Offshore Outsourcing – What To Expect In 2009?

The IT services industry was relatively stable in 2008. The outsourcing deals may have been smaller but their small size was well compensated by the number of projects that came in and deals that were signed. Small and medium sized outsourcing services providers did good business and so did outsourcing giants like Accenture, IBM and so on.

The global economic crisis took heavy toll on businesses across the world. However, IT outsourcing service providers were not as adversely affected as everything else. In fact, implications of the credit crunch only showed face after almost two quarters of the year. It was only when the worldwide economy cam to a standstill and recession began to loom heavy on companies and organizations, that outsourcing clients grew skeptical and as a desperate cost cutting plea, cut down on the outsourcing deals with offshore vendors.

However, in the year 2009 all these adverse conditions will give way to favorable environment

The economic turmoil may prove to be a boon for IT services outsourcing. After the initial tumult subsides, companies and businesses would look for ways to get back and bloat their thinning profit margins. And the best way to do it is by lowering investment costs. Organizations would seek to cut costs wherever they can. And offshore outsourcing is the prime solution to get quality services for reduced costs. Therefore, year 2009 would witness a soar in the number of outsourcing deals and contracts that are imported.

Also, companies that were or are still skeptical about outsourcing their business processes to offshore continents would face increased pressure to do the same in order to maintain their cost figures. And they will have to succumb to the demands of the business. This would mean more and more outsourcing clients.

Companies will have to prioritize their business proceedings and decide what to keep in-house and what to outsource to offshore countries. Moreover, businesses will face increased requirement to adopt cost cutting methodologies in order to survive the economic calamity.

Business owners may also adopt outsourcing for short term returns. And this may often lead to companies making hasty decisions and entering bad outsourcing agreements. Outsourcing deals should be a profitable business alliance for both the outsourcing client and the service provider. One of the most common mistakes clients makes it to expect the outsourcing project to be a one-sided. However, the most successful outsourcing partnerships are the ones where both the concerned parties have good communication levels and work in tandem with one another.

In a desperate plea for cost reduction, many businesses would make the mistake of choosing a service provider who offers the cheapest services. However, until and unless the qualities of the services are good, the cheap service rates would just be an added burden in the long run. It is important to select a good service provider who has adequate experience of the kind of project you want to get done and can guarantee good deliverables.

As far as the outsourcing vendors are concerned, there will be increased competition in the market and many new entrants will show face in the coming year. Outsourcing costs might take a dip but business will soar!