Eleven questions to ask
- Who prepares and who reviews? Named people, their qualifications and who signs off before you see the work.
- Who leads the firm? Partners and credentials, and whether they are involved in delivery.
- How is client data protected? Logins, MFA, devices, confidentiality agreements and access removal.
- What are the working hours? Hours of overlap with your day, in both daylight saving and standard time.
- How is work priced? Per file, per hour or per person, and what is included.
- Is there a minimum commitment? Team size, contract length and notice period.
- How do you start? A test batch or pilot on real work before you commit.
- How do you learn our methods? Written checklists, and how changes are tracked.
- How well is the work documented? Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each process, per-client checklists and training manuals, kept current, so the work is done the same way every month and does not depend on one person.
- What happens if someone leaves? Cover, handover and replacement time, and whether the documentation is good enough for a new team member to pick up the file.
- Can we speak to a current client? References from firms like yours.
Why documentation matters
Most problems with offshore work are problems of consistency: a file done well one month and differently the next, or quality that drops when a team member changes. The fix is documentation. A provider that writes down how each process and each client file is done, and trains its people from those documents, gives you the same result month after month and survives staff changes without a dip in quality. Ask to see a sample SOP, checklist and training manual before you sign.
How we answer them
We write an SOP for each process, a checklist for each client file and training manuals for each service, and update them whenever your review notes change the way something is done. Our other answers are on how it works, security, pricing and the 90-day pilot. For the background to our model, read why we built the Hub.
General information only, not legal, tax, audit or professional-conduct advice. Rules, standards and software features change, so confirm the position that applies to your firm before you act. See our disclaimer.
