5 Myths Around Hiring for Non-Accounting Roles

In the recent past, there is no greater advocate for the offshore staffing than the Covid-19 pandemic as it has quite ably depicted that geographic heterogeneity lends consistency to the workforce. The post-pandemic era has witnessed a massive boom in offshore staffing for accounting firms not only during the overwrought tax season, where there is an immense increase in the volume of work, but all around the year, to ensure that systems move smoothly. 

Offshore staffing for accounting roles has become second nature to accounting and CPA firms and similar staffing can be replicated for non-accounting roles at a slow but steady pace. The slight hesitation observed to embrace the staffing for non-accounting roles even after outstanding results for accounting roles, can be owed to the various myths surrounding the same. Here, we address the top 5 myths around hiring for non-accounting roles:

Myth 1: Professionals can only be hired for tax, auditing or accounting roles:

Even though the benefits of offshoring in accounting are evidenced aptly by hires made for accounting roles, the main question plaguing the industry is whether other roles can be outsourced or offshored. Close to 200 of our clients have tried offshore staffing for the following non-accounting roles: 

• Virtual assistants 
• Customer support associates 
• Business development associates 
• Talent acquisition associates 

Though the apprehension behind offshoring for these roles is understandable, the value created by them is unmatched. 

Myth 2: Non-Accounting roles may not add as much value.

When firms think about offshoring, the usual idea is to do it for larger roles where the payback can be tallied in terms of accounting related output. Often overlooked is the role of support functions that keep the cog turning and the machine well-oiled. For smooth functioning of any organization the administrative and logistical wing has to be robust. These tasks, though menial in nature, demand a lot of time from personnel of the highest orders as well. To free up the top management's valuable time, about 60% of jobs must be delegated because they are routine and administrative in nature. Given that you need to seek, interview, and onboard candidates for these positions, hiring for them takes time. All of this trouble is reduced by offshoring.

Myth 3: They cannot speak English the way we do

One thing that can never be replaced is the human touch. Customer service representatives perform one of the most vital roles, and therefore, the trepidation behind offshoring for this role is completely reasonable. However, rest assured, the hired offshore staff comes from a customer service background and has been sufficiently trained for the same. 

Moreover, they have worked with American firms before and have thus received the requisite exposure to the American way. The representatives interact with clients on a daily basis and have gone through extensive voice and accent training to develop the required familiarity with the client. They are well-versed with most client queries and understand the challenges that the client is going through. 

Myth 4: They do not have knowledge about the accounting industry

This is a legitimate concern because personnel hired for non-accounting roles have worked in other industries. At Entigrity, they undergo rigorous training for two-three extensive months. They are trained to understand the functioning and working of an accounting firm and it has often been discerned that these associates end up performing a lot of tasks especially in the back-end which are in the nature of accounting.

Myth 5: The hired associate cannot multitask.

Our experience says that a lot of the hired executives end up performing tasks other than that they were hired for. These are smart people who love a challenge. They are hands on and can adapt to situations very quickly. Non-accounting roles can seamlessly shuffle between tasks of the nature of customer support, administrative support, document management, data entry, process management, following up with the client, invoice follow-ups, basic accounting tasks as well. For instance, the role of an officer manager can be virtualized for firms that operate online. 

Looking beyond traditional roles in offshoring is necessary and will end up saving a lot of time from the plate of some of the most valuable people in the firm. The practice will also create value by completing these tasks in a timely and organized manner which at times becomes impossible due to lack of time. 

How Entigrity can help you?

We have worked hard to ensure that every employee in our company has developed the requisite skills that will help them succeed in the global marketplace. We hire individuals who are inquisitive and hardworking by nature. This makes them quick to adapt to challenging situations and gel well with their peers and the onshore team at large. As is the case with recruiting for accounting roles, you, the client, are in complete control of hiring for non-accounting roles as well. The level of transparency and trust we endeavor to establish will be reflected in this aspect of our partnership as well.