For a long time, outsourcing conjured up fears and worries for some staff. With enhancements in technology such as automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and chatGPT, employees fear technology as a threat to their jobs.
In recent years, thanks partly to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of work has changed. Hybrid and remote work are the norm. And outsourcing has come a long way. From lead generation to tech development, the majority of businesses today outsource key operations and processes to third parties.
In fact, research by YouGov found that 70% of UK businesses have outsourced (or do outsource) services to an external partner. When it comes to in-house agencies (IHAs), 85% of IHAs outsource to external providers, according to the In-House Agency Forum (IHAF).
It’s a question many IHAs ask themselves. After all, there are advantages to keeping creative production in-house. Your team lives and breathes the brand. They have unique knowledge and are part of the company culture.
But my in-house team is fantastic…
Outsourcing today isn’t all about reducing full-time staff costs. Sure, you can save on freelancers and paying overtime (if paid overtime is even a thing), but outsourcing enables your department to do more interesting work. Creative production outsourcing is about enabling staff and your IHA to do more.
- Does your talented graduate graphic designer want to resize print ads?
- Is your web developer relishing banner ad variations?
- Even if your in-house creatives are fantastic, do you even have a big enough team?
Your team might be fantastic but do they have the skills?
However great your team is, it’s unlikely that your employees will always have the production skills you need. The Great Resignation has resulted in some IHAs losing key expertise.
Reason 1: And what about their creativity?
In the 2021 EKCS survey ‘challenges for IHAs in a post-pandemic world’, 27% of IHAs said ‘finding time for creative work.’ Creative production is a time-consuming process that can drain capacity. Often, it results in draining both time and talent from your skilled creatives when they could be working on ideation and other creative elements. IHAs consist of talented people and they should always be leading creative strategy. The same survey showed that one-fifth of IHA leaders felt that they were mainly a production entity, running as a centralized production team over and above being creative-led.
Reason 2: It’s not about headcount reduction
Nowadays, outsourcing isn’t all about reducing headcount. The benefits extend beyond cost savings. Creative production outsourcing is all about enabling staff and your IHA to do more. With the right partner, outsourcing enables your department to do more interesting work.
Reason 3: It’s good to talk about outsourcing
Communication with your team is key early on in the process. Don't keep outsourcing a secret. If you are thinking of outsourcing creative production, or are about to start, speak to your in-house team. Have a discussion and a two-way conversation about how it could work and address concerns. Explain the reasons behind it and invite questions. Speak about the benefits beyond cost-savings, such as the ability to meet deadlines and the opportunity to work more on creative projects and ideation. This will help with team buy-in and ensure your talented in-house creatives remain motivated. When creatives are brought into the process early on there are real advantages.
The importance of onboarding
Effective onboarding extends beyond knowledge transfer, brand immersion, guidelines, expectations, roles, and responsibilities. It helps teams bond and start to understand each other and a new way of working. ‘Welcome sessions’ where both teams meet and collaborate are essential. Relationship building is key to building trust and the in-house team needs to be embedded early. When great in-house agencies team up with a great offshore partner —well, that’s when the magic happens!
Want to learn more?
Join Robert Berkeley on Thursday, September 7th. In this free webinar from Henry Stewart, Robert will explore the age-old dilemma of having a great in-house team but needing to do more. And often do more for less! This webinar looks at the ways in which in-house teams can work alongside offshore teams. Robert invites you to share your in-house challenges, gives insight into how to embed teams and different outsourcing models such as the hybrid mix, and reveals how outsourcing creative production can enable in-house teams to think and behave more creatively.
Sign up now for the webinar: Why would I outsource if I have a fantastic team: Here's Why...
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Thursday, September 7, 2023
9AM PDT / 12PM EDT / 5PM BST / 6PM CEST
