There’s no denying the negativity of a long-distance relationship. What’s strange is that it’s not just romantic relationships that can experience these awkward drawbacks. Dealing with outsourced services can carry the same sentiment (even without the Valentine sentimentality).
In particular, outsourced telemarketing is one of those services that can be really thorny…
… or easy enough to deal with.
Naturally, it will depend on how you select your provider. You’d be surprised at how little the actual distance actually matters. Whether you’re offshoring or working closely with a company in the same state, the real distance is in how well your provider lives up to itself.
It’s not just a matter of holding them accountable though. You need to be aware of a few things first or you’re going to end up blaming them for the wrong things. A powder keg like that is the last thing you need to fix a strained, outsourcing relationship.
So what do you need to know to not only hold your provider responsible but also bridge the gap?
- Your main lines of communication – What are your usual means of communicating? Does it come with a schedule (such as in weekly meet-ups and status reports)? How can these communication lines be compromised? Answering these questions means you know what will keep you connected and at the same time, how much you need to stay connected.
- Your own management biases – Even an in-house work force of mobile employees suffer biases against them simply because of long-distance connections. How much worse is it going to be if you can’t check your own biases for the exact same reasons? Use your KPIs to keep you rooted on recognizing good performance as much as the bad.
- Your cultural nuances versus theirs – You really didn’t think you could ignore the culture of your service provider did you? Everything from their work ethics down to the time of day they’re available is, one way or another, affected by their regional business culture. Knowing this and how it will interact with yours is important if you really want the relationship to be harmonious.
While this may not be enough to solve somebody’s long-distance romance issues, it’s enough to keep communication open, hold your provider to the right KPIs, and even open your mind to the different ways other regions of the world conduct their business.
