Blog Post
Top 10 reasons to outsource
- by Sharon White
- •
- 14 May, 2019
- •
Why it makes sense to outsource functions within your business
1. Reduce costs
Recruitment is expensive. On-costs soon add up. Desk space, equipment, training... having employees is not cheap. Outsource on an as-needed basis and you pay for the skills and the time with none of the rest of the costs.
2. Retain business focus
Most outsourced tasks are time consuming. Handing them over frees you up to focus on the business functions, strategy and ideas that keep your business working and growing. Handing them over to an external resource rather than delegating to your staff means the whole team maintains focus and can work hard at what they were hired to do.
3. Manage risk
Sometimes, it pays to NOT have all your eggs in one basket. Outsourcing is a contract; it is time limited and there are fewer liabilities. If you find you need to downscale your business suddenly, you don't have the same obligations that you would with employees.
Recruitment is expensive. On-costs soon add up. Desk space, equipment, training... having employees is not cheap. Outsource on an as-needed basis and you pay for the skills and the time with none of the rest of the costs.
2. Retain business focus
Most outsourced tasks are time consuming. Handing them over frees you up to focus on the business functions, strategy and ideas that keep your business working and growing. Handing them over to an external resource rather than delegating to your staff means the whole team maintains focus and can work hard at what they were hired to do.
3. Manage risk
Sometimes, it pays to NOT have all your eggs in one basket. Outsourcing is a contract; it is time limited and there are fewer liabilities. If you find you need to downscale your business suddenly, you don't have the same obligations that you would with employees.
4. Bigger talent pool
Consultants and virtual assistants often have a wide range of expertise and can offer multiple services. Even if they only have one speciality, you can contract them for that one service and then find a new contract for the next skill you need. Businesses rarely have all the talent they require in-house.
5. Flexibility
Be responsive to the changing demands of your business. Instead of finding work for employees to do when business is quiet, just hire external resource as you need them. You can still have continuity if that's important to you, as you build relationships with the consultants and virtual assistants that you use time and again and these dynamic professionals are used to dipping in and out of businesses seamlessly.
6. Fresh eyes
An independent view point is essential for some projects and improvements to really have their maximum impact. You and your staff, skilled and knowledgeable as you are, are often too close to a scenario to view it objectively. The benefit of buying in fresh eyes can not be underestimated.
7. Learn from external experience
An outsource professional has worked with many businesses and comes with knowledge of the learning experiences of all the contracts they have undertaken with all their clients. They have seen so many mistakes and so many successes that they are well equipped to successfully guide you through the contract with the benefit of all those lessons already learned.
Consultants and virtual assistants often have a wide range of expertise and can offer multiple services. Even if they only have one speciality, you can contract them for that one service and then find a new contract for the next skill you need. Businesses rarely have all the talent they require in-house.
5. Flexibility
Be responsive to the changing demands of your business. Instead of finding work for employees to do when business is quiet, just hire external resource as you need them. You can still have continuity if that's important to you, as you build relationships with the consultants and virtual assistants that you use time and again and these dynamic professionals are used to dipping in and out of businesses seamlessly.
6. Fresh eyes
An independent view point is essential for some projects and improvements to really have their maximum impact. You and your staff, skilled and knowledgeable as you are, are often too close to a scenario to view it objectively. The benefit of buying in fresh eyes can not be underestimated.
7. Learn from external experience
An outsource professional has worked with many businesses and comes with knowledge of the learning experiences of all the contracts they have undertaken with all their clients. They have seen so many mistakes and so many successes that they are well equipped to successfully guide you through the contract with the benefit of all those lessons already learned.
8. Try before you buy
Sort of... You can often get access to reviews and testimonials from other clients and have a sense of what kind of service you will get before you contract an outsource professional. That's a better picture than the references on an employee CV which are often impersonal and provided by someone who didn't even know the individual in question. Depending on the type of work you're outsourcing, you could also have access to a portfolio of previous work that evidences ability and gives you even greater confidence.
9. Beat the budget
Oftentimes, external consultant services are from a separate budget to your staffing and recruitment ones. The costs of outsource contracts can also sometimes be absorbed within project budgets, so even if you don't have any room in the employee budget, you don't have to go without the skills you need.
10. Build partnerships
Forging relationships with outsource businesses creates mutual benefits. Business supporting business is exactly what the economy needs and the more businesses you interact with, the more awareness there is of your business "out there". Recommendations, promoting each other, raising each other's profile; strong business partnerships can benefit us all.
Sort of... You can often get access to reviews and testimonials from other clients and have a sense of what kind of service you will get before you contract an outsource professional. That's a better picture than the references on an employee CV which are often impersonal and provided by someone who didn't even know the individual in question. Depending on the type of work you're outsourcing, you could also have access to a portfolio of previous work that evidences ability and gives you even greater confidence.
9. Beat the budget
Oftentimes, external consultant services are from a separate budget to your staffing and recruitment ones. The costs of outsource contracts can also sometimes be absorbed within project budgets, so even if you don't have any room in the employee budget, you don't have to go without the skills you need.
10. Build partnerships
Forging relationships with outsource businesses creates mutual benefits. Business supporting business is exactly what the economy needs and the more businesses you interact with, the more awareness there is of your business "out there". Recommendations, promoting each other, raising each other's profile; strong business partnerships can benefit us all.