Category Archives: Semi-Popular

Overseas Outsourcing in the 21st century: Different Countries, Diverse Benefits?

April 18, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The notion of outsourcing work to overseas companies is, of course, not a new one. For many years, a large number of American businesses have selected to recruit talent from abroad rather than enlist assistance from within the US itself; for a variety of reasons; tax benefits being among the most prevalent. For many years, India has dominated the face of outsourcing; and in recent times, India’s economy has witnessed an incredible $69 billion boom from outsourcing alone; causing previously unheard of destinations such as Hyderabad and Chennai growing to become thriving business cities. However, as the 21st century marches on, the stronghold that India holds on the outsourcing market begins to loosen. Other up and coming countries are staking their claim; and US companies are gradually broadening their horizons and exploring outsourcing opportunities in other lands. So just what are the countries currently challenging India’s position as number one outsourcing nation in the world, and what are the benefits to working with them?

Countries on the Rise

In recent months, the US has witnessed a number of relative ‘newcomers’ to the outsourcing scene, making distinctive impact on the market. ComputerWeekly.com identifies five particular countries on the rise in the IT sector; including unsurprisingly, China, but perhaps more surprisingly, countries such as Bulgaria and Egypt. Interestingly, a number of global companies in the US are turning to Middle Eastern outsourcing services; partially due to the ‘skilled programming workforce’, but also due to the considerable tax incentives that the Egyptian government (and others) are offering to outsourcing prospects. Interestingly, large Indian companies are also outsourcing to the Middle East, such as Wipro and Satyam. BusinessWeek.com also identifies other up and coming major players in the outsourcing arena, such as Poland, Brazil and Argentina.

Knowing Where to Hire

Now that the playing field has leveled out, and India is no longer the only viable option for a US company looking to outsource, the question on every business owner’s mind is ‘where to head to for outsourcing work now?’ With a number of excellent options now available, the company must now start to take a number of things into consideration. Of course, wages are as relevant as ever, but it is also worthwhile to consider other aspects, such as performance; for example, if outsourcing call center services, how adept is the center at US English, and how understandable is the accent? (Many customers cite ‘hard to understand’ call center workers as a pet hate when communicating with a company). Consider turnaround time too. A lower wage rate may look appealing on paper, but if the job takes twice as long to complete, then it may well be false economy. It is a good idea, before committing to a large-scale outsourcing venture, to visit the establishment and get in-depth knowledge of their working arrangements, level of commitment and working conditions. Of course, this can be a straight-forward business trip, or it can be combined with pleasure; giving you a valuable opportunity to not only familiarize yourself with the company, but to learn about the culture of the country you are about to enter into a working alliance with.

Harnessing the Power of Outsourcing

Used appropriately, outsourcing still remains one of the most cost-effective decisions that a US company can make. For example, a Chinese manufacturer earns on average, around 60 cents an hour; considerably less than their US counterparts. With savings such as this, it is clear to see why outsourcing is such an appealing option. Obama recently spoke out against outsourcing, and recommended revamping the federal tax code to encourage more work to stay on US soil. But even with tax laws relaxed, it would be hard for comparable US outsourcing services to compete with those from abroad. Quite simply, the current international economic structure supports outsourcing from overseas. For US companies, outsourcing also means being able to hire from a greatly increased pool of talent. For example, Brazil currently boasts a huge number of professionals who are expert in JAVA programming, but will offer their services for a considerable amount less than their US counterparts. It is unsurprising why more and more US companies are broadening their outlook and turning to overseas companies to develop their products and improve their productivity.

Tweets:
(1) India has dominated the outsourcing scene for years. But, Bulgaria and Egypt are on the rise!
(2) Getting a good price on outsourcing is one thing, but what if the turnaround is slow?

You might also like:

Marketing your outsourcing company
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2010/11/24/marketing-your-outsourcing-company/

Offshoring & Outsourcing: which country is right for you?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/01/07/offshoring-outsourcin%E2%80%8Bg-which-country-is-right-for-your-company-to-offshore-to/

Is it better to hire your own top-notch employee or outsource your task?

April 13, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Management, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is it better to hire your own top-notch employee or outsource your task?

The answer is not so simple.
If you have repetitive tasks that require exactly 40 hours per week to do, then hire an employee. But, what if you only need a few hours a day of specialized service? You might outsource the task to a company, or a highly skilled freelancer! In the end, it is really about finding someone who can get the job done they way you want it done.

