Outsourcing Red Flags: 10 Signs You Have Picked the Wrong Business Partner

Outsourcing has grown to become a popular form of cost-saving solution for businesses looking to reduce their expenses. Working with a reliable outsourcing service provider also presents various benefits, such as the opportunity to improve a company’s organisational efficiency, an increase in ROI, and a significant time reduction in recruitment time.

Given these business advantages, it can be a smart decision to opt for outsourcing services, especially if you need a quality workforce to handle your company’s secondary functions while you focus on the primary ones.

Outsourcing non-core tasks can be a great advantage to your business regardless of your industry. However, this does not mean that all outsourcing companies offer the same quality and standards. When you rush into the hiring process and overlook significant red flags, you could be inviting disasters down the line. 

Partnering with the wrong provider can cause your company to lose a substantial amount of money. One way to avoid wasting both your time and valuable resources is to check for red flags when dealing with your outsourcing partner early on. 

This post gives you a clear grasp of some of the signs of a bad business partner.

1. Decreased client satisfaction

   Client satisfaction is always a top priority in any industry or business. If your outsourcing partner does not live up to expectations or fails to give the same brand of service as you do with your customers, achieving your overall business goals will be difficult. Worse, people can lose trust in your brand, thereby damaging your business reputation.

   ☑️ Item to check: Strong account management and customer support

2. Lack of transparency

   An outsourcing partner that is not clear about what they can and cannot do is a red flag you should be wary of. If you feel that your business partner is not being completely honest with you, trusting them can be hard, especially since your business is on the line.

   ☑️ Item to check: Good credential and global presence

3. No structured processes and systems

   An outsourcing company that has no clear processes in place is doomed to crash and burn. Without the proper systems to enforce proper work ethic and facilitate organised workflows, your outsourced team can neither efficiently produce results nor create high-quality outputs.

   ☑️ Item to check: Advisory and consulting services

4. No communication rhythm

   Another sign of a bad business partner is that they do not know how to effectively communicate with you. They also cannot promptly articulate important issues and concerns. Without proper communication, both your in-house and remote teams cannot operate in sync, which then leads to significant delays in your operations as well as wasted resources.

   ☑️ Item to check: Established communication channel

5. Poor recruitment process and HR support

   An ineffective recruitment process often results in bad hires. This has negative consequences for the company, and it can adversely impact many aspects of business operations, including revenue generation.

   Poor HR support can also damage the employees’ workplace morale, affecting their job satisfaction and efficiency.

   If your outsourcing provider manifests these inefficiencies, steer clear of pursuing any more projects with them as this is a sign that the company is not prioritising talent acquisition and employee welfare.

   ☑️ Items to check: Efficient hiring process and strategic HR support

6. Problems with business location

   An outsourcing company should have first-grade facilities in a strategic location to address client needs as promptly and effectively as possible. This also helps ensure that the company’s operations are running efficiently and smoothly. If your BPO partner is facing major issues regarding their business location, this is an outsourcing red flag you should be wary of.

   ☑️ Items to check: First-grade facilities and a strategic location

7. Not providing indemnity insurance

   Indemnity insurance guarantees compensation for damages or losses sustained by one party due to the other party’s liability. Typically, a BPO company should provide coverage for such possible risks as part of the outsourcing contract. If your BPO partner does not have this scheme in place, you will not likely get any reimbursement in the future in case they provide inadequate services.

   ☑️ Item to check: Certificate of insurance or certificate of currency

   Photo Credit: Elisa Ventur via Unsplash

8. High turnover rates

   If your outsourcing partner prefers short-term contracts and has high employee turnover rates, you may want to consider finding a new service provider. In most cases, this is a sign that the company has poor labor policies along with poor relationships with its employees.

   ☑️ Item to check: Employee engagement and retention rate across all customers

9. Conflicting values

   When it comes to managing a business, having a shared vision with your business partner is essential to reaching your goals. If you and your service provider have opposing values and perceptions, your differing approaches and strategies can cause conflicts on how you operate, eventually creating a host of other problems.

   ☑️ Item to check: Aligned value and goals

10. Lack of commitment

    Your outsourcing partner should work with your in-house team with the full intent of helping produce quality work and accurate results. If your service provider is constantly missing deadlines and frequently incurring delays in the delivery of expected outputs, this is a sign that they are not fully committed to their role.

    ☑️ Item to check: Proven track record of delivering quality results

Work with the Right Outsourcing Partner

Outsourcing your tasks can be a great way to ease the load on your plate while saving on operational costs. If your business partner is not as efficient as you may have hoped, there is no reason to continue working with the wrong service provider. 

Be aware of the red flags that can show up when starting a new outsourcing partnership. Do your research on a potential outsourcing provider before partnering with the right BPO provider. This way, you can avoid losing valuable resources and profits. 

If you are looking for a reliable outsourcing company in the Philippines, consider working with optiBPO. We can help you build and manage a dedicated team in the Philippines that serves as an extension of your organisation. Contact us today to learn more about our service!