Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about building and managing an offshore team with afi.
1. What does an outsourcing company in Sri Lanka do?
An outsourcing company in Sri Lanka provides businesses with skilled professionals and dedicated teams to handle specific business functions remotely. AFI provides offshore talent across customer support, finance and accounting, IT, digital marketing, administration, and other business functions.
2. Why should US companies consider offshore outsourcing in Sri Lanka?
Offshore outsourcing in Sri Lanka gives US companies access to a highly educated, English-speaking talent pool, combined with significant cost efficiencies and the ability to scale teams as business needs evolve. Sri Lanka has a high literacy rate, contributing to a strong pool of educated and professionally trained talent. English is widely used in business and professional environments, and Sri Lankan professionals are known for their clear, easy-to-understand English with a neutral accent, making communication with US-based teams straightforward. Sri Lanka is particularly well suited for IT, finance and accounting, customer support, digital marketing services, and back-office operations.
3. What BPO services does AFI provide in Sri Lanka?
AFI provides BPO services in Sri Lanka across customer support, finance and accounting, IT support, administration, digital marketing, virtual assistants, Edu Talent services, HR support, and other back-office functions. Businesses can outsource an individual function or build a dedicated offshore team.
4. Can I outsource my customer support team to Sri Lanka?
Yes. Businesses can outsource a customer support team to AFI and build a dedicated offshore team around their requirements. Services can include customer service, technical support, administrative assistance, lead qualification, and other customer-facing functions.
5. How does accounting outsourcing work with an offshore team?
Accounting outsourcing services allow businesses to delegate selected finance and accounting activities to a dedicated offshore team. Depending on requirements, this can include bookkeeping, accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations, financial reporting, payroll support, and other accounting processes. AFI’s finance and accounting professionals can work with leading accounting and ERP systems such as QuickBooks, SAP, and other platforms, allowing our offshore teams to integrate with the systems and workflows already used by your business.
6. Can a US company hire an offshore IT support team through AFI?
Yes. AFI can provide an offshore IT support team for businesses that need additional technical resources without expanding their entire in-house IT department. Teams can support help desk operations, technical assistance, system administration, application support, and other IT functions.
7. What virtual assistant services are available in Sri Lanka?
Virtual assistants in Sri Lanka can support businesses with administrative tasks, customer service, research, data management, education support, IT-related tasks, and other day-to-day operations. AFI can provide individual virtual assistants or larger dedicated support teams.
8. Can I outsource a remote team instead of hiring individual freelancers?
Yes. Businesses can outsource a remote team through AFI’s staff augmentation model, giving you access to dedicated professionals who become an extension of your existing team. You can hire an exclusive resource who works 8 hours per day, aligned with your business requirements and working hours, while AFI manages recruitment, onboarding, HR, Payroll management and administrative support. This allows you to expand your team without the overhead of directly hiring and managing employees in another country.
9. What is shared services outsourcing?
Shared services outsourcing involves accessing a centralized team to handle specific business functions or tasks without assigning an exclusive resource to your company. Unlike staff augmentation, this model is task-based or hours-based, allowing you to use AFI’s resources only when you need them. This can include finance, HR administration, customer support, IT, marketing, data entry, and other back-office functions, providing a flexible and cost-effective alternative to maintaining dedicated full-time resources.
10. What is an offshore staff augmentation team?
A staff augmentation offshore team allows businesses to add skilled professionals to their existing workforce without directly recruiting and employing those resources. AFI operates on a staff augmentation model, providing dedicated professionals who work as an extension of your in-house team.
Clients can select resources based on their required skills, experience, and role, with an exclusive resource working 8 hours per day as part of their team. AFI manages the recruitment, onboarding, HR, payroll, and administrative aspects, while the client manages the resource’s day-to-day work and responsibilities.
11. Is offshore outsourcing suitable for small and medium-sized US businesses?
Yes. Small and medium-sized US businesses can use offshore outsourcing to access specialized talent, manage recurring operational work, and scale their teams without taking on the full cost of expanding an internal workforce.
12. What business functions can US companies outsource to Sri Lanka?
US companies can outsource functions including customer support, finance and accounting, IT support, virtual assistance, digital marketing, social media management, administration, HR and recruitment support, data operations, and other back-office services.
13. What is the difference between outsourcing and staff augmentation?
Outsourcing generally involves transferring responsibility for a specific business function or process to an external provider. Staff augmentation adds external professionals directly to an existing internal team. AFI supports both models depending on the client’s requirements.
14. How quickly can AFI build an offshore team for a US company?
AFI can typically source one offshore resource within a minimum of 2 weeks, depending on the role, skills, experience, and specific requirements. For larger teams or highly specialized positions, the timeline may vary. AFI works closely with clients to understand their requirements, shortlist suitable candidates, and support the recruitment and onboarding process.
15. How does AFI manage communication with US-based clients?
AFI’s offshore teams can work with the communication and collaboration tools already used by the client and follow their preferred reporting structures and workflows. AFI can also source resources who are willing to work in US business hours, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration with US-based teams. Working hours and communication processes can be aligned with each client’s specific requirements.
16. Why choose AFI for outsourcing services in Sri Lanka?
AFI combines Sri Lankan talent with a flexible outsourcing and staff augmentation model for international businesses. Companies can build dedicated teams across customer support, IT, finance and accounting, digital services, administration, and other business functions.
17. Can AFI help a US company start with one offshore employee and scale later?
Yes. Companies can start with a single dedicated resource or a small team and expand their offshore remote team as their business requirements grow.
18. How can a US company find skilled offshore talent in Sri Lanka?
A US company can partner with an established outsourcing company in Sri Lanka such as AFI to identify, recruit, and onboard professionals based on specific role requirements. This allows businesses to access local talent without establishing their own recruitment and operational infrastructure in Sri Lanka.
19. How much can a US company save by outsourcing to Sri Lanka?
US companies can achieve up to 60% cost savings by outsourcing roles to Sri Lanka through AFI, depending on the position, experience level, and team requirements. In addition to lower staffing costs, businesses can reduce expenses related to recruitment, infrastructure, benefits, and other employment overheads. AFI can structure an offshore solution around your specific requirements while maintaining access to skilled, dedicated professionals.
20. How does AFI protect client data and maintain confidentiality?
AFI understands that data security and confidentiality are critical when working with an offshore partner. We follow established security policies and processes to protect client information and can work within the client’s required security, access-control, and confidentiality standards. AFI also signs Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with clients to formally protect confidential business information, data, and intellectual property. Access to systems and information can be structured according to each client’s specific requirements.