Seven Disadvantages of Outsourcing, Part 1
If you’re considering outsourcing jobs for your business, you must know the disadvantages of outsourcing.
Many Internet gurus recommend outsourcing to lessen the many tasks that Internet marketers have to complete in order to be successful. However, few discuss the disadvantages of outsourcing.
This article is the first of two that will cover the major disadvantages of outsourcing. This article covers three disadvantages. Part 2 covers four more.
Disadvantages of Outsourcing 1: You Can Spend As Much Time On Outsourcing As It Takes To Complete The Job
To outsource effectively, you have do preliminary work before posting a job with an outsource service. Then you have to review all the bids from outsource vendors, narrow the list, check reviews and samples for your short list, and select the vendor for the job.
You also have to establish benchmark deadlines and a final deadline. Then you have to log into the outsource service in order to communicate with your selected vendor.
Once your selected vendor completes your job, you still have to review the work, assure that it meets your specifications, is free of errors or works properly. Then you have to approve payment for the vendor.
In the time that you can complete all the tasks required to move an outsource job from bidding to completion and approval, you often would have been able to complete the outsourced job. Plus, when you do it yourself, you get the job completed on your schedule and save the outsource expense.
Disadvantages of Outsourcing 2: Many Outsource Vendors Don’t Understand English Well Enough To Communicate Effectively With English Speaking Clients
Online outsource services use international people who may not speak English well enough to understand your instructions, to ask questions that you understand, or to communicate about the job status effectively.
In addition, most outsource services forbid their vendors from communicating with you off site. Together the language difference and the limited access hamper communications.
Disadvantages of Outsourcing 3: Vendors May Not Give Your Job The Priority That You Expect
If your vendor doesn’t keep you informed about the job’s progress, there’s not much you can do except leave a message on the outsource service site. You may hear back from the vendor promptly or you may not hear back for days.
Your vendor may not check that site frequently, or may just not reply because no progress is being made. Either way you’re kept waiting. Of course you can be working on other projects, but sometimes your other projects are tied to the job. So you can’t move forward with the project until the outsource job is completed.
To read about the last four disadvantages of outsourcing, don’t miss part 2.
Filed under: Outsourcing