For businesses both large and small, outsourcing is a common technique that can help to take tasks out of your hands, leaving you freer to run your company. While it is a common practice, you still want to make sure that you are choosing the right business to outsource to. After all, you are entrusting them with part of your business and you want to make sure that everything is in safe hands. So, let’s take a closer look at how you can ensure that you are making the right decision.
Clearly Define What You Want to Achieve
There are many reasons why people choose to go to outsourcing companies, so you need to set aims of what you are hoping to achieve out of the relationship. It may be that you want to give your business a rebrand, in which case this is a short-term goal with a finite end date. It may be that you want to entrust your marketing to an agency on a long-term basis. Before you come up with an agreement between you and the company, you need to make sure that you are both on the same page as this will ensure that you are starting out from a strong position.
Check Experience and Work Samples
Before you go any further, you should see what sort of experience the company has – particularly experience that is relevant to your field. If the firm you choose covers your particular niche and what you are hiring them to do on a regular basis, you have a better idea that they know what they are talking about. So, choosing a law firm marketing agency rather than a general one may be the better option if your business is based in this field. If you want to be very thorough, you could start following up on client references to speak to them directly about their experiences with this particular agency.
Find Out About How They Communicate
Communication between your business and your outsourcing company is very important, so you should find out how they plan to keep you in the loop. Will they assign you with a dedicated account manager who will be your main point of contact? How often will you receive regular update emails and when will face-to-face meetings be scheduled? These are questions that you need to be asking before you think about signing any contracts.
Assess Their Stability 
When you entrust a certain part of your business to another company, you want to make sure that they are stable and will be able to continue providing you with a service. You should look at factors like how long the company has been around for, how many clients they have taken on and any more detail you can get about their financial situation. You should also look at other finer details such as intellectual property ownership so that you don’t end up getting into any disputes in the future.
