learn some things from them.
Oliver Scott works as a professional consultant. He helps businesses in UK increase their revenue by lead generation and appointment setting services through telemarketing. To know more about this visit: http://www.callboxinc.co.uk/