Setting Up and Managing Offshore Locations is Challenging but Fulfilling
There are a lot of businesses that have to set up offshore locations due to an increased demand but lack of staff. It is quite challenging, but it can be done. In fact, it is the best and most pragmatic way to deal with the need for more staff. Here are some tips to remember when setting up and offshore team to ensure everybody’s success.
Stress the importance of English
Communication is a must for every business. Even in your offshore team, there should be no communication barrier. This is the reason why it is important to find people who can speak English well and have a grasp of the nuances of the English language. It is a key to strong communication. Job applicants must be interviewed and thoroughly vetted to ensure they can use the English language close to how native speakers use it.
Assign team leaders
You don’t have to communicate with everyone on the offshore team all the time. This is where team leaders come in. They report to you about the progress of the team. They must be the best people from the bunch. The must not just have leadership skills, but they should also have a clear understanding of work ethics in your home country. They should also have direct link with certain employees back home for easy communication.
Secure all forms of transactions
This includes all media used for communication with the offshore team. It is easier to be hacked these days. It is made worse for companies with teams overseas. Therefore, it helps if you have secure data with really strong passwords. Be aware of the laws concerning privacy and security in both countries to avoid problems.
Consider a work from home option
This is a strategy that allows you to reduce the cost as there is no need to setup an actual office. The overseas team can work from home at their pace. As long as they can get the job done on time, it won’t be a problem. This also helps so that employees become happier and more productive.
Visit the offshore location
Although it is quite expensive to travel every now and then, it helps a lot in strengthening the offshore location. You don’t have to do it all the time. You also don’t have to personally go there. You can assign people to check the offshore location every now and then to ensure that everything goes well. It also gives you an idea on what else the team needs and how to improve in the future.
It takes time to set up an offshore location. It is also not necessarily the first choice if you need to meet certain demands. However, if you have successfully set up an offshore location with a great line of communication plus talented employees, it could mean a lot for your business. Just work on it now and see the changes soon.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image by Joe Corbett – Head of Technical Services, Mainstream Renewable Power (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
2nd image by shopware AG [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
