A lot of businesses choose to outsource tasks when they’re looking to keep costs for essential jobs as low as possible. Businesses benefit from the outsourced company’s wealth of knowledge and experience in their particular field. It’s a safe bet that the job is going to be done properly, rather than trying to do it in house and getting it wrong.

When choosing which company you opt for to complete your work you should research how they carry out their work.This post will outline everything you need to know about managing outsourced projects.

We’ll cover:

1. Ensure the Outsourced Party Understands Your Business and Goals
2. Make Sure Everybody is Singing from the Same Hymn Sheet
3. Be Mindful of Timezones
4. Good Project Management Software
5. Keep in Check Regularly
6. Regular Video Chats

1. Ensure the Outsourced Party Understands Your Business and Goals

Realistically, you can’t expect somebody to do the best job possible if they don’t understand your end goals, can you? In order for them to do the exact job you’re seeking them to do, they need to be as clued up as possible about the project.

Not that you have to share everything your business has ever done and the history of it. But we recommend that you share the key important elements. Inform them about your customer, your business processes, your team. By doing this, the outsourced talent will be aligned and a strong foundation should be set for the project ahead.

2. Make Sure Everybody is Singing from the Same Hymn Sheet

Just like aligning your outsourced hire, your team all need to approach the project with aligned mindsets, otherwise the project could become a bit of a mess. If each department is only drip fed the bits which may involve them, it could lead to a drop in morale and ultimately, productivity.

Provide your team with the necessary background information and material that could help them in further streamlining and managing the project. This ensures that everything is done accurately and to your liking. And a bonus? It also promotes overall effectiveness.

3. Be Mindful of Timezones

Make sure that you schedule meetings that suit both parties. You can also use the timezones to your advantage. Things will move forward a lot quicker as once you’ve finished a task, the abroad team can work on it and then it’ll be ready for the next working day.

Also, promising deadlines to clients needs to factor in the extended working day. Try adding on a day or two extra.

4. Good Project Management Software

Project management software is absolutely vital in ensuring that everything runs smoothly and communication standards soar. Chains of emails and various different telephone phone calls can easily be misplaced and exclude people involved in the project.

Everybody included in the project should have access to the project management software. That way everybody can keep up to date with what’s going on and not feel like they’re being left out.

It’s much easier to reach out to different people this way and the fact that it’s all in one place will give a sense of accountability to your team as you can easily see where the project is falling down and who that stage is with.

It gives you instant access to project data, at any given time you like. This means that your team can spend less time tracking down information and more time being productive.

5. Hold Regular Meeting Scrums

This dovetails nicely with having good project management software but regular updates are crucial to the success of your outsourced projects. These usually occur daily or weekly for best results. That way, you’re all aligned with the other members of your team and heading in the right direction towards the right end goal.

6. Regular Video Chats

A face to face relationship is vital. Anybody can sit behind a computer and type away, but it’s all about reading the team’s body language and tone of voice to look out for signs of good morale and productivity. Plus, it’s easier to get everything in face to face and people can bounce off your tone to know how to interpret your questions.

So, Choose the Right Phone System

As you can see, communication is absolutely paramount if your outsourcing projects are going to run as smoothly and as efficient as possible. So, you’re going to need phones. And good ones.

A good phone service can be the difference between your project being an ultimate success or a complete flop. A bad reception, lines being occupied or an inconsistent service can lead to a breakdown in communication or things getting misheard, which can only end badly.

Download our free comparison guide below and see which phone service suits your business the best.