Being in control of your new helper
Sure, you can hire your own employee. If you hire someone, it is easier to watch them if they are sitting next to you than if they are hundreds or thousands of miles away working for someone else. It is also easier to control an employee. You can say, “Do it my way or your’re fired!” Try saying that to someone at an outsourced company. They have to do what THEIR boss says, not what you say. You will be more in control (generally) if you hire your own person.

The outsourced company might be better at hiring
Anyone can hire someone to help them out. But, someone who specializes in hiring within a particular specialty might be better at hiring those types of people. On the other hand, the company might have mediocre taste in those that they hire, while you might be more discriminating. Additionally, it is easier to work with someone who you have a good personality match with. Someone who you hire is more likely to be compatible with you than an outsourced worker. Bad personal relationships almost always lead to substandard work with outsourced workers!

Having enough work?
If you run a small company, you sometimes don’t have enough work for a full-time employee. The other problem is that your full-time employee might not be able to do all of the tasks that you assign them, or might not be that good at half of the tasks. If you outsource a task, they do as many hours as you assign them. Freelancers are in the same boat. If you don’t mind having an employee sitting around twiddling their thumbs, or being paid overtime, you might be able to handle the work fluctuations. Or, if you have more than 40 hours of work per week to give to someone new, hire an employee and give the remainder to an outsourced company!

Letting it pile up?
If you have 25 hours a week of work for someone to do, and you let it pile up for a while, it might become 40 hours a week of work if you include playing catch up ball. On the other hand, if your new employee quits or gets fired quickly, you might quickly find yourself very painfully behind. The pile up strategy is very interesting, but has its pitfalls!

What should you do?
If you need to outsource a task, consider all of the options. Interview lots of outsourced companies, freelancers, and prospective employees. Try your best options after some analysis, and then commit to the best option and see what happens!

Tweets:
(1) If you have repetetive tasks that require exactly 40 hours per week to do, then hire an employee
(2) If you need specialized service, hire an outsourced company or a highly skilled freelancer!
(3) It’s easier to watch your help if if they are right next to you & NOT 5000 miles away in India!
(4) If you hire your own employee rather than outsourcing, you’re more likely to get personality compatibility!
(5) If you run a small company, you sometimes don’t have enough work for a full-time employee. Time to outsource!
(6) Bad personal relationships in the workplace almost always lead to substandard work!
(7) If you have 25 hrs/week of work to do and let it pile up for a few months, it becomes 40 hours playing catchup ball.

You might also like:

Good sign bad sign: what to look for in newly hired workers
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/01/13/outsource-blog-good-sign-bad-sign-what-to-look-for-in-newly-hired-workers/

A 20 minute office visit reveals the character of a company!
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/12/12/a-20-minute-office-visit-reveals-the-character-of-a-company/

What types of tasks are good to outsource

April 9, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

There are countless tweets on this topic. Apparently this type of tweet gets clicked on. It is general, practical and fun.
I always say that you should make it a practice to outsource tasks that meet the following criteria:

(1) Repetitive Tasks where the directions are not too complicated
(2) Tasks that are not time sensitive (unless your service provider is very punctual)
(3) Tasks that are not too critical (unless you know your service provider well & they are reliable

If you are testing out a new company, the sad thing is that you just can’t or shouldn’t trust them. Never trust strangers. Don’t trust your friends either, but that is a different story. If I go to a new massage place, I only commit to one hour. What if I don’t like them? Usually I am not that impressed with their English, or ability to dig down into those stiff muscles of mine. If I’m trying out a new call center worker, what if people don’t like them? What if they don’t get anything done on time? What if they don’t follow directions. Don’t give critical tasks to those until they have a proven track record with you for six months. Yes — six months. Don’t take liberties. They might quit on a whim. People who don’t own their own company tend to lack the type of work ethic and attention to consequences that I have which is why I do a lot of my own “busy-work.” Once you have found an individual or company to be reliable, then you can give them any type of task which you found they can handle.

My problem is that most of my tasks require a lot of specific knowledge, or are time sensitive, or are too small in weekly hours to outsource. I prefer to outsource tasks like long lists of people who all need to be reminded about the same thing. I might have a list of 3000 people who all need to hear the same message. I just outsourced that to a young lady who is doing a super job of it. Everybody likes her including me!

