Every small business owner needs to wear multiple hats when launching their business. In the beginning this is very common since each process doesn’t demand full-time attention. However there comes a point in every business’s lifespan where it’s no longer sustainable to be the one man army. Now you’re faced with the option to hire some employees or maybe consider outsourcing.
Outsourcing is a great way to delegate work when you’re just starting up. As you outsource work to different individuals or firms, you’re able to efficiently target areas of the business that need immediate help. Since these contractors are experts in the area, you don’t have to spend the time and money training employees.
Here are 4 departments you might want to consider outsourcing for your small business:
Accounting
Multitasking is bad. In fact, when you try and juggle multiple projects at once you may experience a 40 percent drop in your productivity. Not only that, it’s estimated that multitasking costs the global economy over $400 billion every year. That said, it’s very important to focus on one task and that’s especially true when it comes to your accounting.
Whether you’re an accounting whiz or not, you should definitely look to outsource your bookkeeping. Finding a firm or independent contractor may be expensive so make sure you explore all your options before finalizing. A strategy worth looking at is to find a cloud accounting software that lets you handle invoicing and other related finances online. Then, you can contract a less specialized individual to manage that account. Take a look at some of the top payments companies and find a service that is affordable and easy to use.
Marketing
It’s very important to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has the inherent skills to become a successful marketer. However, if you aren’t naturally savvy it will take up an immense amount of time. Depending on your marketing strategy I suggest outsourcing this to an individual or potentially an agency.
One marketing strategy that works great for small businesses is content marketing. Content marketing is typically a lot less “aggressive” and is a great way to generate leads as well as expose your brand. In order to be successful at this you need to produce consistent and meaningful content. You can start by hiring a couple of freelance writers and then move on to an agency if your budget allows for it.
Customer Support
Nowadays, consumers typically expect a high-level of customer support regardless the size of the business. Depending on where your business is located, in-house support can really get expensive. Even some of the largest companies in the world choose to outsource their support so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t either.
First and foremost, you should pick a support platform like ZenDesk or Kustomer for streamlined management. Then, you should look to find a firm that provides scalable support for your business. Look for firms that offer multiple options like email, phone, live chat, chat bots, etc… The more options you can give your customers the better.
Human Resources and Recruiting
Being able to identify, contact, and hire new talent can be very time consuming. As your company grows, you’ll also need someone to focus on keeping your current employees happy by administering various benefits like retirement plans, health insurance, and paid time off.
Especially when it comes to hiring it may be worth it to look in to various firms that take the load of your shoulders. There are plenty of companies that are specialized in training and providing recruits for specific departments. For example, Vettery specializes in technical recruiting by providing employers with specialized candidates in your area. Imagine how much time you could save if you didn’t have to vet every potential engineer? In addition to tech, there are firms that specialize in virtually every other area of business.
Final Thoughts
Deciding when to outsource a certain process is entirely up to the business owner and the current state of their operation. Every team has their strengths and weaknesses so don’t outsource just because someone says it. However, you should definitely consider outsourcing these four departments if they can be managed elsewhere more efficiently.
