As an agency owner, you should already be au fait with the many benefits of outsourcing. Here’s a quick recap, though, just in case:

• It saves you the time and commitment of recruiting permanent staff members, especially if you’re not yet feeling ready to hire.
  
  
• It gives you access to top international talent, meaning you can dive into a deeper pool of professionals to find the specific expertise that you need.
  
  
• It’s a cost-effective way to improve your service offer and better manage your workload, freeing you up to focus on your primary role.

Now we’re all in agreement that outsourcing is the way to go (and the way to grow) we can move on to the next dilemma. But, how do you build an outsourced team? And once you have a team on board, how can you effectively manage them? Read on to find the answers that you seek…

4 Considerations When Choosing The Right Outsourcing Partner

The first challenge you’ll encounter in your journey is choosing the right outsourcing partner. The business model of your partner will have a huge impact on your outsourcing experience, so take your time to find the right one before you commit.

Here are four factors you should consider while weighing up your options.

1. Find a partner with rigorous recruitment practices.
   
   Of course, you don’t want to deal with the recruitment process every time you need an extra pair of hands on a job. 
   
   Reputable outsourcing companies like GoWP have designed and refined their recruitment system to ensure they hire only the most qualified professionals. 
   
   Applicants must demonstrate they have all of the necessary skills through targeted assessments, and this is how they’re able to offer agencies a guarantee of quality.

2. Look for a company with a good reputation.
   
   Your agency is not the first one to discover the solution of outsourcing. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask industry peers which partner they trust when they need to enrich their teams with certain skill sets.
   
   It may also be helpful to find outsourcing partners that specialize in your kind of service. For example, GoWP works specifically with niche agency owners. That means GoWP staff members have valuable insights into what these specific agencies need, and they’ve built a community of support for agency owners in similar situations.
   
   Choosing a partner with preexisting contextual knowledge and experience makes the outsourcing process seamless and straightforward. Thankfully, they already “get it!”
   
   
3. Consider the complementary characteristics you need.
   
   Before you start approaching companies for outsourcing services, reflect on what you need from your partner.
   
   It could be that flexibility is key for you. Maybe you need a package that can be altered easily as demand fluctuates, and knowing this will guide you when it comes to making your choice.
   
   If you need someone on your team urgently, seek out an established service with processes in place to make onboarding easy. GoWP’s infrastructure means that you can add a dedicated copywriter or developer to your team in just one day, for example, so it’s a great option for time-pressed agency owners.

4. Strike a balance between cost and quality.
   
   Naturally, profitability is at the top of your priority list. Before you outsource a service, you need to know that you’ll still be able to earn sufficient money on the work after paying your outsourced team member. 
   
   Outsourced work of a shoddy standard will be a poor reflection on you and your agency. It could seriously harm your reputation in the long term. Avoid this by teaming up with partners that offer excellent work at a cost-effective price. 
   
   Remember, best value incorporates both cost and quality.

4 Top Tips for Managing Your Outsourced Team

Whether your outsourced team consists of one person, a group of people doing the same job, or a range of people with distinct roles, you’ll still have to manage them to get the best possible results from your collaboration. 

We’ve compiled some top tips for making the most of an outsourced team through effective management.

1. Teach your outsourced team about your agency.
   
   When you’re onboarding your outsourced team, make sure you provide them with the vital information they need to understand the work you do. Have a meeting to introduce new team members to your agency, and give them space to ask questions.
   
   Easy-to-understand reading materials reduce the amount of time you have to spend explaining your business model. It’s a good idea to prepare a brief that can be used over and over whenever you add an outsourced team member.
   
   Providing other resources like style guides and templates for assignments can also make the onboarding process smoother.
   
   
2. Define each outsourced team member’s role carefully.
   
   Setting clear expectations is crucial. Remember that what may be obvious to you still needs to be communicated to your outsourced team member. Think about how you want your team member to communicate with you, how frequently you’d like them to be in touch, and how often you’ll expect deliverables.
   
   At an early stage, establish some firm boundaries. Explain how you will know your partnership is working. This way, they know exactly what they need to contribute. 
   
   Outsourced team members shouldn’t be playing any kind of guessing game! The more specific and detailed you can be with your instructions, the more likely you’ll be to receive the work you need on the first try.

3. Plan how you’ll handle the practicalities.
   
   There are some logistics to deal with when you onboard an outsourced team member. For example, one advantage of outsourcing is that you can choose from top international talent. However, when you do, you have to deal with different timezones — and that can make organizing meetings tricky!
   
   Technology is an amazing asset when it comes to overcoming the obstacles of outsourcing, though. If you use a platform like Slack or ClickUp, it’s a good idea to set your outsourced team member up with an account for easy communication.
   
   You should also figure out what data they need to perform their work and grant them access straight away. Handling these elements now will save time and stress later.

4. Include your outsourced team member in your company culture.
   
   The work of your outsourced team member will have to synergize with the work of your regular team members, so it could be useful to bring collaborators together. 
   
   If you always have a team kickoff call when you start a new project, why not invite your outsourced team member to join in? The objective is to work from a shared mission, vision, and plan at all times. The more they understand your agency culture, the better they can represent you in their contributions.
   
   Since you’re paying for their time, you should be strategic about how you include them, though. It makes no business sense to request their attendance at meetings that don’t directly relate to their workload. 

This is the sign you’ve been looking for to start building your outsourced team and growing your business! 

Now you know how to build and manage an outsourced team, and you’ll find that GoWP is the ideal outsourcing partner.

When you access GoWP services, you join the hundreds of digital agencies that outsource WordPress development and copywriting to our experienced and hardworking team members. 

Schedule a discovery call today and you’ll soon see how we can support your agency’s success.