The Benefits of Outsourcing

Outsourcing has become one of the 21st Century’s most notorious buzzwords. In the press there has been a preponderance of stories that focus on people who are seen as victims of outsourcing by industries that have sent their jobs overseas. But is all the bad press really merited? Does outsourcing mean that everyone automatically loses?

In truth, there’s a great deal of hypocrisy going on in America today. Many feel that by virtue of the fact that we are Americans, were are all therefore entitled to highly paying jobs and that companies should provide this without regard to the affect on their bottom line. Ironically, these same individuals turn around and demand high quality goods and services at rock-bottom prices – all the while frowning upon the business practices of big box retailers like Wal-Mart who provide it for them.

Outsourcing isn’t the enemy – hypocrisy is. The inescapable economic truth is that the more it costs to produce a product or service, including the overhead required to pay the workers who produce it, the more it’s going to cost to buy it. In the global economy, opportunity is open to all. As Americans, we firmly believe in the merits of capitalism and a free market economy. We also believe that people who educate themselves, work hard and achieve their goals should be rewarded financially.

Yet we have somehow allowed ourselves to make an exception to this belief when it comes to outsourcing. No doubt, this can cause you to feel reservations as you consider outsourcing your life to a virtual assistant. To be clear, this is not a situation that relates to headline-making woes. We’re not talking about auto or technology workers losing their jobs. In fact, no one is losing anything. This is about serving a niche market – one that is wide open to competition and addresses needs that desperately require filling. Americans are stressed to the hilt; that’s no secret. No one, domestically or otherwise, has managed to create a workable solution to this problem until now. There are U.S. firms that have done the legwork for you, however, and they’ve teamed up with Indian firms to answer the S.O.S. call.

Educated individuals (most with college degrees including MBAs) who are motivated, have positive attitudes and who work in upbeat, team environments can now happily fill this niche. Their wages, while seemingly low by American standards, are commensurate to the Indian economy which is vastly different from our own. They offer a standard of excellence in customer service and satisfaction that most U.S. companies can’t touch, all for less than the cost of a single dinner out. Stressed out Americans can rejoice at finally be able to access a much-needed service that gives them piece of mind, more time with their families and a completed to-do list. Everybody wins.

Counter to so many of the negative headlines these days, outsourcing, practiced under the right conditions, can create a win-win situation for all involved, filling niches and solving problems not previously thought possible.