Personally, I think it is a good idea to test out ten companies before you actually hire one for regular work. Most companies are not that great. If you try ten out, perhaps you will find a few that you like, and then keep the ones with the best personalities (who also deliver reliable results.) What I learned about business is that in the long run, meaningful personal bonds translate into happy and long lasting business relationships! Don’t overlook the human side of your business!

Tweet:
(1) meaningful personal bonds translate into happy and long lasting business relationships! Don’t overlook the human side of your business!
(2) Tasks that are good to outsource = repetitive or tasks that the provider specializes in.

You might also like:

How many phone calls does it take to reach a manager at your company?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/11/02/how-many-phone-calls-does-it-take-to-reach-a-manager-at-your-company/

Outsourcing: why everyone is doing it
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/03/25/outsourcing-why-everyone-is-doing-it-one-bizarre-example/

Positively reinforcing good worker behavior and negatively reinforcing bad

March 31, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Motivation, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

As a manager, you do more than coordinate. You are like a football coach (disregard the pot-belly.) Your job is to motivate the troops, keep conflicts moderated, and keep life organized. Many managers are simply overwhelmed and have too much to do. They don’t have time to give feedback and are not masterful in doing so.

Many employees are sensitive. You can’t just criticize them or tear them apart. You have to be very diplomatic and cautious. You have to understand which types of mistakes are small ones and which indicate character flaws and a bad attitude. There is a lot of skill involved in being a manager.

As a manager, you need to first of all build up a foundation of trust and good vibes. You need to give realistic positive feedback on a regular basis (don’t over-do this.) Also, you need to establish a social rapport. This is not always possible with anti-social types, but some relationship building is a lot better than none. People will do better work for you and stick around longer if you are personally connected to them in a small (or large) way. The minute that relationship goes sour, so does the work in almost all cases.

Part of the reason you need that individual connection is to gauge their work based on how they interact with you. Even if you rarely check their work, you can quickly know there is a problem if they are evasive, unfriendly, or just plain hostile. Interaction is a measuring stick you can use to quickly know how a work relationship will go. In my experience it is 95% reliable although results can vary widely depending on the individual.

Knowing how much to dwell on the nit-picky positive or negative aspects of the employees work is a skill. Overdoing it can make people get a headache fast, and not giving any input can allow people to go on costly tangents. Balance is the key in business feedback!

Negative feedback is tough. Sometimes it is smart to disguise a criticism as a request.
“Could you do it this way next time? I prefer it that way. The way you did it is not bad, I just prefer it this way.”
Smart, you got the employee to do it right without hurting their feelings. Hurt a person’s feelings one too many times and you might have a huge bill to pay to HR to find you another when they quit prematurely.

How often to give negative feedback.
If someone really did something bad and you need to harp on them, make sure you have built up trust enough so they will be able to absorb your negativity and work with it positively. Relationships that last are those where 80%+ of assessments are positive and less than 20% are negative. That includes work and personal relationships. If you are a girl who always harps on every little thing your boyfriend does, you should just break up — it won’t last! Save your harping for when you need to harp because it does relationship damage. Look for good things to comment on when you are not thinking about positive commentary. You need a bank account of past positive comments to merit a negative poking session!

In any case. Your work is terrible!
You’re fired!
Just kidding!

Tweets:
(1) As a manager, you do more than coordinate. You are like a football coach (disregard the pot-belly.)
(2) As a manager, you do more than coordinate. Your job is to motivate the troops, keep conflicts moderated, and keep life organized.
(3) Many employees are sensitive. You can’t just criticize them or tear them apart. You have to be very diplomatic and cautious.
(4) How often do you give negative feedback? Do it too much & ur looking at a divorce!

You might also like:

Are bonuses really the best incentive?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/01/17/are-bonuses-really-the-best-incentive/

Being sensible realistic and safe is bad for business
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/07/11/being-sensible-realistic-and-safe-is-bad-for-business/

Half a million Filipino call center workers are on American time

March 29, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center, Philippines, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

500,000 Filipinos live on American time! Their bodies are still in the Philippines, but could be said to be emotionally in the United States. They work and sleep on an American time zone. Additionally, they take their vacations when America is on vacation. Imagine celebrating the 4th of July in the Philippines! It sounds dreadful. Next, if disaster hits in a part of America, they become more involved with that snowstorm, power outage, or mud-slide than they would be if a tsunami or hurricane hit their motherland.

