business
When you run a business, there are plenty of jobs you simply don’t have time for because you’re off making your business great. Fortunately, you can outsource plenty of mundane administrative jobs that will save you time. Outsourcing processes will save you time long term and short term because you won’t have to hire new staff. You don’t have to outsource everything, so choose your least favorite task and get someone else to do it. Throughout this article, we will help you decide which processes to outsource.
What Is Outsourcing?
Outsourcing is exactly what it says on the tin. It is the word used to describe the process of businesses using external companies to carry out a service. For small businesses, this lets the focus be on increasing revenue while being safe in the knowledge that other tasks will be completed accurately. Outsourcing your least favorite jobs is a great way to get more enjoyment out of your business. With that in mind, let’s dive into some menial tasks.
Human Resources
HR relates to any task surrounding people, including hiring, onboarding, and payroll. This isn’t everyone’s favorite task, but it’s essential in building a peaceful and productive work environment. If you can’t think of anything worse than collating payroll information each period, you can outsource your payroll administration to experts like G&A Partners. Now, you can focus on jobs you enjoy knowing that your workforce is getting paid correctly.
IT Management
IT is enormous, so it’s not a surprise that it’s one of the largest outsourcing areas. This is because of the rise in businesses that offer remote solutions. 2021 has seen outsourced IT services climb to a global worth $85.6 billion. A great example is, if you need confidence in your system security, you can outsource your cybersecurity to an external expert.
Accounting
Surprisingly, this is one of the most popular areas for businesses to outsource, especially if you’re a math dodger. Tackling the accounts can take a very long time if you’re trained adequately, and this is time you could be putting elsewhere. Therefore, let someone else take care of your accounts. Professional accountants can take care of multiple business accounts simultaneously, using their ninja-like math skills.
Sales
Depending on what your business entails, you may not have the expertise on board to set up funnels, make sales calls, and set up closing processes. Luckily, you can outsource your entire sales process. These third-party companies will help bring in more business than you could have on your own – more business equates to more revenue. Once your business begins to grow, there’s nothing to stop you from hiring your own sales team and reaping the benefits.
Manufacturing
For small businesses, setting up an internal manufacturing chain can be difficult and extremely expensive. Therefore, many businesses take care of the sales of their products while outsourcing the manufacturing process. If you are in the US, you will likely find domestic manufacturing – considering the fact that 18% of the global manufacturing shares are there. This will save you money on opting for a global manufacturer.
Marketing
Growing your business takes hard time and dedication, especially in this day and age. Gone are the days when you could just knock together an ad for the paper and a speech for the radio – you need to dominate the entire online world now. So, why not let an expert do it? Once you’ve got everything in place, you can hand your social media and brand accounts to an external party to take care of. Further, these companies do marketing for a living and will often help you with the creative elements of your marketing content – this can have an amazing ROI.
Customer Service
Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business. After all, they are what make the wheels turn. If your business deals mainly with online customers, you can outsource the entire process to an external agency. For example, you can offer out-of-hours services by bringing in external help. Further, you can manage the online chat aspect of customer service by outsourcing.
Administration
Answering emails, picking up the phone, and photocopying thousands of prints – who’s got time for that? If you answered, ‘no one’, you are likely correct. However, it’s an essential part of business and needs carrying out by someone. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be you. For example, you can hire a virtual assistant to manage your inboxes and schedule social media posts. If you do this right, you can end up making money from your investment. You can pay as little as $10 an hour for the pleasure.
Research
Running a business entails plenty of research including marketing research. The research process takes time, and you may not have room in the schedule once your business is up and running. However, it’s an important process before making any key changes. For example, if you’re launching a new product, you need to understand the target audience and draw up estimated projections. If you don’t have time for it, you can outsource the research process to an external company. A dedicated team of researchers may be able to find deeper insights and end up making you more money.
Logistics and Shipping
In the same way that you can outsource your manufacturing process, you can leave the logistical side of your business to a professional external company. This is a fantastic option for eCommerce businesses that just want to focus on their online market. Knowing that your products are arriving securely, you can work on the marketing side of your business.
There are hundreds of jobs that need completing when you run a business. Some of these can be time-consuming. Luckily, for the majority of the most hated jobs, there’s an outsourcing option. Outsourcing your business will save you time by not having to worry about the task and by not having to hunt for fresh talent.
