I guess I am on the ropes with questions. I am not sure wether or not you should tell a client but i would say when in doubt tell your client

The issue I see is the risk of privacy and confidentiality for your client. How are you protecting their information and is it sensitive? I personally would disclose that it could be outsourced but if it is then the entity doing the work would need to sign a NDA with me to protect my client.

my 2 cent

__________________
Christine Thomas -"It's that Simple"
Assistants Made Simple

I am torn on this one also...and everyone seems to have good points. I would say it would depend on the client and the job. If there is any sort of liability involved then I would disclose it.

__________________
Stasie Young | Dynasty WorldWide
Allen, Texas | www.dynastywwnow.com

But thats the thing, I would opt for always protecting yourself against that because you don't always see the risk ahead of time.

__________________
Christine Thomas -"It's that Simple"
Assistants Made Simple

I would definitely disclose if you are sub-contracting but always do your "due-diligence" and screen & run background on your assistant and ensure your client that they will sign a non-disclosure statement (very important to most clients to ensure their info is protected) and that you will be ensuring the quality of work submitted.

I believe they will be alot more comfortable with working with you if you provide these few key elements in your proposal or contract with them!

I agree- honest and upfront is good. Clients want to know you have their best interest at heart and they will still be connected to you and taken care of.

__________________

I like the idea of putting the information right in your contract with them. That way, it's up front and yet you control whether you need to outsource it or not. Great suggestions everyone! If anyone has that language they used in their contract, I would be interested.

I sub out 95% of my business. My business model is built on the premise that I am the Business Developer/Online Business Manager and work is done by my team members who are subconsultants. All team members are on a subconsultant agreement, signed onto a Code of Ethics, Insured, and pay a technology fee for being part of our online systems. There is great value to the client to have a manager of their outsourced projects, to have someone to match up the talent, to track progress, and to deliver. Key to this arrangement is clear business agreements, clear expectations, and communication standards.

I am afraid that I am going to "swim against the current" on this one.

I feel that clients look at the firm as a whole, when it comes to reputation. especially since, if there is a problem, the "buck stops" with me.

I don;t feel the need to inform the client that I have subcontracted the work out, since the bottom line is that the work meet or exceed the client's expectations.

I have a friend who does mostly medical transcription, but will take other work sometimes. On a few occasions when I was swamped and she wasn't, I'd take a project that had many different recordings and would give some to her. She did the work on those and sent the transcripts to me. I reviewed them slightly and then sent on to my client. On these I did not tell my client I was giving some of the work to someone else. I've know this person for years and her work is impeccable.

If I were to hire someone else as a subcontractor, I would definitely discuss that with my client.

__________________
Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in the Richmond, Virginia area
The Perfect Word Transcription Services