Communication with your outsourced team is extremely important when it comes to the success of the overall partnership.

In fact, a white paper released by SourcingFocus.com shared a study stating that 28% of 1,000 respondents pointed out poor communication as the main reason for the failure of an outsourcing project.

Outsourcing can increase productivity by 10x to 100x according to Fundera. However, if communication with your outsourced partner is not effective, productivity can consequently be slowed down. Learning to communicate with your outsourced team effectively will ensure you are increasing productivity while getting the most out of your partnership.

Defining Critical Points of Contact

In order to foster a successful partnership with your outsourced provider, critical points of contact must be defined. This will look different within each organization. With a small company, we may see one person in charge of communication. On the other hand, a large company may have an entire team that is utilized for points of contact. Either way, defining who these people are on both side, will lead to smoother communication for everyone and quicker resolutions. 

A defined workflow is needed for specific tasks that may come up and it is imperative for the outsourced partner to understand the workflow and build the familiarity of the organization. This is another benefit of outsourcing Managed Services — it allows you to build process and procedure.

Limit the Number of Communication Channels

Along with defining critical points of contact, it is also important to define where communication is going to occur. Having to look for something in hundreds of different places, especially when it comes to documents, files and other information about the project, can be frustrating and slow down productivity.

Choosing one communication channel will solve this problem before it begins. NETRIO using Microsoft Teams for all communication. If there are more channels than necessary, information can get lost. For example, communication regarding a decision or issue may be missed by critical points of contact if they are unsure of where to look for it.

Refrain From Over Communicating

Remember that you don’t need to be in constant communication with your Managed IT Provider. They are there to troubleshoot and have a proactive approach to managing your IT or other services. Over communicating can be just as harmful as a lack of communication. Trust is needed from both parties to have an efficient working relationship. However, verify the outcomes of projects and responsibilities. This will establish accountability and continue to build trust on both sides. Your outsourced partner wants to make sure they are doing a good job and doing the job to your satisfaction. 

On the other hand, one of the key benefits of outsourcing is allowing people to stay in their lane and have more time to do the job they were hired to do. If you trust your provider, trust they are working for you all the time — not just when you hear from them.  

Stay Consistent 

Hopefully, this partnership will last a long time. In order for that to happen, you should always keep your engagements consistent. Keep up with the communication, join the monthly calls and let each other know you are there. 

You always want the outsourced partner on your side and looking out for your best interest. They will be able to see problems coming and proactively respond. An outsourced relationship takes both parties committed to the success of the relationship for it to work.

NETRIO is here to help with all your managed outsource needs. Contact us today to start the conversation. 

This blog post is part of NETRIO’s weekly White Board Wednesday series. Follow along on Linkedin and YouTube each week as Brian and Mike discuss use cases, new technology, and trends. The goal is to provide insights for enterprise customers and channel partners, trying to solve complex problems using technology.