Offshore Outsourcing – Figure Out The Hidden Costs

The concept of offshore outsourcing is considered asbe handles well. The transition costs may be shared
a powerful cost cutting strategy by businessby both the outsourcing partners in order to bring down
enterprises. The IT outsourcing service providersthe expense.
located in offshore countries like India claim to processCost of Lay Offs
IT works at a fraction of rates of what it costs in theFor firms that plan to lay off their employees and
United States.transfer the work to offshore providers, it may come
While it does result in save an enormous amount ofa s a surprise that there are costs involved in that too.
money, it is important to analyze all the fact figuresYou may need to pay severance and retention
before calculating the total cost of offshorebonuses to employees. It is best to talk to your staff,
outsourcing. And this includes calculation of hiddencommunicate with them and tell them about your vision
costs as well. There can be areas where you wouldfor outsourcing. If possible, you may divert the staff for
need to invest more than you estimate or there mayother processes so that there is no dissatisfaction and
be situations where poor productivity and quality ofbad blood.
deliverables can weigh down the potential savings.
Here are some cost points that you need to evaluate.Cost for overcoming Cultural Barricades
Cost of Vendor SelectionOne of the major challenges in outsourcing endeavors
Most clients don't realize the costs associated withis that of cultural differences. Though offshore vendors
selecting service providers for their projects. Thismight have highly skilled and professional staff,
costs include documentation requirements, sending ofcommunication may pose as a problem in the
RFPs, response evaluation and subsequent contractendeavors. You may either have to spend money on
negotiation. And there can also be legal coststraining employees or you may have to face the brunt
associated with the process. The selection of theof mounting costs as a result of low productivity. This
vendor is an important step that determines theis why it is always advised to hire a professional
success of the project. Therefore, keep aside aoffshore outsourcing company that has enough
budget of 1% to 10% for vendor selection and the initialexperience in the industry and don't have
travel expenses.communication problems.
Cost of Hand OverCost of Contract Management
Every outsourcing deal goes through a transition periodAnother major cost point is that of managing the
where the clients hand over the concerned work tooffshore contract. The costs arise from invoice works,
the service provider. This is a rather expensive stageauditing, checks for charges and time records and so
in the course of the project because knowledgeon. This is something that happens on a persistent
transfer involves a lot of time and coordination. Also,level. And without continuous scrutiny, the outsourcing
this is the phase when you need to overcome theproject may just fail in efficiency. That is why it is
cultural differences between the two parties. This is aimportant to invest in the diligent management of the
very important to strengthen the outsourcingproject.
relationship and thereby ensure that the project would