According to Forbes, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will promote remote work by 2023 – and offsite work will increase over the next decade.
When it comes to hiring an offshore team in any sector, our clients often express doubts about what our teams can and cannot do! Of course, it does not help that there are so many myths surrounding offshore work – fuelled partly by pop culture media such as ‘Outsourced’ & ‘The Other End of the Line’. So this month, the research team at Technomine set about hunting down and debunking some common myths about offshore staffing in every sector from electronic security, records retrieval, accounting, RPO, digital marketing to the travel industry.
Electronic security
A study based on 40 years of evaluation research showed that CCTV cameras significantly reduced crime rates. There has been a decrease in crime rates by 13% in areas with security cameras especially when monitored live by a trained remote security agent. Still, it is completely understandable that some security companies might be skeptical about going the remote security route. Take a look at some common myths surrounding the video monitoring industry.
Myth 1 – Remote guards only catch criminals
Many customers still believe that video surveillance is only used for catching criminals, but this is not true.
In reality, remote video monitoring can help homeowners and businesses deter crime using sophisticated protocol. Alarm monitoring with virtual guards are trained to escalate situations all the way up to helping contact local authorities to stop a crime before it happens by using motion detection, voice down alarm and perimeter surveillance.
Myth 2 – Remote surveillance lacks human element
Security guards are a popular choice for property protection because homeowners and businesses are used to this practice. However, remote guards can enhance on-site security to increase safety and asset protection.
Security guards may not feel safe intervening in dangerous situations like active armed robbery or shooting sites. Trained virtual security guards can help your clients safeguard their property by voice-down de-escalating and providing footage to the authorities.
You may wonder how someone sitting remotely can help your clients protect their property. Well, the reality is that remote guards are well-trained security agents who can protect your property 24*7. They are qualified to quickly identify suspicious activity and alert your local team to prevent crimes or support ongoing investigations.
Records retrieval
On-demand remote retrieval benefits providers as it fosters adherence to privacy standards and saves staff time, allowing them to focus on business development. A remote records retrieval team can help businesses simplify the process by working out of hours, giving organizations a quick headstart the next day. But still, many companies are not skeptical about going the remote working route. Let us look at some common myths surrounding hiring a remote records retrieval team.
Myth 3 – Remote records retrieval provides slow results
If your records retrieval is expedited with out-of-hours support, claims will get processed faster. The remote records retrieval team works in a systematic fashion to help you shorten claim cycles and enable effective decision-making for your clients.
Since remote teams enable you to retrieve records faster, you can spend extra time paying attention to the needs of your clients and provide a fantastic professional experience. You can then utilize your in-house team to acquire and serve more clients.
Accounting
According to a 2017 report, remote jobs have increased to 3.9 million. There has been a 115% increase in remote jobs since 2005. But, misconceptions continue to permeate the phenomenon. Let us bust a common myth surrounding the accounting industry.
Myth 4 – Remote accountants are less productive
It seems intuitive enough – when you are working remotely, you have no one to hover around, and endless distractions surround you. That should lead to less work getting done, right?
Not necessarily. A study conducted by Harvard Business Review found that remote accountants working remotely are 13.5% more productive than an average 9 to 5 working employee.
The reason? One-third of respondents said they got more work done because their home is a quieter, less distracting environment. The other two-thirds cited the lack of a commute, fewer meetings, not running errands during lunch, and fewer sick days.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
The global recruitment process outsourcing industry spent some $11 billion in 2017. This is projected to reach $25 billion in the next five years. The revenue in the segment IT Outsourcing is projected to reach US$395 billion in 2022 and the average spend per employee in the segment IT Outsourcing is projected to reach US$114 in 2022.
However, there are so many myths and untruths about outsourcing recruitment. So we thought we would debunk a common myth surrounding RPO and outsourcing.
Myth 6 – RPO is an expensive way to recruit talent
It is often thought that outsourcing recruitment is an expensive process. But the fact is, RPO agencies can pipeline talent, build your employer brand and work on strategic ways to reduce future hiring costs in the long term rather than just hiring for one available vacancy – which actually costs you more in the long run.
RPO providers provide better quality hires by reducing employee turnover and reducing recruitment costs. Moreover, better sourcing capabilities and recruitment strategies result in faster hiring times and ultimately reduce the cost of advertising your vacancies.
Digital marketing
In a report released by Socialshepherd, 86% of marketers increased brand awareness using one or more digital marketing channels. Remote digital marketing has allowed businesses to hire a talented pool of employees regardless of their geographical location.
Where there is a lack of clarity, there are stereotypical assumptions. Let us look at a common myth surrounding digital remote workers.
Myth 7 – Data is unsafe with remote marketers
All marketing teams use multiple social media scheduling tools, project collaboration software, and analytics dashboards daily, which might question the credibility and safety of the data.
Many employers hesitate to introduce remote digital marketing work because accessing sensitive data from a home internet connection or a public Wi-Fi connection (such as in a café) makes the data more vulnerable to hacking.
This can be rectified by setting up a VPN. That way, remote marketers can log in securely and handle office data without the risk of theft, no matter where they are working from. Moreover, companies can also use password protection tools such as Vault to store and control access to passwords and account details.
Start your journey with Technomine today!
Statistics say that 78% of a group of 669 CEOs believe remote collaboration can help businesses develop a long-term business strategy without compromising the quality and hiring talented employees regardless of geographical location.
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