Good Communication Skill – the key determinant while choosing an outsourcing partner

With the passage of time transformation is seen in all spheres of life. The economy is also a part of this trend. As cost of production in the developed world rises on a continuous basis, large corporations are relocating their production bases elsewhere. They are increasingly moving towards outsourcing a major chunk of their work to the developing countries to keep the cost of the projects in check. This makes it extremely important to choose the right business partner since an incapable partner could affect the business in a massive way and lead to negative end-client feedback and decreased customer satisfaction.

The most important factor while choosing an Outsourcing Partner is the communication skill of the outsourced team. The reason behind this is that any outsourced project is handled virtually by the owners and it becomes essential to keep an eye on the developments and smooth running of the activities. While doing so, the company has to constantly communicate with the outsourced organization, located at a distant land, performing tasks for the end clients who, n most cases, are not even aware that their personal details/confidential data, is being dealt with by people who they don’t even know. Any miss in performing the task could lead to huge escalation and may involve litigation in extreme cases. Therefore, communication is the key. A proper channel of communication ensures that both the partners are on the same page about the progress of any project or ongoing work.

Excellent communication would imply that both the originating company and the outsourced company are free to talk and discuss matters with each other on a regular basis, and anytime an emergency arises. This will be aided by the availability of advanced machinery by the outsourcing partner, who will be able to arrange a conference with his team any time the client feels they need to touch base. This means that the outsourcing partner overseas should have a team which is able to speak and understand clear English, and especially their spoken English skills are not impacted by their mother tongue – something known as MTI (Mother Tongue Influence). Sometimes, for non-English speaking nations, language may come as a potential barrier. This could be further avoided with the help of proper translators. The arrangement of these resources would help a company to receive orders from multiple locations and eventually gain a name in their respective field of expertise. Though, most of the work comes from the English speaking zones of the world, there is also the considerable availability of business from French, Latin and German speaking overseas partners. In order to bag these projects/jobs, the role of the translators becomes crucial.

While we talk about communication, it is also important to throw light on an internal communication of a company. Maintaining a proper level of communication with people from every level of the company makes an individual grow as an efficient manager. This can be attained effective verbal skills. It is always recommended to get straight to the point instead of beating around the bush. The focus should be on clear and precise communication focusing on key areas of the matter. The details should be clearly defined which will be understood to all. Another key element in communication is proper Listening skills. It is an effective way of maintaining the vital links of communication. Unless you give proper attention to the concerned person to understand a query or a concern, you will never know where to start from, in order to resolve an issue. With attentive listening, genuine interest will come.

In the case of outsourcing, interaction can be made by telephone, emails or by video conferencing, since it is not possible for each other to pay a visit physically. And with the availability of modern techniques and accessories, communication is only slated to improve with time.