You should know the disadvantages of outsourcing before deciding to use online outsourcing services.

Many Internet gurus recommend outsourcing to lessen the many tasks that Internet marketers have to complete in order to be successful. However, few discuss the disadvantages of outsourcing.

This two-part article covers seven disadvantages of outsourcing. You need to consider all seven before assigning any job to an outsource service. Part 1 covers the first three of the seven disadvantages of outsourcing. Part 2 covers the remaining four.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing 1: Outsourcing Can Actually Take Longer Than Doing The Job Yourself.

To outsource effectively, you have do preliminary work before posting a job with an outsource service. Then you have to review all the bids from outsource vendors, narrow the list, check reviews and samples for your short list, and select the vendor for the job.

You also have to establish benchmark deadlines and a final deadline. Then you have to log into the outsource service in order to communicate with your selected vendor.

After the job is completed, you have to check it and often ask for corrections, then check to assure that the corrections have been made. Finally you have to approve the job so the vendor can be paid.

These tasks take a lot of time. If you have the skills to do the job yourself, you can often do it in the amount of time you spend on the above tasks. Plus you don’t have to wait for the outsource vendor to do it.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing 2: Many Outsource Vendors Don’t Understand English Well Enough To Communicate Effectively With English Speaking Clients

Online outsource services use international people who may not speak English well enough to understand your instructions, to ask questions that you understand, or to communicate about the job status effectively.

Add to this the fact that the outsource services don’t want their vendors to communicate with you except through their site, and you have a real communication problem.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing 3: It’s Difficult To Keep Outsource Vendors On Task

Because you don’t have direct access to the outsource vendors, it’s difficult to keep them working and making progress on your job. All you can do is leave a message on the outsource service site.

Your vendor may not check that site frequently, or may just not reply because no progressing is being made. Either way you’re kept waiting. Of course you can be working on other projects, but sometimes your other projects are tied to the job. So you can’t move forward with a project until the outsource job is completed.

To read about the last four disadvantages of outsourcing, click on Seven Disadvantages of Outsourcing, Part 2. To improve your marketing, see Strategic Market Segmentation.

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Submitted to article directories: 6-16-08:
Seven Disadvantages of Outsourcing, Part 1