It’s never been easier to start a new business on a shoestring budget than now. An entrepreneur may start a firm with just a laptop and a smartphone, thanks to the abundance of low-cost technologies. However, doing that business, a tremendous success, takes a lot of labor, sweat, and maybe even tears. You’ll likely put in long hours whether you’re a one-person company or have a large team to start.
Outsourcing
Because outsourcing is a word that many people associate with negativity, it’s understandable that many new small business owners are hesitant to use it.
All businesses, however, have some form of cooperation with other firms. For example, it’s usual for businesses to have contracts with companies that manage everything from IT assistance and bookkeeping to office supply stocking, shipping, and delivering refreshments for the employee break room, and so on.
Fortunately, programs that might help ease some of the stress are now readily available. Each of these services is a must-have for your business toolset, whether it’s to help you save time or be more productive.
Let’s take a look at each one individually.
IT Support:
The last thing you need in your day is a broken computer. However, you’ll likely need tech help at some point with your smartphone, laptop, and any printers or copiers you use. Unfortunately, many local providers have limited hours and charge a hefty fee to visit you.
In today’s environment, if a corporation ignores technology improvements, it will fall behind.
Good IT services are critical to the success of your company as you will require their assistance in the following areas:
- Hardware choice and installation
- Advanced security measures to prevent data loss and breaches
- Back-ups and safety protocols to keep operations running smoothly
- The most effective apps and systems.
Only properly installed and configured technology can assist you. Shortcuts can result in system failures, security breaches, and a decline in the system’s effectiveness and lifespan. Instead, have your hardware, software, and security systems installed by a qualified specialist.
- With correct installation, you can enjoy longer use and more cost-effective solutions over time.
- Trained and responsible IT specialists set up, maintain, and improve your company’s day-to-day and long-term operations.
- Reduce downtime and increase overall productivity by reducing difficulties, delays, and errors.
Social Media Management:
Small and medium-sized businesses can use social media to increase brand awareness, generate new business leads, and improve customer-company connections, among other things.
If you run a small business on your own or with a small team, you probably don’t have time to handle even the most basic business tasks, let alone think about what you need to publish on Twitter and Facebook to increase exposure. In this case, outsourcing social media management makes sense.
Here are some of the advantages of using an outsourced social media marketing service:
- You’ll get expert assistance.
- Your staff won’t be distracted.
- You’ll save money.
- You’ll get the right marketing mix.
- You can beat your competitors.
- You won’t miss out on posting content.
Accounting:
To avoid hassle during tax season, a company’s bookkeeping is crucial. Every town, fortunately, has a plethora of accounting services. Even your bookkeeping duties can be outsourced for a lower cost than you might believe. It’s advisable to hire an accountant right away when you establish your business. A skilled accountant can show you how to take advantage of various tax incentives to save money and keep your business running smoothly.
Outsourced accounting, therefore, means hiring a service that provides a full accounting department experience. This often includes daily transaction coding, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and taxation to financial reporting management.
Marketing:
For small businesses, eCommerce and social selling have made internet marketing, web stores, and social media more important than ever. However, having full-time PR, social media, and web design tasks in-house is neither financially practical nor the greatest use of resources for most companies. According to a poll, small business owners spend about 33 hours each week on marketing. A high percentage of this group (76%) said they don’t have enough time in the day to get everything done.
Professional marketing agencies and companies of all sizes and across all industries use outsourced marketing. Even inside larger businesses, individual experts and practices frequently seek outside marketing help.
Companies outsource some or all of their marketing for a variety of reasons. Here are a few examples of common scenarios:
- A small business cannot afford to hire full-time marketing. Outsourcing allows them to spend more time serving their clients, which is often billable time.
- A large firm understands that outsourcing certain functions, such as content marketing, can be cheaper and higher than doing it themselves.
- A marketing department hires an outside marketing business to do mundane, repetitive, or time-consuming duties like email campaign planning and set up to focus on more strategic responsibilities.
Customer Support:
Smaller firms may not always be able to afford to hire qualified or dedicated customer service personnel. This usually means that office staff or salespeople are in charge of this task, splitting their time between recruiting new customers and keeping old ones happy.
Outsourcing to a contact center may give you the extra hand you need to handle consumer calls. However, business owners should carefully consider their options due to the large range of costs and services. For example, cloud-based services or solutions with shared agents might be less expensive.
Concluding Thoughts:
Every business relies on the goods and services of other businesses. It’s usual to have contracts with companies that handle everything from IT assistance and accountancy to office supply stocking, shipping, and supplying refreshments to the employee break room.
These can be beneficial in terms of saving time and money, as well as enhancing output. If you’re a small business with limited resources, you may start by investing in the outsourced services indicated above and grow from there.
In any event, keep in mind that outsourcing can be a cost-effective approach to grow your company’s skills while concentrating on your core competencies. When hiring full-time staff, using freelance or contract labor is one of the best methods to save money, saving you anywhere from 30% to 50%.
Other advantages include reduced risk, improved compliance, and increased resource control. But, most importantly, outsourcing allows you to refocus your goals as a business owner or manager and avoid wasting time, money, and talent (including your own) on a task that may be done more efficiently by someone outside your organization.
