Outsourcing is a logical extension of moving some aspects of your operation to a virtual environment. The remote work setup sets the stage for engaging the services of a team of professionals who can perform the tasks that your current in-house staff may not be able to efficiently deliver on because of issues with time, proficiency, tools, or all three.
This is where a virtual team comes in.
The Benefits of an Outsourced Virtual Team for Start-Ups and SMBs
For start-ups and SMBs like yours, an outsourced virtual team can do the following:
- Free up some of the resources that would otherwise be dedicated to an in-house team—namely, hiring and training; salary, benefits, taxes, and insurance coverage; office space; and office supplies
- Provide the expertise that is often not available when you don’t have a lot of budget wiggle room to hire the in-house professionals you need
- Help you and your leadership team to strategize better for growth and stability through streamlined processes and well-planned and efficiently executed campaigns
- Help improve your in-house team’s focus on core tasks and avoid burning out from having to juggle too many tasks
- Help ensure that each task is taken care of by the right person.
The Qualities You Should Cultivate in Your Virtual Team
In her book, A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams, Yael Zofi, founder and CEO of AIM Strategies, identifies 8 characteristics that define the A-game virtual teams.
Here are the traits you should look for and nurture in your outsourced virtual team for a productive collaboration:
1. A global mindset
A great virtual team should have a global perspective, especially given that they are likely going to be working with a company with a culture—both corporate and national/regional—that’s distinct from theirs in a few ways. Being able to communicate and relate effectively despite certain differences promotes mutual respect. This facilitates acceptance and buy-in, which creates a collaborative environment.
2. Shared responsibility for each project.
The best-performing virtual teams operate with a sense of purpose that hums through all members. Everyone is invested in successfully fulfilling their goals and prepared to do the job every day. This connection through shared responsibility pretty much cancels out the isolation that is more or less a given with work in a virtual setup.
3. A culture of openness
This promotes honesty and trust. When you have an atmosphere like this, miscommunications are easily and effectively averted or defused, because team members trust one another to be authentic: say what they mean and mean what they say.
4. Willingness to engage in meaningful communication
Regular and effective modes of communication drive the best outsourced virtual teams, and they appreciate the value of meaningful communication. Because of that, they have a healthy sense of accountability, and they make sure they have all the technology that enables them to always stay connected and work together through any project regardless of the level of complexity.
5. Ability to optimize technology for an easy flow of information
The best teams are always able to work together because they make sure they have various forms of technology in place that allow them to exchange timely and reliable information. Regardless of a given project’s level of complexity, they collaborate instead of waste time trying to reach people or sorting out miscommunications.
6. Effective conflict management
While conflicts cannot be avoided all the time, they are nevertheless handled with maturity and objectivity by effective virtual teams, with open, honest communication at the heart of their conflict-resolution strategy.
7. Having work systems that enable prompt delivery within constraints
Coordinating the efforts of geographically dispersed team members is done efficiently in the best-performing virtual teams. This is thanks to them having work systems that produce deliverables without going overtime or exceeding their budget.
8. A positive, can-do attitude
Each member can maintain their positivity and determination despite the disparity in time and geography. They individually believe that their contribution, as well as those of the rest of their teammates, make a difference in their team’s success and your success. This fuels them to consistently get the job done.
Ready to meet your outsourced virtual team and start a new chapter in your brand’s success story?
Contact Purple Cow, and to learn more about how we can give you your very own virtual team.