In today’s modern world, working with IT offshore staff – or any other kind of outsourced staff, online staff, virtual staff, for that matter – is no longer an impossibility. It doesn’t matter if they’re half the world away, the wonders of IT and split-second communication has facilitated the phenomenal growth of remote and offshore workforces in various industries which effectively opened up tens of thousands of companies to explore the offshore labour-hire option.

If until now you were still holding back or cringing at the very thought of staff outsourcing, here’s hoping that this article would make you rethink any preconceived notions you may have about contracting virtual staff.

Why Outsourced Staff?

Contrary to popular belief, the outsourced staff is not limited to telemarketers or call center agents. Besides IT offshore staff, more and more receptionists, copywriters, accountants, CSRs, marketing and personal assistants, SEO services, web designers, developers, and administrators, as well graphic designers and artists are becoming part of the much sought-after offshore staff labor-hire force.

In the past, only large multi-national companies took notice of staff outsourcing, but company size is no longer an issue – even small and medium businesses now enjoy the benefits of offshore IT staff labor hiring. Saving on labor costs is still the first and primary reason for outsourcing. Imagine contracting a qualified and experienced IT offshore staff for about 30 percent of the normal cost. You can have remote staff, online staff, IT staff, virtual staff, or even a whole team of outsourced staff working efficiently on your projects even while you sleep. And take note, the quality of the output is second to none!

Another good reason for turning to offshore staff is the huge number of vacancies or gaps in the labor market. Since IT staff is very much in demand, there is often a shortage of applicants. Rather than settling for a newbie or waiting a long time, some companies instead opt to remote or offshore staffing service providers for hiring an IT offshore staff to immediately fill in the position.

What Benefits Can I Get from Staff Outsourcing?

• A major advantage of outsourcing staff is that it levels the playing field between huge corporations and small and medium business owners. It is providing them professional skills and talents they would normally be unable to afford.

One of the most wealthy and successful business owners Sir Richard Branson once said: “Building a successful business is about using your skill strengths and employing people who possess the skills you do not have.” A business really cannot survive if essential skill needs are not met. Through outsourcing staff, any type and size of business can have unlimited and easy access to seasoned professionals – IT offshore staff is finally bringing it up to par with big-name players – at minimum cost, and without sacrificing quality.

• By outsourcing staff, you are also improving the quality of life of millions of other people across the globe. Although the cost of hiring offshore staff is relatively cheap for dollar-based economies, outsourced staffs’ payouts are several notches higher than the income they would be receiving from their home country. Take the Philippines as an example, contracting an expert IT offshore staff from their would cost 70 percent less than hiring one from the US or Australia – but to them, they would be making almost twice as much as the average salary – without ever having to go abroad.

How to Make the Choice Easier

Outsourcing staff can sometimes really be a worrying decision. These what-ifs can take very long to resolve. Bear in mind, however, that indecision may forever hold you from taking the leap and being in the league with companies who utilize outsourced staff.

Here are some points to consider if you’re thinking of outsourcing your staff:

• Determine the staffing needs of your business before scouting for offshore staff.
• Consider that there are companies that can provide you with dedicated IT offshore staff. This means that you don’t have to place ads and interview people – there is a ready-to-hire outsourced staff who have already passed through the scrutiny of HR professionals.
• Offshore staff is experienced and skilled – it will only take them a couple of days to get acquainted with the company and meet the demands of the job. You don’t need to teach them how to do the job.
• Ask input from companies who have experienced hiring offshore staff themselves – or any other kind of outsourced staff. See if they have positive or negative comments about the offshore staff they’ve contracted.
• You may try outsourcing staff according to your company’s needs, be it part-time or full time. But you also must consider that dedicated outsourced staff is more worthy if you have a continuous workload.

Of course, even outsourced staff needs to feel that they belong to a team. Even your virtual staff would need motivation and encouragement from you and the rest of the team to continuously deliver on time and top-caliber work. By embracing outsourced staff as members of your team, they’d be more inclined to work and be more committed to you and your business.

Decisions on Deciding now.

With today’s current trends, you’d have more to gain when you measure the cost-benefit of contracting offshore staff from a trusted business entity. These are just some of the advantages of outsourcing staff to make your business more successful. The real deal will be apparent when you experience the life-changing effects of having these virtual staff working for your projects. More and more technological advances are now being used to ensure quality work for your money’s worth. Many offshore staff providers equip their clients with tools to specifically help them manage and work effectively with their offshore staff.

Some of which are:

• An HR manager for every outsourced staff member they provide you with.
• Tools to check the progress of your offshore staff, and
• Online sheets and communications tools

The benefits you can get through outsourcing staff from a trusted entity are very significant; they are real and are accessible even for small businesses. It allows companies to cut costs, provide benefits to consumers with lower-cost goods and services, cause an economic expansion that brings down the level of unemployment, and brings up the level of productivity and job creation. Hiring offshore staff is just one of the things that globalization has brought along, best to embrace it and make it work to your advantage. So go ahead and try out one or two outsourced staff members for starters. Who knows, maybe outsourcing staff is the best solution for your company’s talent acquisition needs.