Outsourcing PowerPoint Projects to India? Top 5 Myths Busted!

Be it presentations or graphics or just a website, India is fast turning out to be the favorite destination to outsource consultants' niche design needs. Management and business consulting firms from western hemisphere are continually on a lookout for ways to improvise their presentation design processes.

Though outsourcing PowerPoint projects to India, is an excellent option, many are still reluctant to take this path. However, Chillibreeze is here to change the perceptions people have about India.

Some of our customers too felt the same about outsourcing to India like anyone else, but after taking the risk with Chillibreeze it was a different story. This is what one of our loyal customers has to say.

- Griffin Burr, PepsiCo

I am continuously impressed by the work of your team and could not be more grateful. At my previous job, we had an in house team based in India that did not have the highest quality work so I was hesitant to use Chillibreeze but I have been blown away by the attention to detail, little directions needed and overall output by Chillibreeze

So, here is our attempt to bust it.

Top 5 Outsourcing Myths:

1. The offshore designers might not meet my high expectations on quality

BUSTED! You probably have a lot of questions on what was promised and what is delivered to you. You have to work with an agency to know the answers, and the paradox is, you will not know until it’s too late. So how do you go about making sure your outsourcing partner constantly meets your high expectation. Here are a few points that will help you make a wise decision:

1. Ask your vendor for their work samples
2. Give them a couple of test slides from your earlier presentations
3. Find out how well your instructions are understood by the vendor
4. Ensure that your vendor has proper measures/steps to deliver quality consistently

2. The offshore team will not value my deadlines

One missed presentation deliverable, and your reputation as a consultant is at stake. So this is undoubtedly one of your top concerns when looking to outsource PowerPoint presentation formatting to India.

BUSTED! Easy. We suggest three key indicators of speed:

1. Pay attention to the speed at which they respond to your inquiry form
2. Ask your offshore vendor to do a free sample and give them a deadline. This test will show that they have processes and can deliver what they commit to
3. Ask for current active references. Are they professionals like you? Does their work profile look like they are chasing deadlines...just like you?

If the vendor gets a three in a row, yes! Then go for it.

3. My company’s content and confidential documents are not secure with an offshore vendor in India

BUSTED! Confidentiality is a critical issue when you consider outsourcing. Leakage of sensitive information to a third-party is a nightmare. Here is how you can ease this concern. Ask for these details from your prospective vendor company:

Physical Security:

1. What process does the vendor have for their staff to gain entry to processing sites and data centers?
2. Do they have a proper infrastructure with adequate security in case of an emergency like fire suppression, emergency power supply back up and building security?

Information Technology and Data Security:

1. What is their authorization procedure for access to data and sensitive client information?
2. Do they have a firewall implemented and is data encryption followed?
3. Do they regulate NDA?

4. Clear communication...is that even possible with a vendor across the globe from me?

BUSTED! In a connected world, communication is no longer a hurdle. Look out for these obvious pointers to help you decide:

1. How responsive are they to emails?
2. Are they flexible with their modes of communication?
3. Do they have a process in place which allows for a single point of contact, that proactively communicates with the client?

Knowing what to look out for will help you avoid choosing the wrong agency for your business.

5. Having efficient processes are not possible in a remote setup

Time zone is definitely a big roadblock with relatively narrow or no window at all during which Indian time zone and your’s overlap. The result....efficiency and time management issues. And most important - lack of trust. Is there any solution?

BUSTED! Yes, and here is what you can do:

1. Set expectation for emails and updates from your vendor.
2. Ask your vendor the different tools use for communications like Skype,
   VoIP phone etc. in case you need to have a quick chat/ conversation?

Once you have the answers to the above, you have all the time to concentrate on the core content of your presentations. And then...just pass them on to offshore designers in India. They work their design magic while you sleep. All in all, the optimum use of the time zone difference.