When starting your own business, you might know from the beginning that there could be certain jobs you won’t be able to do yourself. There are two ways you can tackle this, firstly you could try to learn the different roles and implement them into your business, or you could try to outsource these jobs to other companies. Many business owners choose the second option mainly because it frees up time for them to devote other areas of the business. Here are some examples of areas that you can outsource from your business.
Went to Outsource
Deciding when to outsource is usually different depending on the company. Some companies decide that rather than have in-house workers to do various jobs it can be more efficient and more cost effective to use outside agencies. Other businesses decide from the beginning that they want to outsource because it can be easier than hiring dedicated staff. Between the two it is probably easier to begin outsourcing from the beginning. That way you don’t have the difficult decision of letting staff go whose jobs will be replaced by outsourcing, and you also don’t have to deal with the dropping staff morale as a result.
Deciding What to Outsource
If you’re a new company and there are jobs that you don’t have the experience to tackle yourself, then these can be an obvious choice for outsourcing. However, if you have an existing company with the established workforce, then deciding what you want to give to outside businesses can be difficult. For the most part, many companies outsource jobs that are relatively low in expertise such as cleaning and low-level admin work. However, there is an opportunity for you to use outsourcing for any role within your company. For example, there are certain highly skilled jobs such as bookkeepers that might not necessarily need a dedicated job role. Another area is IT support especially if you have your systems in the cloud rather than servers in your office.
Training
One area of business that lends itself quite well to outsourcing is training. That’s because training is used on an ad hoc basis such as when new staff arrives, or new procedures are put in place. You can also read more about other types of training that may be needed online such as safety training and data security. There are now many companies that can provide on-site training for your business and they are up to date with the most modern techniques. Some companies also utilize online training for other areas of their business such as tutorials for using new software and customer service training.
Finding the Right Companies
Before you hand over control of some of your tasks to other companies, it is important that you thoroughly research and vet them first. This applies to whatever job you are considering outsourcing whether it be a CEO or a cleaner as they were will have access to your systems and the quality of their work impacts on the others in your office. Although outsourcing for you could be a way to try and become more efficient and save money that doesn’t mean you should simply accept the lowest offer when it comes to companies working with you. First and foremost, this is a partnership between you and them so it’s important that you both have similar goals and work ethics.
Security Considerations
One of the biggest hurdles when allowing other companies into your office is security. If you regularly deal with sensitive information, allowing others into the office who you haven’t been vetted by your company can be difficult. This is where good research and careful consideration can be important. There are many companies out there that specialize in high-security work and while this may cost slightly more than other outsourcing companies the benefits outweigh such issues.
Freelancers
One area that has taken off in a big way in recent years is freelancing. For many companies, it offers the perfect balance between ad-hoc workers and cost savings. There are many areas of your business where freelancers can be utilized such as repetitive admin tasks, accounting, and web design. They can be particularly useful for the online business or where someone runs a business from home, as you may not have space or the budget to employ full-time staff.
Make Sure Your Procedures Are up to Date
Some bosses may think that when they hire an outsourcing company they automatically know how to do the job they ask them to do. However, in many cases even though the job maybe similar, procedures can differ between different companies. That is why it’s important that you have up-to-date procedures and, in some cases, step-by-step guides on how to perform certain tasks. It might also be a good idea to have someone on hand to go through the tasks with the new person before they start. This isn’t always possible as some outsourcing companies can provide different workers each day. You should also ensure that any staff from outside companies are aware of fire safety precautions and also where the muster points are in case of a fire.
Integration
Even though staff from outside companies are not working with your staff on a day-to-day basis it is important that they are made to feel part of your company and are integrated into the business as much as possible. You should also speak to your staff and let them know about new members that may be joining the office from other companies. Wherever possible you want to try and avoid a ‘them and us’scenario, so you should encourage your existing workforce to be friendly and cooperative with these new workers. If issues do arise it is vital that you deal with them as soon as possible to avoid any ongoing conflicts.
In the end, it is down to your own best judgment whether you decide to utilize outsourcing or not for your company. However, if you do choose to go down this route it is important to prepare properly and do your research.
