When your business finally decides to offshore, the next thing you need to consider is the offshore team that will help you. It’s your responsibility to form a team that will address your company’s best interests and optimize their skillsets.
Best Practices For Offshore Team Management
This can be achieved by teaming up with a reputable offshoring company in the Philippines. The right provider knows what its responsibilities are when it comes to generating success that your business seeks. They know the need of proper training and management, as well as management structure to oversee offshore teams.
We’ve made clear that one of offshoring’s biggest assets is its hands-on approach. Adapting an offshoring strategy means you cannot just let your provider do all the legwork. With proper managerial methods in place, you can maximize your offshore team’s output and increase their value in the long run.
Here are the three best tips companies can do to ensure their offshore team is managed perfectly.
The Importance of Regular Engagement
Offshoring is all about regular engagement with your team. By keeping tabs with offshore team, you get a firsthand look at their daily outputs and routines. By being more familiar with what your offshore team is doing, you develop an understanding of their greatest assets and areas for improvement.
We discussed previously that engagement is one of the hallmarks of developing positive company culture. With the changing definition of what a global “office” or “company” is, adapting to modern trends is a must. Remember that you may have the best and brightest people on your offshore team. But you will not see or recognize their potential if you do not stay engaged.
Ensuring Stable Communication
Communication with your offshore team in the Philippines is a twofold idea. The technologies available to companies to interact with teams in real time should certainly be used as much as they can. However, there is another aspect of communication to consider.
When you think of the Philippines, English proficiency may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However last year, the Philippines ranked third in English proficiency in Asia. With a literacy rate of 94% and influences from western culture, Filipinos are easy to talk to and get along with, making them a perfect addition to any offshore team.
This also presents some challenges, especially cultural ones. Filipinos may approach particular situations much differently from how Canadians or Australians would. Being unfamiliar with these cultural differences can inevitably lead to miscommunication. By getting a good grasp of Filipino culture, interactions with your offshore team in the Philippines can be smooth and without incident.
An Extension of your Local Team
One of the more crucial mistakes made with offshore teams is when you treat them like outsiders. When you create a segregated work environment, people start feeling disconnected with the company’s overall direction and morale will suffer. It’s important, therefore, for your offshore team to understand the big picture and overall direction of the company. By showing how each of their roles fit into the overall company objectives, the more driven they become.
Treating your offshore team like you would your local team will ensure further success.
This is how offshoring greatly differs from outsourcing. It is not something that you can just set and forget in order to yield results. Your offshore team is as vital to your success as your local team is. Therefore, they should be treated as an extension of them. This is not limited to being aligned with business objectives and staying in the loop with company news. You are also responsible for their personal and professional development. Companies help plan career paths for their offshore team members as they shape them into becoming invaluable employees of any company.
Finding the Right Offshore Team
As more businesses become global, it becomes more prevalent to adapt an offshoring strategy. Managing your offshore team will present its own sets of challenges. But ensuring that they are properly engaged with will bring about major advantages. Staying connected with your offshore team also puts everyone on the same wavelength. Your team will work towards the goals set out for them by sharing information, objectives and strategies. It’s important that you do not keep your offshore team in the dark with your daily activities.
Finding a team that suits your needs in the Philippines need not be difficult as well. We at HGS can help you get started on your offshoring journey as we assess your current objectives, and determine the right offshoring approach for you.
