Offshoring: Ditch the jargon and front up to customers

Companies have been warned they will face the wrath of angry customers and a blood-thirsty media if they try to hide their real motives for moving work to cheaper overseas locations.

Radio 4 presenter and media communications advisor Liz Barclay, speaking at a Offshore Customer Management event in London today, said the initial customer and media backlash over UK work moving offshore to countries such as India was due to a failure by firms to communicate what they were doing and why they were doing it.

"If you try to hide something like that and it comes out, it looks like you are trying to hide something. It looks like you are simply moving jobs overseas to use cheaper labour and boost company profits," she said.

Barclay said if businesses have done due diligence and have sound reasons for moving the work overseas and openly communicate that then they will probably be pleasantly surprised by the reaction.

"You can't afford to have untrue stories being reported because you haven't said anything at all. Take the chance but be absolutely clear, have a watertight case and don't spin it. If you can't reassure them you won't have their support," she said.

Businesses were also told to ditch confusing industry jargon if they want to get through to staff and customers.

"It's not clear to anyone what it is. Ditch 'offshoring' and tell your customers what you are really trying to do," she said.