A Few Words

Best Practices Of Offshore Staffing

Remote staffing is the future of work. Just like capital, technology, and enterprise, talent is now accessible globally. NKSD has transformed the accounting industry with its remote staffing solutions, empowering firms to tap into a global pool of expertise. Leveraging our deep domain knowledge and extensive industry experience, we’ve identified the best practices for working with remote teams to achieve optimal results.

INTERVIEW AND TEST THE PERSON BEFORE HIRING

There’s no substitute for your own assessment when hiring. That’s why we highly recommend conducting video interviews and administering online tests to evaluate both knowledge and experience. A video interview not only allows you to interact with the candidate in real time, but also gives you the opportunity to assess their body language, facial expressions, communication skills, and overall personality. This helps you get a deeper understanding of the candidate, enabling you to make a well-informed decision and ultimately hire the best person for the job.

LEVERAGE TIMEZONE DIFFERENCE

Because of the time zone difference, your remote staff can continue working while you’re out of the office. When you return, you’ll often find that most of the tasks have already been completed. As a common practice for working with remote teams, you can assign tasks before leaving for the day and check in the following morning to see how much progress has been made overnight.

KEEP MINIMUM OVERLAP OF 3-4 HOURS

Overlap time is often the best and sometimes the only opportunity to connect with your remote staff each day. This time can be used to assign tasks, review the previous day’s work, and discuss progress. Real-time communication during these overlap hours allows for in-depth discussions, helping to ensure that staff receive clear instructions and have a fair chance to achieve the desired outcomes. We always recommend that our clients schedule at least 3 to 4 hours of overlap time with their remote teams to facilitate real-time communication, workflow discussions, and reviews.

EXPLAIN YOURSELF AND DEFINE EXPECTATIONS

A clearer understanding of tasks leads to higher productivity and better results. It’s important to thoroughly explain the nature of the work to your remote staff, including details about the tasks they’ll handle, your clients’ businesses, their work culture, and expectations. You should also clarify how often reports need to be submitted. The more you engage with your team, the more they’ll grow in their role and refine their skills. Effective communication and collaboration are key to helping them fully grasp their responsibilities and reach their full potential. Ultimately, this translates into more efficient workflows and smoother processes.

REGULAR CALLS & MEETINGS ARE INEVITABLE

Maintaining consistent communication with your remote team not only boosts their motivation but also enhances their productivity. Regular check-ins keep you updated on the progress of assigned tasks, allowing for immediate resolution of any issues that may arise. This approach helps prevent the surprises of overlooked errors, which can occur when reviews are infrequent. In the long run, this creates a smoother workflow and ensures your team stays motivated and focused on achieving their goals.

CHAT RESOLVES PROBLEMS IN REAL TIME

Real-time chatting offers a more engaging and dynamic way of communication, eliminating long wait times. It creates the feel of having a genuine, in-the-moment conversation. Text messages or chats provide a seamless way to address questions instantly, allowing for immediate feedback. Plus, chat keeps everything documented and helps highlight key points. It’s an efficient tool for exchanging work-related information and getting things done with less delay.

REMOTE STAFFING IS LONG TERM SOLUTION AND NOT A ONE TIME ADVENTURE

As your remote staff gains experience, they naturally become more efficient in their roles, eventually becoming an essential part of your team. Just like any in-house employee, remote staff improve over time, taking on more responsibility and even managing others. Hiring remote staff is a long-term strategy, not a short-term fix. Investing in your remote team for the long haul creates a win-win situation for both you and the employee. Issues are resolved quicker with your own dedicated staff, as opposed to relying on third-party vendors who may overstate their capabilities. Why outsource when you can bring the expertise in-house?.

REMOTE STAFF ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS

It’s always wiser to retain a skilled employee than to assume that finding a new, potentially better hire will be easy. That mindset can be a costly misstep. When an employee leaves, you’re faced with several challenges:

The cost of recruiting and onboarding a new hire
The time and resources spent training the newcomer
Delays in work as the new person gets up to speed
The uncertainty of whether the new hire will fit well into the existing team and workflow

Long-term employees, on the other hand, possess valuable knowledge about the company’s culture, processes, and services. They understand what works and what doesn’t, which helps them avoid mistakes and perform their duties more efficiently. This accumulated expertise leads to higher productivity and smoother operations overall..

USAGE OF COMMUNICATION & PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS:

Using platforms like Teams for communication is both a convenient and effective way to relay instructions to your remote staff. It allows you to provide clear, verbal, and written communication while also enabling file sharing. Similarly, tools like CRM, Document Management Systems, and Workflow Management Systems are invaluable for boosting productivity. These tools help both you and your team stay on top of ongoing, upcoming, and completed tasks. You can also share updates as the project moves through different phases, ensuring everyone stays informed. Overall, these systems significantly contribute to maintaining efficiency and streamlining work processes.

TREAT YOUR NEW REMOTE STAFF AS YOUR NEW LOCAL STAFF

It’s important to educate your remote staff about your company’s culture and workflows. Take the time to help them understand how things are done and what is expected in their role. While it’s essential to provide guidance, it’s equally important to give them some space to acclimate and figure things out independently. Even if they have prior experience, allowing them the time to adjust to the new environment fosters a sense of comfort. This breathing room can serve as a powerful motivator, helping them feel more confident and ultimately leading to higher productivity.