Is outsourcing only for big businesses? Can only large corporations leverage the manifold benefits of outsourcing? Not at all. Today, even small businesses, SME or start-ups can make a success out of outsourcing. No matter the size or nature of your business, outsourcing can definitely help you to reduce costs, increase productivity and save on effort. Here are ten tips to help your company with the outsourcing process.

1. Clearly define the scope of your outsourcing project before accepting outsourcing proposals. A brief that is poorly defined can attract low quality proposals that can end up being more expensive than what you expected.
2. Resist the temptation of signing up with the very first outsourcing vendor. Wait until you have a couple of proposals and then evaluate each one of them, before finalizing on a vendor.
3. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a vendor only based on cost. Make sure that you also check on other factors like experience, skills sets and technology used.
4. Make up a list of all that you want out of the outsourcing relationship. Do not be afraid to negotiate with the vendor to get the best possible deal for your outsourced project.
5. Ask the vendor to provide you with references of people who have partnered with them earlier. Get in touch with these references and ask them about the quality of work provided by the vendor.
6. Misunderstanding in an outsourcing relationship can end up being costly and time consuming. To avoid this, ensure that all the agreement and payment terms are clearly set out in the outsourcing contract.
7. Remember to negotiate about ownership and copyright rights at the very beginning, so that the completed work becomes your property after payment. If you are outsourcing a web-based product, ensure that the source code and final files are transferred to your server, so that you can easily make changes in the future.
8. Hold a meeting with the vendor to decide about project management, communication, delivery and feedback. During the course of the project, make sure that the vendor adheres to what has been decided.
9. Make sure that you do not agree for late delivery of work or early payment frequently, so that the vendor does not make it a habit.
10. Do not restrain from providing the vendor with honest feedback about their work, even if it is negative. This will help the vendor understand how to meet your needs better.

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Keeping your communication lines open to customers is an essential key to success, no matter the nature of your business. Outsourcing your call center makes good business sense as it can make your customers happy, build your business presence and provide you with a platform to present the world with new products / services.

Still a bit confused about whether you should outsource your call center? Here are six good reasons why outsourcing your call center is the best decision you can take for your business.

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Did you start your business with the thought of being your own boss and having full control over your work? But off late, you have discovered that your work load is much more that what you expected and no matter how packed your schedule is, you still have unfinished work. Non-core, yet important tasks like accounting and administrative functions are becoming overwhelming and taking your focus from your business. The only way out of such a tight spot is to outsource a few of your work functions.

If you are new to the concept of outsourcing, you may be wondering about what is outsourcing and what can be outsourced. Outsourcing is nothing but the contracting of various business functions to another company or an independent freelancer who has specialized skills. Outsourcing can be cost-effective and help you get your work completed within a short timeline. The primary purpose of outsourcing is to focus on business growth and providing services, while someone else takes care of your mundane, repetitive tasks.

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In the early days of outsourcing, India was only known for software development, but this trend has changed with Indian companies now being capable of offering every imaginable service. Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is one such area where India is much sought after.  India’s large pool of expert knowledge professionals in varied sectors like Law, Biotechnology, Education, Paralegal Content, Pharmacy, Medicine, Design & Animation, Research & Development, Engineering, Analytics and Intelligence Services have made the country the best destination for KPO.

What is KPO?

Knowledge process outsourcing or KPO as it is commonly known is the outsourcing of core business functions that are an integral part of an organization’s value chain. KPO requires advanced technical as well as analytical skills. It also requires a high level of domain expertise and specialised knowledge. Outsourcing KPO helps global companies to reduce cost and get access to skilled labor.

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