There is some sort of an emotional divorce that happens between the call center workers in the Philippines and “regular” folks. They just can’t relate to each other the same way after getting their call center job.

I have personal experience with this type of life. I sometimes will be on the phone with India all night for weeks in a row. I lived in India a few times before as well. But, this didn’t divorce me from our locals here in Los Angeles. I still relate to them the same way I did before. I relate to individuals — or not!

But, I think there is some truth to the fact that the first time in your life that you become immersed in a 2nd culture, a gap is created between you and your countrymen. There is just too much that you become familiar with that they know nothing about. It creates a huge division.

But, there is relief to having what I call a “bicultural gap.” In the Philippines they solve the problem by drinking beer, hard alcohol and consuming vast quantities of fried chicken! Maybe it is not the most healthy way, but they will figure that out when they get into their late thirties and forties!

Tweets:
(1) 500,000 Filipinos live, eat, sleep, and work on American time
(2) Their bodies are in Manila, but emotionally they are in the US #callcenterworkers

You might also like:

How to get more clients for your call center
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/05/05/getting-more-clients-for-your-call-center/

How to get more clients with a good salesperson
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/04/08/how-to-find-clients-for-call-centers-good-salespeople/

Why Indian Call Centers Fail

March 16, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center, Semi-Popular | Tagged , | Leave a comment

In a recent conversation with an executive who is an expert on setting up call centers in India as well as other countries throughout the world, I learned that a major reason call centers in India fail is poor management. And 90% of call centers in India fail. Start-up companies in India do not consider hiring an experienced call center manager to be a critical part of the first years’ budget! This sets up a vicious cycle that harms the business in three ways:

1) Poor skills and poor salary = poor attitude

When a new call center starts up, the company will very often spend money on everything else: office space, furniture, desks, technology (IT), and equipment. To be sure, these are important… but without an experienced manager from the call center industry, a call center in India will not be able to select, train, and retain the right staff. The company will also not know how to build the business and retain good clients without the expertise of a manager who has worked in that industry. Spend money on an experienced call center manager whom the company, callers, and clients can respect.

Frequently, a call center manager in India will earn the equivalent of $4000 a year…or less. It is not a position that commands as much respect as being an IT manager, for example. So finding an experienced call center manager and rewarding that person more than usual can be good for him/her–and good for business. Instead of going out and finding the best managers they can, companies are spending money on brokers to help them get clients. Many of these brokers demand money up front. Better to invest money in the key employee–a good manager–who will make your call center stand out from all the call centers in India!

An inexperienced call center manager may be distant, inefficient, and ineffective. Any of these problems in a call center in India will lead to failure.

2) Poor attitude = poor environment, poor employees, and poor retention

M any call center managers in India don’t care about finding, training, and rewarding good callers. Maybe they just don’t like people. They may even be rude or apathetic. This leads to caller burnout–and high attrition rate for callers and clients. A manager’s inability to create a good work environment predicts the failure of your relationships with clients and your business. Aim to have a manager who can motivate callers to stay–and become managers themselves!

The lack of respect a manager at a call center in India gets filters down from the manager to the callers to the person on the other end of the phone…which is why Indian call centers are currently not competitive with those in other parts of the world. If you run a call center in India– hire an experienced manager who commands respect and respects others!

Since most call centers in India suffer from 20 to 50% turnover in the first year, it is important to hire someone who can recruit and train a reliable group of callers who will make money for the company.
Which is worse–having to pay staff a bit more each year because they are pulling in good clients and establishing a successful business… or finding and training new callers all the time because management just does not know or care how things are done?

Studies show that work environment is as important as–and often more important than–salary…even in a call center in India where people may be desperate for work. A manager with experience in the call center industry will create a system of rewards that makes the place feel like home.

3) Poor environment & results = poor reputation = The End.

When managers do not treat callers well and do not know how to train callers, the company loses both callers and clients: long-term losses that cannot be reversed. According to a Wharton Business School study, call centers that keep more employees –and promote them from within–maintain a better customer focus and keep their clients. Call centers in India that develop a bad reputation with employees and clients fail in the first six months.
Remember: a bad reputation is nearly impossible to reverse…and certainly cannot be repaired as quickly as it is created.

According to the NY Times, as of August, 2013, business growth in India has slowed to 4.4% per year (down from about 8%). A great deal of this reversal is due to poor management.

