Outsourcing is a business practice in which a company hires another company or an individual to perform tasks, handle operations or provide services that are either usually executed or had previously been done by the company’s own employees.
The outside companies which are called the third party provider, arrange for the workers or the computer systems for performing the services either on the site according to the hiring company’s own facilities, or it might be from outer locations.
Today’s companies can outsource multiple services or tasks, the services of IT including the application and programming together with technical support.
The companies often outsource the customer service as well as the call service functions. Also, they outsource the other types of work, together with human resources tasks, manufacturing processes, and financial functions, for example bookkeeping and payroll. Sometimes the companies also outsource the entire divisions, such as its entire IT department, or just a few parts of any special department.
Outsourcing business functions are sometimes called contracting out or business process outsourcing. Outsourcing involve using a large third-party provider, like various companies like IBM to manage IT services or FedEx Supply Chain for third-party logistics services, but it can also involve hiring individual independent contractors and temporary office workers. However, there are other companies that outsource for other reasons.
Companies from time to time decide onto the outsource as a mode to shift regulatory requirements or compulsions to the third party provider.
Outsourcing is different from offshoring. When the companies hire third party providers from the overseas for performing a particular task, it is called offshoring. Near shoring is the task done by the people nearby, frequently from nearby regions adjacent to the border.
Outsourcing benefits
In addition to getting higher talents at lower cost, the companies that contract out could see other benefits. By outsourcing, the companies could free up cash, personnel, facilities and other resources. That can be redirected to open tasks or the new projects that convey higher yields for the company than the functions that had been outsourced.
Companies might find, too, that they can make more efficient production in shortening production times as the providers can more rapidly carry out the outsourced tasks.
Outsourcing disadvantage
Companies engaged in outsourcing must adequately manage their contracts and their ongoing relationships with third-party providers to ensure success. They may lose power over the aspect of outsourced material. They may not enjoy the controlling power over the outsourced services.
The outsourcing companies could also face heightened security risks for their exchange with the outsource a lot of companies. This might lead to the misuse of property information and other sensitive data.