Outsourcing, this is always a topic that is either something that you are interested in or something that you know that you don’t like to do.
Outsourcing has evolved over the past 5 years, and with COVID, there are plenty of local options now which means that outsourcing has become an important part of any business strategy.
Let’s get real! Outsourcing is perfect for those that need those small ad hoc tasks completed or even something as simple as writing up a resume. The amount of people who now have home-based businesses that specialise in admin to marketing is vast, so why not use them as an additional resource to free up your time?
What is Outsourcing:
Outsourcing is the process of enlisting external individuals or organisations to handle particular tasks or services instead of relying on yourself or internal resources. It offers both benefits and drawbacks, which I will elaborate on:
Pros of Outsourcing:
Cost savings:
Outsourcing helps reduce operational costs. Outsourcing can provide access to skilled resources at a total cost, because you might only need them to do a task that only takes 3 hours, compared to hiring a staff member part-time to do it.
Focus on your core activities:
Outsourcing allows a company to focus on the areas that you are more skilled in or the activities that are more important for you and your company.
Access to an endless amount of talent:
Outsourcing allows businesses to tap into a talent pool and access specialised skills that may not be readily available within your current staff members or yourself.
Flexibility:
Outsourcing provides the flexibility to scale operations or budgets, you are able to dictate when you need someone, or when you don’t.
Cons of Outsourcing:
Quality control and communication challenges:
Outsourcing’s main difficulty is the level of trust that you need to have in the resource. When beginning you will need to ensure that you have effective communication about what you need and need to have a small amount of time to check work and ensure that they follow what you need.
Security and confidentiality risks:
Sharing sensitive information with external parties raises concerns about data security and intellectual property protection. There are plenty of ways to help with this, just Google ‘data password protection’ and there are browser apps that can help with this.
Dependency on third-party providers:
Outsourcing means that you need to be co-dependant on external resources for the long haul and that you need to spend some time making sure that they are doing what you need. When you have the right person, this isn’t an issue, but you do need to test them and see if they are the right fit.
You will lose control:
Outsourcing means you need to lose the control you had over the current task. You need to trust them, rely on them, and allow them to complete the tasks without your full input. Managers that lead a team usually don’t have a problem with this, but if you are new to the management game then you will need to learn how to delegate.
What can you outsource?
There is a number of tasks you can outsource, but here are the ideas that we have come up with:
· Bookkeeping and Accounting
· Administrations and Personal Assistants – Look up VA’s?
· Creative/graphic design
· Web development
· Online and Digital Marketing – Social Media etc
· Photographer and Videographer
· Search engine optimization (SEO) work
· Proposal writing/Copywriting
· Sales and Customer Service
· Warehouse and Distribution of Goods
· Getting your groceries home delivered or getting a house cleaner
It’s important for companies to carefully evaluate their needs, conduct thorough research, and consider the potential advantages and disadvantages before deciding to outsource. Each situation is unique, and the decision to outsource should align with the company’s overall strategic goals and objectives.
If you are looking to outsource any of your Marketing or Copywriting needs, then drop Chrissy an email chrissy@creativelittlesoul.com.au we’d love to hear from you