Call centers in India are often hesitant to spend money on experienced managers. However, the ones that do spend their money on good managers are the ones that succeed in the long run.

Tweets:
(1) Call centers in India are often hesitant to spend money on experienced managers.
(2) Business growth in India has slowed down to 4.4% due to poor management.
(3) Poor skills and poor salary = poor attitude

You might also like:

From 100 Indian call centers down to 1
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/01/21/from-100-indian-call-centers-down-to-1/

Why a great CEO is worth 6000 times more than the average worker
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/03/06/why-a-great-ceo-is-worth-6000-times-more-than-the-average-worker/

Most BPO blogs use cheap looking pics

March 11, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Marketing, Semi-Popular | Tagged , | Leave a comment

I poke around the web regularly. I often read other people’s blogs to learn a thing or two about online marketing, social media, the world of outsourcing, and more! I noticed that people generally include some sort of photo or graphic on their blogs as a picture. What I noticed is that these pics are normally very cheap looking. They look like the $1 kind of graphics that you buy on some cheap graphics site.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, what is the value of a good photo? If your blog gets lots of traffic, it might be worth it to invest in better artwork. If your blog leads to measurable higher ROI for your business, you might invest in a little bit better artwork. If your home page on your website has cheap looking art work, that is really bad. Blogs come and go. Many people write several blog articles per week or even per day. It gets expensive when you spend $40 per photo day after day. But, for your home page, I think you should spend more than $2 for graphics, don’t you?

I did a little number crunching to see what the benefit of good photos was on blogs and on facebook. My research was not very conclusive since we were testing during the holiday season when stats go up and down depending on what day it is. But, you can get 20-80% more action on Facebook posts if you have a good picture. It really depends on your audience and your business, so it is worth trying it both ways and then counting the number of likes and responses to see if your expense in art was merited.

The bottom line of this article is:
If you are making money, or intend to be making money, lose the cheap looking art work buddy!

Tweets:
(1) If you are making money, or intend to be making money, lose the cheap looking art work buddy!
(2) People normally add a pic to their blog entries. But, these pics are normally cheap looking!
(3) Cheap looking pics on BPO Blogs are expensive in the long run. If they help you to lose business!
(4) If your blog gets lots of traffic, invest in better artwork.
If ur blog promotes cheap looking artwork, never mind.

You might also like:

Roadblocks in the BPO outsourcing profession
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/04/24/roadblocks-in-the-bpo-outsourcing-profession/

BPO and social collaboration
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Is bigger always better in business?

February 11, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Indians always think that bigger is better. If you have a JOB at a MNC in their BPO division, then you can marry any girl you want and your life is set. You either have to be a manager at a small company, or work at a big company.

But, after calling large companies all last week, I discovered that the people working there were almost all incompetent. I called smaller companies and there was a sense of function. Not all the people were smart, but you could always reach an intelligent and caring person without too much trouble.

I think we need to get out of the habit of thinking that a particular size, location, or look is better. Let’s just look at what a company is, who is there, what they do, and how they do it. Kabbalah, the Jewish brand of spirituality talks a lot about consciousness. To me, the consciousness of a place, house, business, person, group, or state is the most important thing. You might meet someone who is wealthy, but who has a bad consciousness. Another person might be smart, but crooked or careless. Some people think a lot about words while others preoccupy on artistic matters. Many people are brain-dead and think about nothing all day long.

Take a deeper look at companies. Try to see how they tick. Don’t judge by size. But, there is more. Companies have a sort of personality. Putting aside whether a company is better or not, certain personalities will gel with you. If you are working for, working with, or hiring a company, it is so critical to be compatible with them. Spend some time getting to know people. Don’t be in a hurry to calculate how much you will make or spend. See if you are getting along naturally with them. Ask yourself if you would want to have dinner with any of these people. If the answer is yes, then they might be a potential match for you.

Remember: Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Better isn’t always better either. It is about a happy match of people with the right consciousness that counts in the end!

Tweets:
(1) Bigger isn’t always better. But, better isn’t always better either. It’s about compatibility!
(2) Big companies in India make it like pulling teeth to talk to a competent person!
(3) Don’t judge a company by its size but its personality. Kinda like dating.
(3) Bigger companies aren’t necessarily better. It’s whether you click. If not, hang up and let them hear ‘click’.
(4) Don’t judge a company by its size but its personality. Kinda like dating. But if blind date has “great personality,” beware their size! (retweeted already)

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You are as good as your worst employee
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The 2% rule; Only 2% of companies are worth hiring
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/10/21/the-2-rule-only-2-of-companies-are-worth-hiring/

The Indian companies who answer professionally are even worse?

