OUTSOURCE ... outsource ... OUTSOURCE - that's how you work smarter

[davinci7]

I'm a web designer and I need a programmer for a large site I am building with a limited budget. i was thinking of outsourcing some of the project. Can anyone recommend a good place to look?
It requires considerable skill, so I am hesitate to outsource.

[FS Concierge]

Hi davinci7,

There are some pretty good programmers around here, so why not start a new thread in the Need a resource? section of the forum?

For best results, it would be great if you could add a few specifics about the type of work involved and exactly what you're looking for.

Good luck,
Jayne

[tonyk]

play to your strengths and don't be afraid to ask for help in the areas in which you're lacking experience and your business will prosper in the long run.

[craiglongmuir.com]

Just in the process of my first outsource now and all going well so far!

[AgentMail]

Originally Posted by craiglongmuir.com

Just in the process of my first outsource now and all going well so far!

What did you outsource?

[craiglongmuir.com]

Just an online tool coding for a website I made...something I couldn't do easily.

[leadgenerationau]

Couldn't agree more. I think outsourcing can be very beneficial so you can focus on the most vital processes of the business, handle the core activities and full control of them and outsourcing other tasks that don't fall in the "core operations" will not only save you time but also money and various other resources.

I have been very skeptic about the idea of outsourcing especially with my telemarketing as I know that once I let someone call on behalf of me, it's my company name that could be at risk. But then it reached the point when I needed to speed up my operations and increase productivity and felt that outsourcing was the only option. That way, I didn't have to train as the guys who will do it for me does it for a living, knows the core of marketing than I do - I'm an IT consultant. Upon assessing the results of my action, I wish I've outsourced much earlier!

I think the key is to shop around, evaluate as much options, get referrals - it doesn't hurt to ask around especially from trusted friends - and be straightforward with your expectations.

Originally Posted by iaindooley

My rule of thumb is that anything should be outsourced that's not your core business. I'm not sure if it's peculiar to the task of writing software but there are quite a few companies that are really nothing more than software outsourcing agencies these days and from what I've seen around the traps they usually produce pretty sub-standard work.

Generally, outsourcing works if you have a task that is easily defined. Things like PSD2HTML and cookie cutter wordpress blogs or adding a Drupal module into an existing site - those software tasks can be quite easily outsourced.

But when I hear about people starting a new product or company and planning on outsourcing development I always get a little worried for them.

In my experience the process of creating great software is all about the people involved so the notion that "it's just the idea that matters" and you can shop around for the people with the cheapest price to build it for you, then expect good results seems pretty ludicrous to me.

[leadgenerationau]

Hi Paul,

Those were actually excellent questions to be considered when outsourcing. I tried hiring an Australian based virtual assistant and he has done a good job with setting up Wordpress blogs and other small tasks for me. I also outsourced some programming so I could focus on my projects better.

Then my friend who has had an experience hiring offshore VAs - but I think they have an Australian office too. He outsourced tasks like the telemarketing, lead generation, programming, web design, social media and several others. I couldn't believe it at first but he was able to save since it's the same quality service at a much lower rate. So I think it's not bad to try other things. Just start with smaller tasks and once they've proven that they could handle it well, then you may start to add more tasks, right?

Originally Posted by Paul Serra

Hi guys i've recently been warming up to the idea of outsourcing.
But what's everyones preferences when it comes to customer care both inbound and outbound calls. Would you rather pay an offshore outsourcing company to handle this at a low rate, or would you hire an Australian based virtual assistant. Also would you prefer to hire an offshore virtual assistant thats managed by an Australian based company? Just wondering what's everyones thoughts on this especially with the varying costs. I mean if the offshore virtual assistant has a proven record with customer care and excellent English communication, managed by an Australian based company and of course cheaper why wouldn't you choose that option right?

Cheers

[tonyk]

as the saying goes, work smart not hard.

[LabourHireSydney]

i have to agree with Tonyk its all about working smart not hard these days, its all about having the correct networking skills that's all you need these days for your business to expand and have the right networking connection...