Outsourcing is a Dirty Word, or is it?

In recent years, companies large and small have favoured outsourcing rather than hiring an in-house team to meet their needs. All types of services are available, everything from office cleaning and IT support to mailing and copy machine rental/maintenance. Of course there are pros and cons with hiring an outside firm but most businesses which choose to outsource services do so to reduce costs and pay for what they need, when they need it with the advantage of having access to a more specialised team.

But for many, outsourcing is a dirty word, (so much so that other, less abrasive words are used instead – managed services, resource optimisation, service contracting, etc.) and is seen as an affordable alternative to hiring and paying talent directly. In some cases, especially when having to deal with an overseas call centre, paying an independent company to do the job seems redundant and ineffective. Both camps for and against outsourcing each have their valid points but despite any resistance, outsourcing is a valuable resource and is here to stay.

The best way to avoid some of the major problems caused by outsourcing – national job loss and reduced quality of goods/services – is by choosing a company (this is particularly true with call centres and desktop support providers) within your own country and investigating and interviewing them thoroughly to ensure that you are happy with their services.

The job market is a shape-shifting beast that evolves just when we are getting comfortable and forces us to adapt with it. Change is inevitable and new opportunities develop as old ones disappear, this has been the case since the Industrial Revolution and outsourcing is just another rung on the evolutionary ladder of the professional job market.

Further Reading:

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Out With the Old… Is is Time to Re-evaluate Your It Support?

Virtualisation – It’s Not a Hamburger Inside of a Doughnut