Your Top 5 Virtual Outsourcing Problems – Solved!

This blog post is written for small business owners who are convinced that virtual service outsourcing is the right route to follow as the next step towards their business success.

Although there are significant benefits to outsourcing (see The Top 8 Ways Small Business Owners can Benefit by Outsourcing), some problems may be experienced that you may not be prepared for.

1. Ineffective communication

This is the largest problem when it comes to outsourcing.  The importance of effective communication cannot be overstated.  There may be natural communication barriers such as language barriers or cultural differences which need to be considered.  But even in the same culture and with the same mother tongue misunderstandings can occur.

Steps to avoid communication problems include:

  • State your expectations explicitly in the contract.  You need to spell out your exactly what you envisage and how your virtual service provider will meet them.  This is not a time to provide broad guidelines in an attempt to allow for flexibility.  Be very specific.
  • Schedule a weekly Skype chat, or something similar based on your needs, in which detailed report-backs can be given by your virtual service provider.  You can give immediate feedback and discuss problems experienced and potential solutions.
  • Expect daily contact either via phone, e-mail or web portals from your virtual service provider to keep you up to date on progress, any problems experienced, etc.  A good idea is to have a project management platform on which all information is shared, so that all the relevant parties have access to it.

 2. Outsourcing before you are really ready for it

You need to prepare and plan to outsource before actually doing it.

  • Make a list of what your needs are and how you envisage outsourcing will address these needs
  • Think about your small business’s strengths and weaknesses, and look for someone who will complement these.
  • Decide who will be responsible for managing the virtual service provider.
  • Do you have an outsourcing strategy?  If not, this is a good time to compile one.  It is difficult to succeed without a written plan.

 3. Having unrealistic expectations

Outsourcing will not solve all your business problems overnight.  You are ultimately responsible for your small business’s success.  A few points to remember are:

  • Your virtual service provider does not know everything about your business that you do.  They will function better as they gain more insights into how your business works, and how you like to operate.  Be open about your business and share whatever information is necessary to achieve their optimum performance.
  • Although most virtual service providers are professionals who will hit the ground running, you may have to provide some training or guidelines in certain aspects of the work you expect them to do.

 4. Choosing a virtual service provider for the wrong reasons

Going for the cheapest option can lead to disaster.  Although it makes sense to get a few quotations before choosing someone, keep the following in mind:

  • Ensure that the virtual service provider is able to meet your specific needs.
  • When comparing quotes, make sure that you are comparing apples with apples.
  • Evaluate the potential service providers’ responses to your queries.  Are they enthusiastic?  Do they follow up within a reasonable time?
  • More pointers to find the right service providers for your needs can be found in my article 6 Steps to Find the Best Online Workers.

 5. Providing unclear specifications

Take time at the beginning of your working relationship to ensure that your specifications are thorough and accurate.  This will save trouble later.  For instance, if you realize only after starting a project that you need to change the scope, you will affect both your cost and the time it will take to complete it.

Start a positive outsourcing experience today, and see what a difference it can make to your business success.  Whether you need to outsource administrative tasks or human resource related tasks, feel free to contact Virtual Productivity Solutions to make your outsourcing experience a positive and unforgettable one!

The importance of small business planning

Starting your own business is a lifelong dream of many.  Whether the reason is not to work for a boss, doing what you are passionate about or claiming financial independence, the vision often does not extend beyond opening the doors of the business.  Where should the growth of the business take it in the next few years?

No one gets rich without having a clear idea of how to accomplish it.  Success in any field needs a structure.  Yet the lack of planning in new businesses is ridiculously high.  You can temporarily get away without a plan if you run the business on your own (even if research has shown that only 7% of unwritten goals reach fruition).

However, the moment you employ other people, you run into problems.  You need to communicate to them what the business is trying to achieve, and how the jobs fit together into an integrated whole.

You also want to communicate clearly to potential clients that you have set up your business with the intention of growing it.  You need to be able to demonstrate that your business with its current team can get the job done, and that policies and procedures are in place to ensure this.

What unfortunately often happens is that early business success makes us think we don’t need a plan.

If there is not a plan with a clearly defined direction and guidelines, you become so task orientated that you lose sight of your goals. There may be a vague goal that revolves around increasing productivity, but without actionable steps it does not mean much.  You will not have significant growth in your business.

Ultimately, business failure comes down to one thing:  lack of knowledge.  Setting up a clear plan with actionable steps helps ensure that you and your employees know exactly where you are heading and how to achieve it.

A small business needs to be far more nimble and flexible than a big business.  Create your plans keeping this in mind.  If necessary, get outside help or hire people with the right knowledge to guide you in setting up a business plan.

Henry Ford said:  Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.  What are you doing to get ready for your business to flourish?

Feel free to contact Virtual Productivity Solutions for advice and guidance in setting up a business plan.

Ways to Address Workplace Conflict

Ways to Address Workplace Conflict

Conflict can be defined as a disagreement between two parties.  This disagreement stems from a perception of a threat to their needs, interests or concerns.  And because it is perceived, emotion is involved.

Conflict can occur between two colleagues, between a manager and a staff member, or between the company and clients.

Some causes for workplace conflict could include:

  • Poor communication channels
  • Unclear policies, procedures and rules
  • Unclear job descriptions
  • Unclear reporting structure
  • Operational changes

Most of these causes can be addressed to minimize conflict.  Yet conflict is a normal occurrence in any workplace. Conflict leads to a decline in productivity.  This is a crucial problem that needs to be addressed without delay.

Some ways to address conflict I have found useful are listed below.

Conflict between two colleagues

  • It is best to focus both parties on the goal.  This can be done by discussing the matter with both parties.
    • Allow each party to state their problem in about 5 minutes or less in front of you and their colleague.  They are not allowed to interrupt or restate their position until they have stated the other person’s position to their approval.  It forces them to look at the other person’s side.
    • Ask each party what they see as the ideal outcome for the conflict.  Which steps would they like the other party to take?  Are there any solutions or better ways to work so that this conflict does not occur again?
  • Another method is using a group meeting for them to air their opinions on how to reach a goal, and then having other people give input into achieving that goal. Often the conflicting parties will gain a more objective perspective this way.  They could even realize that they were not as different as they had initially thought.

 Conflict between yourself and your manager

This type of conflict can sometimes be rather obscure (sensed, rather than outright conflict).  One way to avoid this conflict is by open communication.

It is your job to let your manager look good.  It is essential that he/she be updated on any progress made, problems experienced, etc. Discuss your feelings of conflict with your manager.  Ask for suggestions from his/her side on how you can solve the problem.

It is essential to take the differences out of the emotional sphere into the rational by focusing on the goal or end result the organization wants to attain.

Conflict between the company and clients

It is crucial to actively listen, because someone who initiates the confrontation is not necessarily objective or rational. No one can argue with an emotion.

  • Recognize the emotion.  When a person is upset, they appreciate it if other people can understand what they are feeling (eg. anger, disappointment, feelings of hurt or rejection, etc)
  • Accept the emotion.  By listening actively, you can communicate to the client that their feelings are totally legitimate, and that you understand and accept that they feel that way.
  • Probe the emotion.  Sometimes the issue raised with your company may have its origin nowhere you’d expect to find it.  Probing the emotion diffuses the emotions and opens the door to reason and logic.

While conflict is a normal occurrence in the workplace, it can have a detrimental effect on productivity.  Therefore it is preferable to find the quickest informal resolution to the conflict you can, in order to maximize productivity and save the costs and unnecessary time of a formalized conflict.

What methods do you use to resolve conflict in the workplace?  Please share them below.