January 23, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

In my September 2013 cleanup of 123outsource.net, I removed about 800 companies from our outsourcing directory. The companies that were removed were taken off because they either didn’t answer their phone, or refused to communicate in an audible or helpful way. If you are in business, you need to invest in a clear phone line otherwise you will be saying, “What, what, what?”, and your prospective clients will be saying, “I’m hiring someone else!”

In my frustration, I found that less than 1% of small outsourcing companies in India answered the phone professionally. They did not state their company name or personal name when answering the phone. They only said, “Hello?” I understand that there are very few good role models for business behavior in India, but you can learn from England, the US, or Singapore if you need role models.

I decided to call larger companies in India so that I could see how professional outsourcing companies handled their clients. These larger outsourcing companies in India answered the phone stating their company name, either in person, or with a recording. The problem is that is the only thing they did right. Yes, I am generalizing. I communicated with about twenty larger companies, and not one of them could answer even simple questions.

Company: Rajeev Outsourcing Company, may I help you:?
Me: Hi this is Jeremy from 123outsource.net, I wanted to know if you are still in Thane
Company: Let me transfer you
Me; I think that you are intelligent enough to know what city you are located in.
company: Please hold

Then I was put on hold and the phone disconnected in many cases.
In other cases I was connected to someone else who once again transferred me to a third, fourth or fifth person. I had to spend about five minutes being transferred just to reach a single person who could interact like a human being.

My suggestion to larger outsourcing companies in India is to hire people who have half a brain. That would be a huge improvement over what you have now. Teach them how to answer questions like: What is your name? What city are you in? What does your company specialize in? The smaller companies generally had highly intelligent owners or partners who could speak the queens English, answer all questions intelligently and make small talk. The large companies couldn’t even function.

Indians have a narrow-minded view of business that bigger is better. This is not true. Better is better, bigger is generally indicative of a thick skull.

Tweets:
(1) The few Indian companies that answer the phone stating their company names are actually the worst!
(2) Larger companies in India need to systematically put u on hold to answer complicated questions such as: what city r u in?
(3) Over 99% of small outsourcing companies in India answer phone, “hello”. Making them sound like a wrong number!
(4) There r better ways of spending time than being transferred 2someone who transfers u 2someone who transfers u again.
(5) Small co’s had more intelligent spokespeople. Big ones barely functioned. Like cars, “smaller” got better mileage.

You might also like:

Nursery rhyme music is not appropriate when you are on hold!
Click here

Are you tired of outsourcing to India?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/03/05/are-you-tired-of-outsourcing-to-india/

The second test project & the second bid

January 22, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Semi-Popular, Software Development | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

It is like pulling teeth to find good software companies to hire. I started off by hiring software companies / software outsourcing companies who talked well on the phone. Then, after I saw their work I realized that talk is cheap. Of course the ones who didn’t talk well, couldn’t function when we needed to communicate. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

So, to get a sense of perspective about how efficient companies were, I gave many a test estimate job. Some bid too high, while others bid too low. What I realized is that the ones who bid too low were not realistic or reliable. The ones who bid too high were crooked. Those who bid right on target were too good to have time for me. So, I tried to find companies who bid a little higher than what I wanted — but, not too much higher. I overlooked a few things.

I found one software outsourcing company who bid perfectly on a test project. I wanted a bid of 40 hours, and they bid exactly 40. Then I had another project which took other programmers about 2 hours. This same company wanted 16 hours for 2 hours of work. OMG! They bid very realistically on the first job, and insanely on the second. So, I am realizing that my screening process needs to be longer and include more than one bid.

Another company was given a job that I thought an American software company should take 4 hours to complete, but that an Indian company might take 6 hours. They came in at 5.25 hours. I was very happy, and their work was flawless. Then they bid on a 60 hour project and wanted 800 hours. What happened?

I feel that before settling on a particular software outsourcing company, shop around and really put people through two test projects and several quick bids to see if they are in the ball-park each step of the game. If they are sometimes out of the ball park, you could lose your shirt very quickly.

Never judge a company by their first bid!

