The main reason for outsourcing would be decreasing operational and labor costs, to keep focusing on core business processes or to access more knowledge and other markets. Before doing so and deciding where to do the outsourcing process, a few things must be considered.
Language. Language or accent barriers can create problems from the start. It can be frustrating if, besides other possible problems or obstacles that can happen, there is a problem in language or finding difficulties understanding the accent of the employees on the other side. To avoid this possibility, the company that is willing to outsource should choose a country where the locals are very familiar with the required language, or at least with English, as it is the global language of business. Today 1.5 billion people speak English at a useful level—that’s estimately 20% of the world’s population.
Culture. Different cultures have different assumptions and perceptions of deadlines or general work ethics. If a task is not completed on time, or with poor quality, than the perception of the outsourcing company in the eyes of the clients could be at risk. To avoid such and similar risks, the company that wants to outsource, should consider countries with similar working culture and ethics.
Time zones. If considering to outsource to a country with a very different time zone, than different shifts in the outsourced company are inevitable, which decreases the quality of work (not to mention the health of the employees). So, shifts and “trouble shooting” teams should be avoided for the sake of the quality and the deliverables. In this case, the outsourcing company should choose a country in the same or similar time zone.
Capacity. How many educated people are in the country, from specific and in demand sectors ? How many foreign languages do they speak? What about the general perception of working for an outsourcing company? All those and many similar questions regarding capacity must be taken into question before starting a research on a specific country in that a company wishes to outsource to.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is favorable for all the mentioned factors – and more. Very similar to the other European countries regarding culture, the work ethics are on very high level. Time zone is the same (or +/- one hour) to the time zone of other countries in Europe. More than 55.000 people speak English, and the number is increasing. More and more universities and high schools are offering classes in English, with teachers coming from english speaking countries. The local population is fluent in other languages as well, like German or Italian. A lot of courses are offered in the mentioned and other languages like Spanish, French or Turkish. Considering the fast learning process of the locals, it is understandable that there are more courses in other sectors like IT, Web design, Business development, and many others, making B&H an attractive outsourcing destination.
When considering where to do outsourcing , and taking into account all above, Bosnia and Herzegovina should be one of your first choices!
