The outsourcing industry is adapting and changing rapidly. Outsourcing companies are now much closer to their clients, as technology enables clients and outsourcers to be more connected than ever before.
This technology evolution has also impacted the demand for IT workers, with more companies requiring skilled workers on a project basis. However, whereas an outsourcing company used to begin working with a client and completed any project tasks that were required, outsourcing teams have started to take on an advisory role too.
Outsourcers are now offering ideas to the client and are conversing about what could make the project better, more cost effective and efficient. So, why have outsourcers taken on more of an advisory role in recent years?
Objective Insight
The outsourcing relationship used to involve the company stating what they needed and the outsourcer simply complying with the request. However, outsourcing is no longer this one-way relationship: the company that is outsourcing can gain so much more than just IT support.
The outsourcing company is able to provide objective insight on where the project is heading and can advise on improvements and potential challenges. It is important for both the client organisation and the outsourcing team to align their strategies at the beginning of the partnership to ensure that they work together and optimise their offerings. For this, communication must be clear as collaboration must be two-way.
However, the role of an outsourced or nearshored team is to offer and share their knowledge and expertise with the client company, rather than make decisions and create conflict with them.
Ease of Communication
Location is often overlooked in favour of choosing an outsourcing company based on their specialties. However, it is essential to consider proximity when outsourcing IT services in order to ensure efficiency of the project. Companies are beginning to nearshore to maximise the collaboration potential between the organisations and to enhance the communication. A closer proximity means more meetings with the client and a shared language helps to avoid miscommunication when discussing intricate details that can only encourage a closer working relationship.
Greater communication enables the move from compliance to guidance as, today, outsourcing organisations are much more likely to engage with clients on a business level, taking on more responsibility and talking to department heads.
More Than Just Writing Code
Outsourcing is no longer about simply writing the code, but rather understanding the client’s challenges and providing a solution that may offer them business agility. For this reason, today an outsourcing company should try and understand the non-technical challenges their client is facing and possibly even invest in business analysis and account management skills.
In light of this change, it is important to look at this new relationship between outsourcing and the client to see how it can be optimised for both sides, ensuring that it is mutually beneficial.
True partnerships—in outsourcing and beyond—are based on trust, so building a collaborative two-way relationship can maximise its positive impact on the business. Ensuring that a trustworthy rapport is in place allows projects to progress faster and with greater efficiency as both companies speak freely for the best of the project, each helping and informing the other.