Misconceptions About Outsourcing Debunked

Hi all. Found an excellent article that I am sure many will relate to. Hope you get something useful out of this....

The topic of outsourcing can quickly stir some pretty emotive and polarized opinions.

Outsourcing is a broad umbrella term, with the word itself being more of a misnomer than it is accurate. People can interchangeably use the terms outsourcing, offshoring, staff-leasing, virtual assistants, and, now, remote and distributed teams all in the same breath — and be right.

To recognize the benefits of outsourcing, however, it's important to first myth-bust some of the more common misconceptions:

1. Outsourcing is just for big business.

The biggest misconception is that offshore staffing is available only to the world’s mega-companies. Originally, this was the case. However, small- and medium-sized businesses now have access.

2. Virtual assistants are the only type of help.

The "virtual assistant" outsourcing sub-type was thrust into business culture when Tim Ferriss wrote about VAs powering his business and lifestyle back in 2007 with The 4-Hour Workweek. This book did a lot for entrepreneurs' awareness and outsourcing, but VAs are only a tiny snippet of the overall potential and sophistication of the industry. 

3. Outsourcing steals jobs.

This is a core foundation of effective teams anywhere — and even more important when offshoring.

4. Quality will suffer.

When the average consumer thinks of outsourcing, many might associate it with frustrating customer service calls.

5. Cheaper is better.

Cheaper is most certainly not better when it comes to outsourcing. Successful offshore staffing is about balancing the quality and volume of the output and the complexity and friction of managing the process.

6. We'll find a unicorn employee.

Often when entrepreneurs start hiring their offshore team, they tend to want one person who is perfect at everything.

Outsourcing doesn't need to be scary or complicated.

People think outsourcing is more complex, scary, or a bigger commitment than it really is.

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