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Here is some information about the pros and cons of outsourcing to India Outsourcing to India has several difficulties:
- Cost
One outsourcing benefit is that the costs of highly skilled labor are much lower in India. Many will offer you higher quality work and speed of service at a much lower cost. If you hire the wrong company, then you might not have such a positive experience.
- Broadening your horizens
Another outsourcing benefit is that outsourcing to India can help a business person develop in new ways. You deal with new challenges and experience new environments. If you stay in the same place your whole life, you will not have much opportunity to grow. The human mind develops when subjected to new stimuli after an adjustment phase takes place -- and India is all about stimuli.
- Making new relationships
If you visit India, or work remotely with India, you can meet new and wonderful people, try new foods, get familiar with new cities and airlines. This can be very valuable in the long run. How many Americans can honestly say that they can navigate the Mumbai local train system, buses, and rick shaws and on time for their business meetings and get fantastic work done? India is going to be the second or third most important country in the world in twenty years with China in first or second place. So, getting to know India's people and cities is valuable.
- Travel and culture
Visiting India allows a person to travel to many scenic parts of India, Europe or Asia. It costs only $100 to get a stop-over on many airlines and there are so many fascinating places to see. You can learn about different cultures and make your life more multi-dimentional. Traveling is also refreshing after spending too long in one place.
- Tea, cookies, and fine wine
If you have the time to visit with Indian companies, its a cultural requirement to have chai (tea) and cookies and make small talk. This is the best part of doing business and is a fun outsourcing benefit. There is no exact set time for having chai and cookies. It happens sometime in the afternoon. One also must have samosas and chai sometime during the day at many companies. If you are a new client, then its common for the boss to take you to one of the better restaurants in town for some regional Indian cuisine -- and its really good. You can also enjoy some of the local Indian wines which are up to par with European wines. Many of the Indian vineyards hire a European counterpart to run their business with which is how they successfully imitate some of the typical attributes/flavors of wines from particular regions of Europe.
Cuisine is definately a significant outsourcing benefit for connoisseur types.
General recommendations for outsourcing to India.
Outsourcing to India can be very rewarding and interesting. Be involved in the management process. Meet everyone, and work as closely with them as possible. Test companies out with a few small jobs before assigning a larger job, so you can see how you work with them. Get to know India and how it functions, and how YOU function amidst it's functioning which is often haphazard and unpredicable. Find companies who have been around for a while. Many smaller outsourcing companies in India are owned by individuals in their 20's which is a phenonenon uncommon in the West. It seems more prudent to assign larger jobs to companies run by individuals who are very stable and perhaps slightly older. Since outsourcing is a relatively new industry in India, the industry employees' average age is roughly 28 in my experience -- which is a bit young. It is rare to see anyone in an outsourcing building who is over 50 unless they are the plumber.
Outsourcing to India is a quickly growing industry. Prices in India are rising due to India's economic success which is partly due to outsourcing. But, labor prices are still very affordable, so outsource a job today!
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