At Dexterous we have years of experience in managing offshore teams.
What we have learnt is that it’s not simply a switch you can flick on and expect immediate results with. Like everything in life, you need to invest time and effort to get the results you’re after. The questions you need to ask yourself as a business owner are:
- Do you have the time to understand the country you’re dealing with?
- Do you understand the cultural differences?
- And most importantly, do you have a contingency plan if your resource goes offline?
If not, but you still want the cost benefits of an offshore team, then Dexterous is your one-stop-shop for all your accounting needs. We spend time on our internal recruitment process (so you don’t have to) and we have built capability and a support model so if one resource goes offline, you’re not left in the lurch (no key person risk). There is always a failsafe and there is always a local contact person who can help you if you are in dire straits.
We talked in the previous blog about some of the reasons why you may have experienced issues recruiting onshore. And now we I will explain how to mitigate these:
| Reasons for failure | How to mitigate |
| 1. Expecting an immediate outcome | You invest time training an onshore resource, and you need to do the same with an offshore one. It takes time for someone to understand the way you work and your expectations. This is not something that happens overnight. |
| 2. Losing patience with the process | Patience is key. Clearly documented processes and procedures will ensure your resource is in a good position to hit the ground running. |
| 3. Expectation gap | Through online platforms you can clearly see the skill sets of the various resources available to you. It then comes down to their ability to adapt to your requirements, work style and behaviours. |
| 4. Difficulty communicating,hours of work and time zone differences | Skype chat is a ‘go to’ but don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. This will help build rapport and get to know your resource. |
| 5. You weren’t really sure how to go about it | Research, research, research… Ask questions to friends, colleagues and visit websites such as Freelancer or Upwork. |
At Dexterous Group we have the expertise you need to ensure you have a good offshore experience. We have built a highly skilled workforce based in Manila ready to help you with all your business accounting needs, and you always have a local onshore contact person in Australia.
Contact Dexterous Group for an obligation free chat to see how easy the whole process can be. We will guide you through the options available to you and help you find the right solution for your business.
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