Introduction
In today’s fast-paced global business environment, offshoring has been a popular strategy for companies aiming to cut costs and access specialized skills. However, with the rapid advancement of technology and rising consumer expectations, there’s a growing need for a more efficient and effective model.
That’s where we, at We Are Amnet, come in. We’ve pioneered a new concept called Smartshoring, which takes offshoring to the next level. This blog will explore how offshoring has evolved into Smartshoring and why this new model is the future of content production and business process outsourcing.
What is Offshoring?
Offshoring is the practice of relocating business processes or services to another country, primarily to benefit from cost savings and access to specialized skills. While offshoring has helped many companies enhance operational efficiency, it comes with its own set of challenges, such as cultural differences and communication barriers.
What is Smartshoring®?
Smartshoring is an evolved, more advanced offshoring model designed to overcome the traditional challenges of offshoring. By integrating regional client services teams with global production hubs, Smartshoring ensures cultural alignment, seamless communication, and consistent quality. It’s about being smarter with your resources, blending the best of both worlds to deliver superior results.
Key Differences Between Offshoring and Smartshoring
Let’s break down the key differences between these two models to understand why Smartshoring stands out.
Cultural Alignment
- Traditional Offshore Models: A decade ago, the offshoring industry was less mature, and companies often faced cultural challenges due to differences in work ethics, communication styles, and business practices. These early hurdles sometimes led to misunderstandings and reduced efficiency.
- Smartshoring: Today, Smartshoring has evolved to overcome these challenges. By incorporating regional client services teams, Smartshoring ensures cultural alignment. Our local account managers, who are culturally allied with clients, facilitate seamless collaboration and understanding, making the entire process more efficient and effective.
Communication
- Traditional Offshore Models : In the earlier days of offshoring, communication barriers, including time zone differences and language issues, were obstacles that impacted project timelines and quality.
- Smartshoring: Smartshoring addresses these issues by providing local account managers who act as a bridge between clients and offshore teams. This ensures clear, timely, and effective communication, eliminating common offshoring hurdles and fostering a more collaborative environment.
Additionally, advancements in technology have turned time zone differences into a strategic advantage. With Smartshoring, you can brief a project at the end of your workday and have it completed and ready for review by the start of the next. This continuous workflow maximizes productivity and efficiency, allowing your business to operate seamlessly around the clock.
Moreover, as remote work has become the norm, we are all more accustomed to using advanced communication tools and workflow management systems. These tools have evolved to make distance irrelevant, ensuring that teams, regardless of location, can collaborate effectively and deliver high-quality results with no disruption
Quality and Efficiency
- Traditional Offshore Models: Quality control used to be inconsistent in early offshoring models due to varying standards and practices across different regions.
- Smartshoring: By leveraging best-in-class technology and workflow automation, Smartshoring guarantees high-quality output and efficient processes. Our regional teams ensure that quality control measures meet international standards, providing clients with reliable and superior results.
Flexibility and Scalability
- Traditional Offshore Models: Early offshoring models were often rigid, making it difficult for businesses to adapt to changing needs and demands.
- Smartshoring: With flexible resource models, Smartshoring allows businesses to scale production up or down based on demand. This flexibility ensures that companies can meet their production needs without unnecessary overheads, maintaining agility in a dynamic market.
Benefits of Smartshoring Over Traditional Offshoring
Now that we’ve highlighted the key differences, let’s look at the specific benefits that make Smartshoring unique.
- Enhanced Cultural Alignment: By employing regional client services teams, Smartshoring bridges cultural gaps, ensuring smoother interactions and better understanding between teams.
- Improved Communication: Local account managers facilitate clear and effective communication, reducing the chances of misinterpretations and delays.
- Higher Quality and Efficiency: Advanced technology and workflow automation lead to consistent, high-quality output and streamlined processes.
- Greater Flexibility and Scalability: Smartshoring’s adaptable resource models allow businesses to scale operations based on demand, providing the agility needed in today’s market.
- Cost-Effectiveness: While traditional offshoring has been known to provide significant cost savings, with an average of 40% savings according to industry benchmarks, Smartshoring offers these same financial benefits while delivering much more. With Smartshoring, you still achieve these substantial cost reductions, but you also gain enhanced cultural alignment, improved communication, higher quality output, and greater flexibility—all of which translate into added value for your business. This means you’re not just saving money; you’re also maximizing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your operations. Source 2024 Benchmark Report by TKM Consultants, sponsored by We Are Amnet
Services Most Suited to Being Offshored
Based on 2024 Benchmark Report by TKM Consultants, sponsored by We Are Amnet, the following services are most suited to being offshored:
- Artwork & Design Adaptation: 63%
- Retouching: 56%
- Transcreation & Localization: 48%
- PowerPoint Presentations: 41%
- Packaging Artwork: 41%
- CGI & Video Editing: 37%
- Digital & Social Advertising: 33%
These services benefit greatly from the Smartshoring model, achieving high-quality results with significant cost savings.
Real-World Examples and Case Studies
At We Are Amnet, our focus is on solving the critical challenges our clients face, whether it’s scaling content production, managing seasonal peaks, or ensuring efficiency under tight deadlines. Here are some examples of how our Smartshoring model has made a real difference:
Client: Norwegian Cruise Line
Challenge: Norwegian Cruise Line needed to rapidly produce a large volume of assets within a very tight timeframe.
Solution: Through our Smartshoring model, we efficiently delivered 600 assets in just two weeks, stepping in where additional support was needed.
Testimonial: “In-house agencies should always have an offshore partner to take on the work that they can’t take on. My offshore partner stepped up and delivered by getting 600 assets out of the door in two weeks.”
Learn More About Our Work with Norwegian Cruise Line
Client: Nordstrom Rack
Background: As part of a rebrand and expansion plan, Nordstrom Rack needed to open 20+ retail stores throughout 2023, requiring rapid production of marketing and in-store collateral.
Solution: We Are Amnet supported Nordstrom Rack’s high-volume needs through Smartshoring, providing the right expertise to produce a range of assets, including print and digital media, in record time.
How Smartshoring Helped: Despite being new to offshoring, Nordstrom Rack benefited from our seamless integration, ensuring their store openings were supported with high-quality materials delivered quickly.
Discover the Full Nordstrom Rack Case Study
Client: British Airways
Challenge: British Airways needed to produce subtitles for a corporate film introducing their new Chief Executive, with the entire project requiring completion within 24 hours.
Solution: We used our proprietary subtitling software and rigorous quality assurance processes to deliver perfectly timed and formatted subtitles, ensuring the film was ready on time and met British Airways’ high standards.
Testimonial: “I was really pleased with the quick and accurate service We Are Amnet gave us… We’ll definitely be looking to work with them again.”
Read the British Airways Case Study
These cases highlight how Smartshoring not only addresses cost concerns but also effectively solves operational challenges, delivering consistent, high-quality results even under tight deadlines. For more detailed insights, you can explore each of these case studies further.
Conclusion
Smartshoring represents the future of content production and business process outsourcing. By addressing the challenges of traditional offshoring and leveraging the strengths of a hybrid model, Smartshoring offers enhanced cultural alignment, improved communication, higher quality, greater flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. As the pioneers of Smartshoring, We Are Amnet is committed to helping businesses navigate this evolution seamlessly. Explore the benefits of Smartshoring for your business today. Contact We Are Amnet to learn how we can help you achieve your production goals with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
