Craft Your 2024 Outsourcing Strategy

Outsourcing isn't just about trimming expenses - it's a dynamic people strategy that ignites competitiveness in your business. By harnessing outsourced expertise you’ll be able to more effectively tap into cutting-edge tools and technology, elevate your service standards and free up your internal team so they can work on being a strategic powerhouse. 

Step into 2024 with a robust outsourcing strategy to secure a competitive edge and supercharge the profitability of your business.

Let’s unpack the 5 key steps to do this:
1. Needs Assessment  
2. Selecting An Outsourcing Partner 
3. Transition 
4. Risk Mitigation
5. Learn from the Success of Others

1. Needs Assessment 
Optimising your outsourcing strategy begins with a thoughtful analysis: What are your genuine needs? This isn't a one-size-fits-all and often the best solution isn’t the obvious one. 

It’s essential to leverage a deliberate approach to finding opportunities to harness outsourcing across your business:

• Evaluate Skills and Capacity: Assess if your current skill set and capacity align with your 2024 business goals. What tasks can be delegated to free up valuable time? 
• Assess Opportunities for Scalability: Explore the potential for scalability. For instance, could outsourcing allow you to hire three offshore sales reps for the cost of one internally? Identify areas where you can achieve more with the same budget.
• Enhance Expertise: Uncover opportunities to enhance expertise and overcome internal limitations. For instance, your service delivery might effective, but marketing could benefit from outsourcing to tap into a dedicated team without increasing costs significantly.
• Determine Business Process Improvement: Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies that outsourcing can remedy. Streamline operations by leveraging external resources to address specific challenges, paving the way for enhanced efficiency and productivity.

By taking a strategic assessment of your business, you’ll identify areas where outsourcing can bring efficiency, expertise, and cost-effectiveness to propel your business forward in 2024.

The next step is to clearly define the description of the role and select a vendor. 

2. Selecting An Outsourcing Partner 
Successfully choosing an outsourcing partner hinges on finding a vendor that aligns with your values and goals, whilst having a track record for delivering results and fits within your designated budget. 

In the diverse landscape of outsourcing, especially in the realm of offshoring, vendors vary in their approaches to staff compensation, cultural integration, and overall workplace dynamics. For instance, at Trust the Process, we prioritise fair compensation, professional growth and fostering a sense of belonging within our team. This commitment means we only partner with businesses that share these values. By maintaining this strong approach, we aim to attract like-minded businesses and forge relationships built on shared principles and mutual success.

3. Transition 
Your outsourcing success is 99% in your hands. The effort you invest in seamlessly integrating your new team member/s into your organisation is the linchpin for the success of your outsourcing strategy. Here are key principles for a successful outcome:

• Assign an Internal Manager: Designate either yourself or a team member as the internal manager responsible for overseeing the onboarding process and ongoing management.
• Invest in Training: Dedicate substantial time to training, anticipating upfront investments for long-term gains. Although this may require 50 hours of training for 5 hours of work initially, the dividends over the course of a year or more are well worth it, saving time through avoiding mistakes and increased efficiency.
• Phased Approach: Implement a phased approach to delegation. Avoid overwhelming your new team member by gradually assigning tasks, ensuring tasks are understood before progressing to the next.
• Define Goals, KPIs, and Metrics: Provide clear goals, key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to give your team member a clear direction and accountability.
• Identify Communication Channels and Expectations: Establish communication channels and expectations to guide interactions with you and your team, fostering effective collaboration.
• Plan for Internal Change: Anticipate internal changes resulting from workload delegation to your new outsourced team member/s. Consider the impact on each team member and plan accordingly for a smooth transition.
• Technology Access: Ensure your team member has access to the necessary tools and technology required for their role to perform efficiently.

By adhering to these principles, you set the stage for a successful outsourcing venture with a well-integrated and productive team.


4. Risk Mitigation 
Every successful plan meticulously anticipates potential risks and proactively devises strategies to mitigate them. Ensure you don't overlook this crucial step. Here are key risks to consider and effective mitigation measures:

Risk: Trust and Control
Mitigate by: Designate an internal manager, establish clear goals and KPIs, leverage systems and define communication protocols to maintain trust and control.

Risk: Quality Issue
Mitigate by: Addressing issues with your outsourcing partner promptly at the first signs, preventing problems from escalating. Implement additional training, performance management and other corrective measures to uphold quality standards.

Risk: Confidentiality and Intellectual Property
Mitigate by: Utilise contracts to formalise agreements, specifically addressing confidentiality and intellectual property concerns. Set permissions on technology tools to restrict access as needed, ensuring robust protection.

5. Learn From the Success of Others
Here's how businesses, just like yours, are scaling and boosting profitability through strategic outsourcing.

So there you have it - the steps to crafting an outsourcing strategy that will secure you a competitive edge and supercharge the profitability of your business in 2024. 

Want to learn more about how outsourcing is a fit for you in 2024?

Get in touch with us for a 1:1 consult here!