Have you ever wondered if your business is too small to outsource? Outsourcing improves your work/life balance and saves you money and energy at the same time. As such, outsourcing is very useful for every business in one way or the other. However, the dynamics may differ on the type of business, location, etcetera. Outsourcing plays a big role in every business and also serves as a stepping stone into the future of work.
Many small businesses rarely know the right time to outsource especially as they expand and break new ground. In this article, we discuss the dynamics of outsourcing as a small business, why you should outsource, areas to outsource, costs and the benefits of outsourcing as a small business. These factors will give you a clear picture of whether or not your business should consider outsourcing.
Why should you outsource elements of your business?
There are many reasons why you should outsource elements of your small business. Some aspects of your business are best handled by professionals who you may not want to take on full-time to minimize cost. The following reasons are why your small business should be considering outsourcing:
Expertise
You need professionals in every aspect of your business from accounting to customer service to IT. As a small business, you may not have the ability to employ the people needed to fulfil all those services on a full-time basis. However, outsourcing could have you benefiting from the talent you need, when you need it.
Repetitive tasks
Several repetitive tasks like data entry, accounts payable, etcetera could be conveniently outsourced to give you more time to grow and expand your business.
Should a Small Business Outsource – Cost vs Benefits?
Small businesses are usually in the dilemma of trying to work everything on their own and budgeting as much as they can. This may not be an advantage as your location, skill level and type of business could be significant pointers to the growth of your business.
Outsourcing allows you to build a team of professionals without having to shoulder the cost of full-time employment. You also avoid being drawn back by tasks that can be completed without necessarily needing your attention. Outsourcing helps to remove wasted time and eradicate inefficiency, so you can focus on the bigger picture, charting the course and moving your business forward.
Outsourcing could also pose some disadvantages, including language barriers, time zone challenges, and security risks, including customer data and company information management. However, if you are working with an experienced, well-known outsourcing company, those issues will no longer be relevant because your company is safe in the hands of experienced experts.
In comparison to the disadvantages, outsourcing can help you grow and expand while keeping your expenses in control. It gives the advantage of outsourcing different aspects of your small business, making it flexible and scalable.
Areas that you can outsource
Accounting
If you are not an accountant or a financial expert of some sort, learning the whole process of accounting alongside compliance with laws and regulations can be a daunting task. Outsourcing this aspect is very important as it helps you save money at the same time increasing efficiency.
Marketing
Outsourcing your marketing could be one of the best decisions you can make for your small business. This multifaceted aspect of your business can easily be done by an expert marketer or reputable firm. You would not have to bother about ad designs, social media, content creation, ads optimisation (daunting, isn’t it?). The advantage of their experience will help your company save money and grow faster.
Administrative Tasks
This is one of the most outsourced areas of any business. There are administrative tasks, often repetitive that are best outsourced to virtual assistants. This is one of the best ways to cut costs and save time for your small business.
Shipping and Logistics
If you are a small business in manufacturing or e-commerce, a great option is to outsource your shipping and related logistics. This helps you avoid the human and resource capital needed to set up an efficient logistics department. It also helps you free up time to focus on running and scaling the business. Overall, a seamless delivery experience by a professional improves customer service.
Customer Service
As a small business that needs to communicate constantly with customers or new leads, it is best to outsource your customer service. Most businesses will need to communicate to their customers either through telephone calls, social media, or email. The time and resources needed to train a dedicated customer service staff are not a luxury small businesses have. So, typically, this task is given to office staff or salespeople who have to divide their time between keeping old customers happy and acquiring new ones. However, outsourcing to a contact centre prevents these issues and helps the business save a lot of money while maximizing productivity.
Outsourcing Your Customer Service for Small Businesses
Managing small businesses comes with a lot of challenges especially during growth. A great way to scale especially with limited resources is to outsource your customer service department to an established contact centre. Advantages of outsourcing your customer service department include:
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Dedicated team
The idea of allowing someone else to pick up your customers’ calls may send some business owners into a cold sweat. But those same business owners simply do not have the time and flexibility needed to handle customer interaction especially for live chats and phone calls. On the other hand, it is expensive to create a department for that sole purpose and even worse to assign it to other departments. Outsourcing gives you the advantage of a dedicated team that is fully present.
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Flexibility
A contact centre, especially one like WeAnswer, is flexible, which means you can easily upscale or downgrade your services. So, if you need support beyond your business hours or you need to shut down for a while, an outsourced team would be the most flexible and practical option. Also, if your business is seasonal in nature, outsourcing will be the perfect option for you as you can easily scale up or scale down support hours.
Reduced Cost
An outsourced team saves you lots of money as a small business as you do not need to hire full-time customer service staff. It saves you from having to invest in equipment or a bigger building to house your team. This makes a lot of business sense especially for a small business that is trying to cut costs.
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Access to the best technology
Contact centres are usually operating the best technology available such as the top line of IVR and VOIP technology. Their job is to provide the best customer service possible for businesses they are partnering with.
Wrapping up
Outsourcing is great for extending and scaling while you focus on growth and your core competencies. With outsourcing, you get better compliance and greater control of your resources. It cuts waste and helps a business owner refocus on priorities and solving problems. All small businesses will benefit richly from outsourcing their customer service regardless of location, type of business and customer demographics. If you’re a small business and realise there’s never been a better time to outsource, then speak to one of our experts who will be glad to run through all the benefits of outsourcing.
