Outsourcing has been shown to be a proven strategy that gives your business access to the expertise and resources that you may not have within the company.
If you don’t have an SEO wizard working for you directly, for instance, you might decide to use some top link building services in order to get the results you want without having someone directly on the payroll.
That is one aspect of your business that could be ripe for outsourcing. Which other parts of your business could benefit from being outsourced?
About a third of all SMEs tend to use outsourcing as part of their business plans. Here are some of the areas that could be outsourced, helping to improve your performance as a result.
Keeping a close eye on your finances
One of the most obvious areas of your business that could benefit from being outsourced is accounting.
If you don’t have the financial qualifications, acumen, or time, to keep on top of all the financial aspects of running a business such as payroll and cash flow forecasts, it makes a lot of sense to build a relationship with an external supplier.
The right level of IT know-how
Another popular area of outsourcing is IT management.
Most businesses rely on having a reliable and functioning IT system. You also need someone on hand who can fix problems in a hurry and minimize any downtime.
It can be very expensive to recruit a full-time IT person, especially if your company isn’t large enough to justify the expenditure. A cost-effective solution would be to outsource your IT requirements so that you have access to expertise as and when you need it.
The ability to give great customer service
Providing 24-hour customer support is not something that a small business would normally be able to offer.
However, outsourcing customer service and support services can prove to be very worthwhile from a customer satisfaction perspective and the ability to grow your business when you are giving your customers great service around the clock.
A good way of handling admin tasks
A real growth area in outsourcing is the availability of virtual assistants and general admin support.
Mundane and repetitive tasks can often be outsourced at a very competitive rate when compared to what it costs to employ a team of people directly.
Finding a suitable delivery solution
Packing and shipping your orders can be very time-consuming and expensive to arrange. A cost-effective alternative that many businesses consider is to outsource their shipping and logistics requirements.
If you have an e-commerce business, this makes sound financial sense. You can focus on getting the orders and keeping customers happy, knowing that the delivery of those orders is in good hands.
These are some prime examples of how outsourcing can provide a viable solution.
As your business grows, you may have the budget and infrastructure to take on some of these tasks in-house. However, some large companies still use outsourcing even when they have the ability to handle tasks internally, mainly because it makes financial sense to do so.
When you look at what you have to gain, it’s easy to see why outsourcing can be such a popular option.
