Being a manager can be tough these days, regardless of whether you handle an in-house or an offshore team. As the head of your group, you’re held accountable for all the highs and lows of your department. But more importantly, it’s your primary responsibility to ensure everyone performs at their best.
Since handling team operations can be complicated, we’ve formulated a guide to discuss offshore team management fundamentals. This article aims to create an effective team management strategy that works specifically for your needs.
The Importance of Offshore Team Management
An offshore team is a group of employees outside your organization who regularly assist your company’s operations. These individuals usually work in different areas and time zones and have highly specialized skill sets to fulfill your company’s needs.
Compared to regular in-house employees, your offshore workers usually don’t receive any benefits from being fully employed. Their contracts are generally more flexible depending on what both parties agree on.
You’ll need to ensure proper offshore team management if you’ve recently partnered with an outsourcing consultant. There will be a lot of factors to consider, such as the assigned work, your budget, and team interactions. All these play a part in your offshore team’s output.
Staying aligned with your offshore team will improve your chances of getting a high-quality project with minimal delays. Not only will your internal and external workflow be smooth, but you’ll also boost your team’s motivation. There are some strategies you can try to ensure your partnership runs effortlessly.
Before you learn how to run an effective offshore team, you must acknowledge the problems you may face.
Common Challenges in Outsourcing Partnerships
Not every partnership will be perfect from the get-go. As you develop your relationship with your offshore team, there will be challenges ahead. Here are some of the most common challenges in outsourcing partnerships.
1. Language and communication barriers
Since your offshore team can reside in another country, language barriers prevent you from working together efficiently. One group may not be as fluent in the common language you share, or there may be certain phrases or words that can get lost in translation.
2. Differences in company culture
Not all companies share the same mindset or goals as yours. It can cause your teams to clash as both parties are exposed to different strategies and practices.
3. Time zone gaps
Time zone differences can complicate submissions and interactions. Delays in output submission and progress are often a result of this problem.
4. Failure to manage expectations
Some companies forget to establish their expectations with their outsourced teams. When this happens, the delivered output can lead to disappointment and wasted resources.
5. Security and privacy concerns
Not all outsourcing companies have the same concern regarding your data security and privacy. Partnering with the wrong team can put you at risk of data theft and network issues.
How to Manage Your Offshore Team: 6 Proven Tips
You can use different strategies to manage your offshore teams. Here are a few examples you can take note of.
1. Communicate proactively
Establish a clear schedule for regular communication and be precise about your goals for the project. Define all project milestones, priorities, and timelines through your different communication platforms.
2. Avoid micromanagement
Reliable offshore teams often have their own way of managing their tasks. Rather than micromanaging their operations, allow them to become self-sufficient by giving a good onboarding process and using the right tools for easy collaboration.
3. Encourage small interactions
Since you can easily interact with your offshore team at the office, try encouraging small interactions online from time to time, such as simple chats, virtual hangouts, and organized team-building activities.
4. Hire compatible team members
A team member with the same goals and mindset as your company can make it easier for both parties to collaborate. You also open new opportunities to exchange and adopt strategies to help your company grow.
5. Make use of analytics
Keep a heavy eye on your progress before and after your partnership with your outsourced team. As you move forward, you can also use this to establish regular productivity reports and adjust your strategies as needed.
6. Set reasonable expectations
Let your outsourced team know what you expect from their outputs and how you want them delivered. Being clear can avoid miscommunication and open up room for negotiation.
A Clear Path to Global Team Success
Managing an offshore team can have its fair share of challenges. Factors like cultural differences, time zone gaps, and communication styles can easily present problems to your partnership’s success.
You’ll need to learn how to establish efficient management practices that work for both ends. The six tips above can make managing your offshore team much easier.
Are you currently on the lookout for a reliable outsourcing consultant? Look no further! Reach out to StratAccess today to learn more!
StratAccess Inc., established in 2012, commits itself to find its clients the right BPO for successful business solutions. The company focuses on transforming the landscape of business partnerships, especially in the need for digital transformation. StratAccess consultants stand ready to help clients take a hard look at their business objectives, organization infrastructure, and operational practices.
We at StratAccess strive to build long-term relationships that extend beyond the typical vendor-client transactions. Our primary focus is to successfully promote and serve each client’s products or services as though they are our own. Combined with the skill and knowledge of the outsourcing industry, our company has positioned itself as a leader in delivering its clients access to qualified quality and cost-effective BPO referrals.