Tweets:
(1) If ur testing companies out, give them a 1st test project, and then a 2nd before hiring them.
(2) If a company bid sensibly on test project #1, they might bid insanely the 2nd time around
(3) Never judge a company by their first bid!
(4) Don’t judge a book by its cover or a company by its 1st bid.
A 2nd bid proves you’re consistently in the ballpark!
(5) Baseball is back! As you visit the ballpark, make sure the IT guys bidding are in the ballpark! Or they’re…OUT!
(6) Bidding too low: unrealistic.
Too high: crooked.
On target: too busy for me.
A little higher than ideal? 🙂
(7) Don’t judge book by its cover or company by its 1st bid. Get two bids to make sure both are in your ballpark!

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From 100 Indian call centers down to 1

January 21, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center, Popular on Twitter, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

From 100 call centers down to 1

I just did a big clean up of my outsourcing directory. I found that there were many companies who were just not worth listing. If a company is paying to be listed on my site, then I am forced to keep them whether I like them or not. But, most companies on our site have free listings which gives me the freedom to remove them.

I called more than one thousand companies in various categories such as software, call center, data entry, etc. I found that in India, there are some very intelligent sounding people working in Web Design, .Net development and PHP programming services. But, the call center folks were not worth calling 99% of the time. Out of 100 call centers in India, I found only 1 who I felt was worth listing. I kept another few dozen to keep the site populated. What do you do when you call a call center and they answer with a practically inaudible, “Hullo?”.

Me: Hi, this is Jeremy from 123outsource.net, what is your company name?
Company: Who are you?
Me: I just told you, this is Jeremy from 123outsource.net, what is your company name?
Company: Who is this?
Me: I told you who I was twice, now you tell me who you are.
Company: What do you want?
Me: I just told you, I want to know your company name, so I can know if I am calling the right people.
Company: Why should I tell you, what is in it for me?
Me: I will remove you from our directory if you don’t tell me your company name. If I was a prospective client, I wouldn’t hire your company even if you worked for free.
Company: who are you?
Me: Never mind, I am removing you from our outsourcing directory. You have no phone skills whatsoever, it is scary to think that you dare call yourself a call center or any type of business for that matter.

They behave as if I am invading them in their bedroom just to know what their company name is. Why is it such a secret? If you want people to think you are professional, announce your company name and personal name when answering the phone. Answer all questions in a helpful way, and don’t be a pain in the neck like the 65 Indian call centers that we removed in September!

Tweets:
(1) From 100 Indian call centers down to 1 after the weeding out process.
(2) 123OUTSOURCE.NET weeds out the deadbeats who don’t know how to answer the phone. We over-and-out-sourced them!

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The safest city in the USA & the most dangerous city in Mexico

January 12, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: America, Semi-Popular | Tagged | Leave a comment

It is an irony that the safest city in the USA and the most dangerous city in Mexico are right across a river from each other. El Paso is the most crime-free city in the USA. If you disregard the fact that many of the locals are the worst drivers in the country, it is a very safe place. On the other hand Ciudad Juarez is right across the river from downtown El Paso and is the most dangerous city in Mexico. Prostitutes are routinely murdered, and the cartels do plenty of shootings there as well.

It is interesting to note that many companies outsource to Mexico. Mexico does not have the cheapest manufacturing costs, but they do have the fastest turnaround for truck shipments to destinations in the USA. The average trucking time from central Mexico to the focal point of the continental United States is 17 hours. If you want to get goods from China, Malaysia, or Costa Rica to the United States, they have to be put on a truck, then a boat, then unloaded, then customs, then a train, then a truck, and it could take months to deliver your goods.

Mexico is a great outsourcing destination for manufacturing and not bad for call centers either. If only they could control their horrible drug war. Mexico could become a much more popular spot for future manufacturing operations, resorts and more. It is sad that the government is not in control of their own country. Personally, I feel that Mexico was governed more efficiently by the Aztecs — although their culture was based on routine slaughter of neighboring tribes who they sought to conquest! I guess some things never change.

Tweets:
(1) El Paso, the safest city the US is right across the river from Ciudad Juarez, the most dangerous city in Mexico!
(2) If you disregard the fact that half the residents have road rage, El Paso is the safest city in the USA!
(3) The Aztec culture was based on routine slaughters. Sounds like the cartel culture!
(4) Safest USA city is across from most dangerous Mexico city. Yin-ville and Yang-ville.
(5) Mexico is good for call centers. If only they’d call an end to the drug war.

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