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Here is some information about the pros and cons of outsourcing to India Outsourcing to India has several difficulties:
- Time zone differences. Its hard to coordinate with India since
they are nine to twelve hours ahead of the main time zones in the U.S.
Unless you work the night shift, its impossible to make calls to
India.
- Distance. India is far away and expensive to get to. If you want to meet your outsourcing company and work hand in hand with them ( highly recommended although some companies won't like that ), its hard to just leave your country for a few weeks and come back with severe jet-lag.
- Technological differences. All countries use computers these days, but many Indian companies often don't use the cutting edge software or hardware. Many don't have cutting edge offices, or have reliable protection from frequent power outages. Additionally, work stations in India are often tiny and crammed together with employees sitting on stackable plastic chairs.
- Work-Culture differences. Some people wear Indian clothes and drink chai, while others wear jeans or suits and drink Fanta. These are not the type of cultural differences that have any bearing on the success or failure of your work. Communication gaps are common in India. Typical American business etiquette is unknown to most Indians. Many employees do not even know how to answer the phone professionally stating their name and company name when answering. Giving a "Heads up", "Follow-ups", or "Touching base", as Americans say, may or may not happen depending on how the individuals you are involved with were trained. You need to know what is happening, and if there is a delay, why -- and how long it will last. Indians work hard and work long hours these days, but the cultural attitude is much more permissive about time than Westerners, so keep this in mind. On a brighter note, work done in India for our company has been fast, good, and often very artistic. Additionally, the bosses and managers at companies in India generally are multilingual, communicate thoughts clearly, and have superb problem solving skills. But, management is generally spread thin in India.
- The little things. Little annoying things happen frequently when outsourcing. Sometimes artwork is supposed to be available to you by clicking on a link, and then link doesn't function two weeks later. In our experience, the work has always been safe and sound, but these little disappearing acts are disconcerting and are ot professional. We had a page disappear for no reason the other day. I knew it was safe and sound, and it came back promptly upon request. Sometimes directions are not followed and the wrong thing goes in the wrong place on web pages, but that happens everywhere in our experience.
- Payment. Its slightly harder to pay a company overseas. Many will not take credit or debit cards. Paypal is our method of choice pay individuals in India. Paypal takes a 3.5% commission, but, its worth it for the convenience, and clear records that they provide. Wiring money is time consuming and sometimes expensive. Sending a check is not advised, because Indias postal system is not reliable, and its common for things to disappear in the mail. You don't want your banking information in the hands of crooked postal workers of which there are many. It is common for Indian postal workers to open packages or ask for a fee from the recipient and make them come to the post office to pick it up. Be careful.
- Some call center employees in India have not mastered the interactive skills that Americans are accustomed to. America has high standards for customer service and Americans are ultra sensitive in many ways. Indian call center employees take courses to try to learn clear communication with a minimal accent, but the type of attitude that Americans look for in a call center employee is often absent. Some speak very quietly and timidly. while others are not good at being receptive enough. Some are overly pushy salesmen or are more interested in overdoing it terms of smooth talking. Many are not good enough at expressing caring when something goes wrong. Americans expect you to be very "SORRY" when their cable stopped working -- so you had better express how "SORRY" you are and make a serious effort to fix the problem in three minutes or less. Americans have a low threshhold for waiting for things. Due to cultural differences in interation style, many companies prefer to hire call centers in the Philippines or Canada, as their interactive style is more culturally acceptable to Americans.
- Language. India has 22 states, each with their own dialects and language(s). Fortunately, more than half of highly educated Indians speak excellent English. However, the employees at many companies don't always know much if any English, so critical communication could become a problem. Ideally, try to choose a team of people who communicate and coordinate well with each other which generally means having a common language.
Suggestions
If you hire a call center in India, make sure you scrutinize EACH individual who the center is considering hiring to talk to your customers. Visit the company in person and interview each of the prospective employees who will be assigned to you. Make sure the employees speak clearly & confidently, are helpful & receptive, and can behave as if they are really "SORRY" if something goes wrong -- otherwise it will be YOU who will be the one who is SORRY. If you hire a call center or any other type of business in India, hire the most professional people, meet them all personally, and your work should go smoothly.
Summary. There are no major disadvantages in outsourcing to India unless you hire a horrible company -- or use the Indian postal service. Outsourcing to India has only a few inconveniences and hassles, and the rest is generally positive! |
