Building A Relationship With Your Outsourced Team
TeleworkPH
Published: February 14, 2019
When you have an in-house staff working on your core functions, as a leader, you should promote a healthy environment and a culture where your staff focuses on results and feels safe and secure in the way they work to achieve them.
As you work closely on a daily basis, you begin to develop personal relationships, friendships and trust with the team you built. At some point, you’ll have to step back (to save your sanity) and allow your team to use their skills and strengths to handle the areas they were hired for. You will need to trust them to enact their own ideas without interference and give them that sense of empowerment they strive for. It’s inevitable and necessary for success.
But when you make the decision to use outsourcing as a strategic tool to scale your business, is it possible to have that same type of relationship with your BPO partner and remote staff?
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However, some business owners tend to treat the remote staff as “outsiders” to the company, even though they are all working toward the same goal. The success of the enterprise and delivering top-notch customer service. They may even see simple mistakes made by the outsourced staff as more grave than normal and cause for immediate termination. (It must be kept in mind that the BPO company must still follow all local employment laws and procedures.)
Others find it difficult to cultivate the same amount of trust for the outsourced workers as they have with their in-house team. This is unfortunate. Creating that environment can be felt across the ocean and can damage the effectiveness of the remote staff.
There is really no reason the outsourced workers can’t be as effective and productive as the in-house team. The key is all in the way they are treated and the working environment. It’s not always easy working for a BPO where you technically have two bosses. Two companies you’re working for. This is where you and your BPO partner need to come together to make sure the staff stays happy and productive.
Fortunately, BPOs can adapt to any culture and standards set by the business they partner with. Of course, minor issues and obstacles may arise from time to time, but you can handle most of these issues by establishing trust and strengthening your relationship with your BPO partner and your outsourced team.
Two Teams – One Enterprise
The outsourced staff of remote workers are still technically employed by the BPO company and must follow the standards and guidelines set forth by them. This is actually a great advantage. And even though your BPO partner will have their own culture, environment, and management staff, it’s still important that the business outsourcing see both in-house and outsourced staff as equal members of the team.
Of course, there will be times when the outsourced staff will not be able to participate in certain activities, like an end-of-the-month pizza party or signing up for the weekend softball league. However, there are simple ways to show appreciation to the remote workers that will ensure they will not feel left out.
The thing to keep in mind is that Filipino workers take a lot of pride in the company they are indirectly working for. They feel that even though they are an employee of the BPO, they still have direct loyalty and just as much pride and enthusiasm for the business they are supporting
As for the business side, it is extremely important the outsourcing staff have the same accessibility to the tools and knowledge bases as the in-house staff. Keeping them “in the loop” on important updates and emails is a good way to ensure they are successful. Scheduling online Town Halls is another way to narrow the gap between the two teams and have a forum where the outsourced workers can express themselves when appropriate.
Emails, Messages, and Miscommunication
This is tricky because people can easily misread the tone of voice through emails and sometimes misinterpret it in a negative way. We’ve all done it.
Messages on Skype or Slack may also seem cold, indifferent, or sometimes even a little rude or dismissive. This can also be true especially when working with a remote team or individual who may come from a different culture.
But this is not impossible to overcome. Hopping in a Skype or Google call frequently can be the best way to begin to bridge that gap between in-house and remote workers. This way, you can learn more about how they express themselves and their mannerisms and they can, in turn, learn more about you in the same respect.
Trust Goes Both Ways
As with any business relationship, building trust is essential when outsourcing. It’s important that you have faith in and trust your remote workers to adhere to the same goals and vision, the same passion and drive as you would expect from any member of your in-house staff. And you will find they do and then some.
Your BPO staff trusts you, and in return, you have gained their trust. They believe in your vision for the future of your company and have confidence in your ability to make the right decisions to achieve the company’s goals. They have faith in your company and will have the opportunity to grow with you as you expand. And, of course, they have trust that you will pay them on time so they can provide for their families.
Business is all about building great, solid relationships that surpass many levels in different ways but are all equally important for success. Whether it be customer relations, management-employee relations, in-house and work-from-home relations, or even relationships that span continents, it’s worth it to explore ways to strengthen that bond.
At TeleworkPH, we are dedicated to keeping open the doors of communication and building solid, lasting relationships with our clients and their in-house crews. From the very first meeting, you will feel that you have a second home in the Philippines.
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