Archive for the ‘Outsourcing’ Category

21 Essential Strategies for Managing Virtual Teams

Virtual team members in over 9 different countries

I’ve been working with hundreds of virtual team members in over 9 different countries in the past 8 years. There have been times when I wanted to tear my hair out! Sometimes:

  • …I had no idea what my team was doing.
  • …Team members would “flake out”.  They’d work effectively for a while and then their quality of work would taper off or they’d quit.
  • …I was frustrated about not being able to communicate with them effectively.
  • …I had many issues finding and hiring great people remotely.

Now I know a lot more about handling tough situations and issues that come with the territory when dealing with virtual teams. The strategies I now use reflect my years of experience figuring out what works best to keep the teams coherent, productive and motivated.

These are also the strategies that we use at TimeDoctor, where we have over 50 full-time team members all working virtually, remotely, to create the best remote management and productivity software for individuals and businesses. Find out more


Salaries Around the World Awesome New Infographic

Ever wonder what the rates of tech developers are around the world? We did, too. We teamed up with the guys from www.infoactive.us to put together the average salaries of tech development employees from around the world.

Take a look at the different rates and as always check out www.timedoctor.com if you need help managing your remote employees from around the world. If you want to hire developers around the world try our sister site www.staff.com

Average Salaries Interactive Infograph

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Software for Managing a Telecommuting Team

If you manage a team that telecommutes, you will want to make sure that your team is productive. The good thing is, there are many types of software that you can use to manage a remote team and ensure that they are working.

For example, these are issues you can solve with software:

  1. Time and Attendance
  2. Communication
  3. Measuring and managing productivity
  4. Project management software

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Salaries of web developers in India, the Philippines, USA and around the world

Check out this infographic from www.staff.com our sister site.

Salaries of web developers in India, the Philippines, USA and around the world infograph heading

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The Lazy Man’s Guide to Outsourcing Customer Service

how to outsource customer service

Outsourcing work is an appealing idea – It can save you money, resources, and sometimes, a great deal of stress.

Farming out your customer service cut overheads significantly, but it’s definitely not a one size fits all solution and there are no magic outsourcing beans.

If you going to take the jump with any sort of outsourcing where company will be directly interacting with your customers, it’s important to weigh up your options carefully. Shabby service will almost guarantee a mass exodus of customers.

In this article you’ll find some best practices for outsourcing customer service, and a practical guide to help you decide if this type of outsourcing is the right choice for your business. Find out more


100k developers are dead – Why and exactly how to build software at a fraction of the price

Use virtual office software that allows you to communicate efficiently and provides accountability.

It is possible to develop high quality scalable software for a fraction of the cost and time in comparison to the classic San Fransisco Valley development model? By optimizing any of the these three factors: Creating a bullet proof hiring process, having an efficient virtual work space, and accountability; we think you can.

In the production of Time Doctor we’ve hired dozens of developers from all over the world (we currently have workers in 8 countries) at a fraction of the cost of what we would have paid in San Fransisco and have built in almost instantaneous scalability into our company through our hiring techniques so we can quickly expand or contract dependent upon what we need done. Here are the rules we’ve followed to do this. Find out more


5 Steps to double your income in your freelancing job (with the same effort)

When a potential client decides to do an internet search for your name, what will they find?

As a freelancer navigating the world of lowball offers and underbidding competitors, you may find yourself doing a great deal of work and wishing it added up to more cash in your hip-pocket. The good news: it is possible to start making more money without taking on more assignments or working longer hours.

Yes, you most likely become better at what you do, gradually over time, and the projects you’re working on now will eventually bear fruit in the form of referrals and feedback (but we’re not talking about that). There are positive steps you can begin taking now that will make a difference now.

These 5 tips will help any freelancer generate more revenue quickly, simply, and professionally.

1. Get real about time

Although it can seem like a real hassle, it’s actually beneficial in the long run to spend a bit of time tracking your actual versus estimated time spent working. You’ll probably find out a lot about how you spend your time. Once you’ve found distractions or inefficient processes, take the time to correct them. You’ll end up streamlining your work process and becoming more profitable. Find out more


Phenomenal design done dirt cheap – how to outsource graphic design jobs

Outsourcing Graphic DesignSo you need a logo, or a banner, or maybe even something as simple as letterhead or a business card? You need it cheap, and you need it done well. One of the single most frustrating things about running a small business or early-stage startup is knowing how important it is to have effective visuals yet also how little there is to spend on it.

Maybe you’ve tried coming up with something yourself. Maybe you’ve called in a favor from a friend who has an old version of Photoshop or hired a student you found on Craigslist. There are plenty of places you can turn to when your budget is limited and your need is great, and we’ve seen them all. Most of them turn out to be dead ends that waste time and money. If you want great design, at great prices, you can now outsource most design jobs, meaning that the graphic design process is now faster, more affordable, and more reliable than ever…
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15 essential tips for outsourcing decision making

Outsourcing mistakesIf you’re a business owner or manager and are considering outsourcing of any type, you’re probably aware of the huge risks that can be involved. If you’re not – you should be: placing the future of your business into the hands of strangers can quickly go pear-shaped.

While hiring staff that you may never meet face to face, might seem like a gamble, there has never been a better time to try to leverage online outsourcing, especially once you know how to avoid some of the more common pitfalls involved.

So what specific steps can you take to ensure things run smoothly?
We’ve drawn up a list of the best practices to help you avoid outsourcing mistakes; these 15 best practices will hopefully save you time and energy and shield your business from the sort of mistakes that could bring your efforts undone.
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