My experience is that if a client feels you are outsourcing or someone else is doing the work you were hired for they tend to get antsy and it may shake your professional foundation with said client. Make sure the professional relationship can handle it.

With that said I think that the better route would be to call them your assistant and not mention anything about them not being in your office or the word 'outsourcing' but only if the client really needs to know. Outsourcing is great but can give a bad taste in some relationships.

When you buy something at Walmart they don't tell you the names of the specific people that worked on making your item. The same principle goes here. Who does the work is unimportant as long as it is quality and meets the requirements and deadline.

Having an assistant is a total different mindset for a client than your outsourcing the work they have outsourced to you. If you tell your client, watch your wording and you should be fine

I like the points made about using the term "outsourcing". I added verbiage to my contract several months ago in order to keep the option open and ensure that I'm up front with my clients. The language I use indicates that I may subcontract to other VAs and that I would inform/ask permission in advance only if the work required access to passwords or other client specific information the client has entrusted to me.

Two of my existing clients were understanding and supportive of the possibility of subcontracting work, however I have had difficulty finding tasks that don't require access to multiple systems and/or a fair amount of training. So, as much as I like the idea, I haven't taken advantage of subcontractors much. I'm hoping to change that in 2011!

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Katie Bauer - Effective Virtual Assistance, LLC
www.effectiveva.com

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

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Christine Thomas
Social Pepper

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.

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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.

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Christine Thomas
Social Pepper

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.

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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.