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Out sourcing the Building of Websites to Low Wage Countries
by Danny Wirken
Published on this site: August 1st, 2006 - See more
articles from this month
Understanding Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the delegation of tasks or jobs from internal production
to an external entity. At present standards, it has become more related
to hiring the services of staff overseas where salaries are markedly low
as compared to the local existing standards. It is primarily done by companies
to save money, improve quality or free company resources for more important
activities.
Low-cost countries such as China, India and Venezuela continue to attract
companies to move things offshore and outside their own boundaries. However,
outsourcing should not only be seen as a cost-cutting maneuver but also
as a way to produce important strategic benefits. One thing that is slowly
being recognized is that there are savings to be gained in sourcing knowledge
and talent as there are cost savings in sourcing things.
The sourcing of knowledge and technology provides access to better processes
or efficiencies as well as more efficient management procedures. Outsourcing
opens the way to make use of specific specializations of entities that
would otherwise not be available. More and more companies are starting
to realize that the probability for attaining excellence is much higher
if it concentrates its efforts on its core activities. Other tasks such
as building of websites are better left to professionals. The good thing
about the present status of building of websites is that the service can
also be outsourced to offshore companies. A company can now have the benefit
of a much bigger and better site for the same amount of money spent in
the US for a regular site.
The forerunners of outsourcing have exhibited much competitiveness in
terms of well-developed telecommunication and IT infrastructure, good
business services and having a pool of qualified people. This is the very
reason for the so-called India advantage. India ranks first among the
most favored outsourcing destinations due to its varied inherent strengths.
It has a booming IT industry which is recognized all over the world. It
has the largest English speaking population after the USA and has excellent
training infrastructure. India's government is also very supportive of
outsourcing activities. Not to be forgotten of course is its cost-effective
manpower which caught the initial attention of companies seeking ways
to reduce costs.
Outsourcing should not be construed as abdicating responsibility but rather
as leveraging outside capabilities. When organizations outsource, they
do so because they would want to leverage the distinct skills and resources
of other organizations to the benefit of their company and their customers.
The basic business philosophy underlying outsourcing is the delegation
of business activities that isn't of core competence. It is about accepting
the fact that no single company can be particularly good at everything.
It is about using this known fact to assess a company's strengths and
weaknesses. Once a company is clear about what it considers essential,
then it will be able to focus on broader business issues while having
operational details assumed by external experts. Outsourcing has long
ceased to be a strategy used during bad times only as in cutting operational
costs. It has also become a business strategy used during good times to
focus on the company's growth.
Building of Websites:
Outsourcing has introduced teleservices to numerous organizations worldwide.
It can be broadly referred to as information-based work performed at a
distance from the customers. Its market can be divided into three categories
namely tele-processing, software export and interactive teleservices.
The first category covers tele-processing which includes all back-office
functions performed in remote information processing factories. Specific
tasks such as data conversion services, remote technical staff and content
management are performed by an outsourcing company. Content management
would in turn include content services for websites, data base maintenance
and refresh, various design services and even animation. The second category
includes website development and related e-business applications development
while the last category provides technical support to owners of PCs and
peripherals.
Website development requires a special touch that only experts in this
field would know. It is not just about producing a website but ensuring
proper full scale websites that incorporates web design and placement,
Internet marketing and optimization to gain the right listing on search
engines. A web services firm specializes in the planning, design and development
of web based business-to-business sites.
Optimal website placement is crucial to the success of any website. Web
services firms are expected to provide a complete, professional design
that is based on a client's specific business environment. The design
and layout of text, logo and graphics is as important as the ease of navigation.
Special attention is given to color, white space, type fonts, background
elements and other related items as these make up the artistic elements
of a website. The aim is to create a website that projects a professional
image, while at the same time, pleasing to the eye. The design should
also be search-engine friendly and scalable for future add-ons.
The high-quality content of websites is the leading reason for repeat
visitors followed by ease of use, quickness in downloading requested information
and frequent updating. One area of a corporate work load that is best
outsourced is website management and maintenance handled by web professionals.
A company stands to reduce costs by eliminating the need to maintain a
full time website specialist, web developer, artists, designers and network
administrators.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to website development providers.
The important thing to consider is how well they would be able to respond
to each company's unique specifications. A company will do well with the
services of a provider that guarantees proper maintenance and updating
of a website for the least possible costs. Most website development firms
offer affordable hourly and retainer agreement based contracts and plans.
A company may wonder what logic lies behind outsourcing the building of
websites to low wage countries. Offshore outsourcing firms located in
developing countries have a wide range of world-class website development
services to offer at affordable prices. Generally, they are always interested
in building mutually-beneficial partnerships with overseas companies.
India has opened the way as it revealed its most important natural resource
which is the abundance of technically skilled manpower. Cost-effective
services are provided without compromising the quality. Other developing
countries are making their presence felt in the industry. Common sense
tells us that any company stands to gain more if it is able to access
the same quality of services and products for a considerably reduced cost
Danny Wirken -
http://www.theinternetone.net/Categories_Internet_marketing_6.html
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