8 Things To Consider When Outsourcing Analytical Services

What do you find most important (apart from the price) when outsourcing analytical services?

To help business owners with deciding on whether to outsource analytical services, we asked CEOs and business professionals this question for their best insights. From verifying the accuracy of reports to knowing their timeliness and integrity, there are several things that may help you with this decision for the continued success of your business.

Here are eight things to consider when outsourcing analytical services.

• Verify Accuracy of Reports

• Identify Most Important Criteria

• Understand What Services are Provided

• Ask About Transparency

• Double Check Their Website

• Read Client Reviews and Testimonials

• Know Their Timeliness and Integrity

• Assess Amount of Relevant Experience

Verify Accuracy of Reports

Data can be found in many ways, so when deciding to outsource analytical services, you want to choose an agency that has great internal structures in place to ensure the accuracy of its results. You can ask about what policies they have in place and how they internally audit any data. You want to make sure their reports are truly accurate, especially if you will be using their reports to determine future actions by your business.

Jacob Dayan, Community Tax

Identify Most Important Criteria

I believe the most important part is choosing the service provider. Remember that no one outsourcer will be a perfect fit for your requirements. Identify the most important criteria you seek in a service provider. It's likely that the outsourcers will have their own ideas about what's best for your company, depending on their own abilities and competencies. Consider the following questions: Do you want general knowledge or specialized information? Is it better to have fixed or variable costs? To better identify what trade-offs to make, define and prioritize your needs first.

Eric Carrell, SurfShark

Understand What Services They Offer

When looking to outsource your analytical services, the most important thing to evaluate is the services that this company offers. Do they offer barebones analytical services or do they offer a wide array of services around analytics? Find one that offers the most to you as a client and stick with them for a long period of time. It can often take time to get the best analytical services, so once you choose an outsourcer, stick with them and give them time to give you the best results.

Lauren Picasso, Cure Hydration

Ask about Transparency

I have worked with several digital agencies and one of the things that drove me crazy was when they held my information hostage. We live in data-driven decisions and when you don't have access to your data, it makes your job tough. A good digital partner is transparent and offers an easy tool that aggregates all the relevant data to allow me quick easy access. They understand what is important for my business and they build the tool around my needs.

Eric Rutin, Marketing Mentor

Double Check Their Website

I need the website to give me peace of mind that I am hiring an effective service. I want to see proof the services result in growth before I employ the analytics company. The service should provide credible testimonials for me to read before I decide to hire the firm. It should also say on the website how long the company has been in business so I know if they have experience with analyzing data in my industry. A well-designed website will give me assurances that my money will be well spent when I hire the service.

Janice Wald, Mostly Blogging Academy

Read Client Reviews and Testimonials

When outsourcing analytical services, it’s important to look at client testimonials. Testimonials tell you a lot about a company and whether or not you should use their services. If there are plenty of positive reviews, especially from companies in your industry, that's a good sign.

Tim Mitchum, WinPro Pet

Know Their Timeliness and Integrity

I believe whenever you’re outsourcing sensitive information pertaining to the data of your business, it's important to have trust in the source. The integrity of an accounting firm or cybersecurity team you may be outsourcing is of utmost importance. They are not only privy to your financial information, but they must also be professional and timely with a response. Integrity is the foundation for a trustworthy relationship, which is essential for business owners to sleep easy and actually benefit from the outside help.

Katie Lyon, Allegiance Flag Supply

Amount of Relevant Experience

Outside of price, the most important thing I look for when outsourcing analytical services is experience. Nothing is more valuable than experience, and finding a service that offers a wealth of experience is crucial to solving your analytical problem. A lot of analytical services companies have people with a lot of experience and you need to avoid the ones that don't.

Quincy Smith, ESL Authority

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