Poll: What information do you value most about outsourcers in order to trust them? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What information do you value most about outsourcers in order to trust them?".
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I use common sense.
Is it an established company in a relevant country or some dodgy-looking outfit somewhere the other side of the world?
Rocket science it is not.
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The best bet is a combination of the above...
| | | | | Recommendation by a colleague | Nov 14, 2023 |
A good recommendation is the best of all, but colleagues do not go round recommending everyone!
A good Blue Board record - and I check the comments carefully - is the next best.
I suspect, however, that some outsourcers ask for a rating after the first job, and there is no knowing what might happen in the longer term. Sorry I'm so cynical, but I speak from experience. Once or twice I have even had a shaky start with a client, but once they/we smoothed out the difficulties, we ... See more A good recommendation is the best of all, but colleagues do not go round recommending everyone!
A good Blue Board record - and I check the comments carefully - is the next best.
I suspect, however, that some outsourcers ask for a rating after the first job, and there is no knowing what might happen in the longer term. Sorry I'm so cynical, but I speak from experience. Once or twice I have even had a shaky start with a client, but once they/we smoothed out the difficulties, we worked together happily for a while!
Otherwise gut feelings and due diligence. Small clients may not be flashy on the Net, but some of them are really great to work for! And some of the flashy ones are all flickering graphics and quite hopeless at the real business. ▲ Collapse
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| The grain of salt thing | Nov 14, 2023 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
A good recommendation is the best of all...
In 2010, I was recommended by a fellow translator, whom I e-knew from previous work together as members of a translation team or something, to handle work for a one-person agency. That was very kind of her.
The first project went well.
A few months later, I delivered a second project, sent my invoice (later than usually as I was moving back to Europe during that period), then all went quiet at payment time a month later. I contacted the fellow translator after a while, who knew that guy reasonably well from what I gathered. She informed me that the guy had had some kind of burn-out, went bankrupt, lost everything, etc.
I filed my claim and did the needful, and a few years later, I got 1000 euros out of the 1500 he owed me. As I expected nothing given my previous experience with another customer going bust, it was good news. I don't think there was any bad faith from anybody, but when it hits the fan, you're bound to get some if you're around.
I did have my share of good luck in this business, but bad luck is never far away.
Like my esteemed colleagues above, I think common sense (BB, domain name, internet search, website, overall feeling...) is the best bet, but whatever the controls you put in place, risk is part of the business equation.
Philippe
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