Outsourcing can be a tricky business practice to get right.
With different countries’ changing regulations and industry-specific requirements, it can be challenging to know where to begin!
Fortunately, there are tons of outsourcing articles that can help you understand the ins and outs of outsourcing.
But how do you find the right ones?
No worries, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of some of the best outsourcing articles on the internet.
Whether you want to know which business process to outsource, what you should include in your outsourcing contract, or how your company culture impacts your outsourced employees, you’ll find the answer in these articles.
This article includes:
(Jump to a specific section using the below links)
Let’s dive in.
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Top 25 outsourcing articles for successful outsourcing
We’ve put together this list of outsourcing articles to help entrepreneurs and managers navigate the outsourcing terrain with ease.
1. Understanding outsourcing
Before diving into the details, let’s set the foundation and understand the basics of outsourcing.
A) What is outsourcing and is it right for your business in 2021?
Explore what outsourcing is and how it can help lower costs and improve business continuity.
B) The 4 types of outsourcing explained and compared
There are four major types of outsourcing — professional, project, manufacturing, and information technology outsourcing. We delve deep into each type and its pros and cons.
C) Offshoring vs. outsourcing: What’s right for your business?
Examine the differences between offshoring and outsourcing to determine which is best for your needs.
D) The pros and cons of outsourcing
Outsourcing has its benefits and drawbacks. Find out what these are so you know what to expect from an outsourcing arrangement and when to pull the plug.
E) Outsourcing examples: Companies that outsourced to fuel growth
Discover how companies like Google, Slack, and Whatsapp gained a competitive advantage by outsourcing specific business operations.
2. Outsourcing individual tasks and departments
Once you know what outsourcing is, you may have an idea about what tasks to outsource. Here are some examples that may help you out.
A) The clear & complete guide to IT outsourcing (2021)
If you’re looking to outsource anything related to your IT (Information Technology) department, you must read our guide!
B) Business process outsourcing (2021 guide + 7 BPO trends)
BPO covers many core business areas and departments. So here’s a guide on everything about the BPO outsourcing industry.
C) HR outsourcing: Everything you need to know
While we recommend keeping certain HR processes in-house, outsourcing a few like benefits administration, talent acquisition, and payroll processing can help you comply with different labor laws.
3. Outsourcing to specific countries or companies
The following articles can help you make educated outsourcing decisions regarding where to outsource.
A) Outsourcing to China: Pros, cons & best practices for 2021
China is a popular outsourcing destination due to its low labor costs. Explore its pros, cons, and how to find a suitable Chinese service provider.
B) Outsourcing to Latin America: Pros, cons, top destinations
An American company may choose to outsource to Latin America as it’s in a similar time zone. But other regions can also outsource to Latin America for rapid growth opportunities.
C) Top 13 outsourcing companies (2021 guide)
Due to globalization, many companies offer outsourcing services in multiple countries.
Choose a vetted outsourcing provider from our top 13 list.
4. Outsourcing software development and testing
With your customer expecting better and faster apps than ever before, explore how software development and testing outsourcing services can help you stay ahead of the competition.
A) The 2021 guide to offshore outsourcing software development
Software development can be complicated and time-consuming. Ensure you get it right by outsourcing it to the experts.
B) Software testing outsourcing: Top services, benefits, risks
As an important part of software development, software testing outsourcing allows you to hire an objective professional who can catch bugs before your product is released.
C) How to choose an offshore software development company (2021)
Developing software is expensive, so outsourcing is a logical option. Read how to choose the right outsourcing company for your software development needs.
5. Outsourcing customer service
Understand how outsourcing your customer service can help you provide excellent customer support.
A) Call center outsourcing: The clear and complete guide for 2021
A commonly outsourced task, customer service can make or break your business. Call center outsourcing can help you get the most out of it.
B) Call center outsourcing services: Costs, pros, cons, & more
Learn which call center services you can outsource, to whom, and how much it will cost. Make the right decision using our practical pros and cons list.
C) How to outsource customer service the right way
Discover the secrets to flawlessly outsourcing your customer service to improve your customer satisfaction, engagement, and retention scores.
6. The role of virtual assistants
Virtual assistants these days can take over tasks ranging from scheduling meetings to web development. Explore how they can help your company grow.
A) Virtual assistants: What they do & how to hire (2021 update)
Understand what a virtual assistant (VA) is, what they do, and what tasks you can outsource to one to improve your overall operational performance.
B) 100 tasks you can outsource to virtual assistant services
Read this detailed breakdown of the wide range of tasks a full-time VA can handle — from general administration to project management and more.
C) 10 best virtual assistant countries for finding excellent VAs
Learn which countries can provide vetted VAs for the tasks you’re looking to outsource. For instance, you may only know the Philipines as a customer support hub, but it also excels at digital marketing.
7. Tips, agreements, and alternatives
Finally, read about what goes into an outsourcing contract, managing a remote team, and even common alternatives to outsourcing.
A) 15 essential outsourcing tips for better decision making
If you’ve decided to outsource any business function, then follow the 15 tips we’ve outlined to ensure your outsourcing relationship goes smoothly.
B) Managing offshore teams In 2021 (challenges, solutions, tools)
Learn how to manage your outsourced team and reap the benefits of outsourcing, including cost reduction, using employee management tools like Time Doctor.
C) 15 key points you must include in your outsourcing agreement
Before you draft an agreement with your outsourcing partner, ensure it has the key points to protect you, the outsourcer, and your intellectual property.
D) What goes into a BPO agreement: 12 points to include
Understand what typically goes into a BPO agreement – such as defined service levels, metrics, and benchmarks – so you can have a fruitful outsourcing relationship with your service provider.
E) 7 popular alternatives to outsourcing (2021 guide)
Not sure if the outsourcing model is for you? Explore seven alternatives you can use instead!
Let’s now look at some other important outsourcing articles in the blogosphere that have caught our attention.
5 other useful outsourcing articles
We rely on various sources to bring you the most topical information available.
Some of these are listed below.
A) How smart small business owners think about outsourcing
Explore how outsourcing your HR (Human Resource) and payroll departments to an outside vendor can reduce your operating costs as a small business owner.
B) 2020 global outsourcing survey
Analyzing how the COVID pandemic affected the outsourcing market, Deloitte’s 2020 survey takes a more intimate look at how managers and employees coped.
C) IT outsourcing to surge in 2021
When everything moved online during the pandemic, many companies turned to an IT outsourcing company to deal with the increased demand for IT services.
D) Farewell offshoring, outsourcing. pandemic rewrites CEO playbook
Global supply chain issues have made CEOs favor reliable yet expensive insourcing measures over a cost saving outsourcing service – at least in the short term.
E) How outsourcing strategies are changing over time
Learn how businesses have utilized automation and adapted their outsourcing strategy to meet consumer demands over the decades.
Wrapping up
Whether you manage small businesses or run a large company, outsourcing can free up time and resources to focus on your core competencies.
However, you can’t just dive into it without doing solid research.
The articles mentioned above provide a great starting point. You can also check out the Time Doctor blog to stay updated on other significant developments and future research into the outsourcing industry.
