Outsourcing

has always been a go-to for small or big businesses looking for a way to grow, reduce operating expenses, and be a global company. In only a few decades, the industry has managed to set some booming trends which we look to follow. With the pandemic changing the game for all businesses, below are important outsourcing trends that you must watch out for and parameters you have to use when vetting an outsourcing agency partner!

1. Automation

Human intervention holds a lot of strength and accountability, however, the systems built through automation give flexibility and less errors in any business workflow. Building processes that require lesser human interaction is now the new purposeful way of dealing with technology. In the outsourcing industry, automation has helped increase the productivity of outsourced agents by removing any manual tasks in their day-to-day activities, while ensuring that data accuracy remains by having tools in place to replace any processes that could be erroneous due to human error.

2. Data Ownership

Data ownership for every business is important, especially since more and more companies are going remote. Since outsourced hires are going into both in-office and remote work set-up, companies need to take extra care in working with outsourced agencies. This is to ensure that whatever work is produced during the partnership is theirs and they have clear idea where their data is stored.

3. Social Media as a Customer Service Channel

Social media is an essential marketing tool for modern businesses, but it can also elevate companies’ customer service. To benefit from this strategy, however, you have to do it well; if you don’t manage your social media presence carefully, it can damage your brand and drive potential paying customers far away. Companies are now looking at outsourcing agencies to scale their customer support team to not only multiple social media platforms, but also take in other customer support tasks like phone, email and chat support.

4. Upskilling

Upskilling allows companies to move workers up the ladder and into new roles, which can excite workers and make them feel invested in.The Great Resignation is affecting companies of every shape and size across industries. Because workers are in short supply, business leaders should rethink their talent development strategies and invest more heavily in upskilling an existing workforce.This way workers are getting the knowledge they need and pouring it back to the business. Sending workers to do short courses and investing in their upskilling keeps them motivated and eager to work.

 5. Transparency

Transparent communication is the best way to set up effective cooperation to discuss various issues. One way to achieve better transparency is to use online project management tools. The project management tools help with effectiveness and increase workflow like Slack and Jira, in addition to using time-tracking tools that can show your outsourced team’s work hours and productivity.

 6.  Enhanced Cybersecurity

Digital transformation can open up several ways for intruders to access inside data. Outsourcing teams do not always have an inhouse IT specialist, this poses risk on the business data that is shared through various platforms by the various departments.Businesses look for external intervention from IT specialists or agencies that will help to ensure that they limit all risks or threats of cyber hackers. Cybersecurity protection also ensures that your company website is secure for clients to browse and it does not carry any risk,and it is trustworthy.

7. Hiring Niche Talent

The outsourcing industry is tough as it is and most companies have found that focusing on niche talent shows more results. Industries like sales and support are in demand as more businesses are seeing the need for them therefore investing on finding top talent that can sell to their client or support their customers.

8. Centralized Tools

For remote outsourcing companies, centralizing their data means they can monitor it better for the management team and contractors as well. Many companies use all-in-one CRMs that can facilitate sales, marketing, recruitment, and HR activities into one. This is what outsourcing companies can propose as a solution to companies who do not have set tools in mind yet.

9. Business Flexibility

Outsourcing a remote team gives any company the chance to be as flexible as they want when scaling their team. They can initially opt for 1 trial hire, and scale up or down depending on their business needs. Given that the outsourcing agency takes care of compliance and the day-to-day HR concerns, this eliminates potential issues that might be raised if this was done to directly hire employees.

10. Going Remote or Hybrid

We have seen great debates about the remote or hybrid workspaces, especially during the pandemic – it really left a lot of companies confused about which one will be beneficial for the employees as well as the company. For outsourcing companies who are looking to not only find the best hires, but also to retain tenure hires, they are offering hybrid or fully remote work set-up in order to reduce attrition.

To conclude, outsourcing is seeing several progressive trends due to the pandemic. CrewBloom has adapted to some of these trends by studying them  and used them as a guide to develop a sustainable business strategy this year and beyond.

Read More: Keeping Your Mental Health in Check While Working Remotely