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If you’re wasting too much time handling operational logistics instead of focusing on growing your business, you’re not alone. Namely, less than 15% of small business owners believe that they’re spending their time on the most important activities.
Ouch.
As your costs and competition are constantly rising, it’s time to forget about the “I can do it all on my own” approach and offload some of the most tiresome aspects of your business. With the work from home projects and process automation platforms, this has never been simpler.
Even though every business has different objectives, here are 5 crucial services you should consider outsourcing.
#1. Digital Marketing
With this ever-rising digital landscape and the possibilities it offers to us, the bar is constantly set higher. Today’s users have become more demanding in their expectations and 75% of them would never scroll past the first page of Google. So, to hook their attention, you need to invest heavily in your online presence. Of course, this means building a killer website, promoting it via numerous online channels, and optimizing it for search engines. Simply put, you need to have a solid digital marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, this is usually easier said than done. To do so, you need to keep track of a plethora of factors, measure hundreds of different metrics, and use numerous digital marketing tools. And, if you don’t know which ones to choose and how to use them properly, you will probably end up holding a bag of worms.
According to a survey, small business owners spend roughly 33 hours a week on marketing activities, meaning that they have very little time to focus on some other important aspects of their jobs.
This is exactly where reassigning your digital marketing efforts to outsourcing agencies or freelancers comes to play. By outsourcing your content development, social media marketing, PPC ads, and SEO to pros, you will save a lot of time and money. Namely, you will neither have to invest in expensive digital marketing tools nor hire an entire in-house team of digital marketing specialists.
#2. Accounting Services
Once you launch your small business, expenses will be thrown in your face all the time. And, the only way to get ahead of the curve is to know where every single dollar is going or coming from. But, if you don’t have any experience in accounting, dealing with tens of bills, receipts, and invoices on your own is not a good idea. Namely, some recent studies show that 40% of SMBs pay roughly $845 per year in penalties for incorrect or late payments.
When it comes to handling finances, you cannot afford to make any mistakes, not even the tiniest ones. Outsourcing this task to pros will help you cut your costs, save a lot of time, and boost compliance. Statistics show that companies that outsource payroll save 18% over businesses that do all this on their own.
Pro Tip
One of the major concerns of companies outsourcing their payroll to a remote accounting agency is the rising safety risks. What about recruiting someone lacking experience in handling corporate finances? Not to mention safety concerns and potential scams. After all, you’re hiring someone you know nothing about, giving your most sensitive information to them, and putting your trust in them.
So, instead of sitting idly and hoping for the best, you should search for agencies on local business directories and authoritative platforms, such as 2easy, Yelp, Google My Business or Upwork, which provide you with extensive customer reviews, industry insights, and hiring recommendations. Of course, the same goes for all other areas of your business you’re planning to outsource in the future.
#3. Customer Support
Offering exceptional customer services is a must. Your customers expect you to be available to them 24/7. Now, for many mid-sized and larger companies, hiring trained customer service staff is the most viable option. But, for small businesses, this is just too much.
In your case, your office staff would not only have to pitch sales and focus on acquiring new customers, but also keep them happy by providing instant feedback. This form of multitasking will definitely affect their productivity, as well as your budget.
Outsourcing your customer support is a smart strategy that provides you with the additional manpower to handle your customers’ questions and problems. It will help your in-house employees focus on their major tasks, while you wil5l stop spending your time, money, and talent on activities that could be done more professionally by an expert outside your company. Most importantly, this approach may significantly boost your customers’ satisfaction and experience with your brand.
#4. Information Technology
According to a Deloitte survey, 53% of businesses outsource at least some of their IT activities, while 26% of them are planning to do so in the near future. One of the major benefits of switching to a third-party IT company is sharing the risk burden. In other words, you’re leaving some of the infrastructure risks to them to handle and as a result, you will be more dynamic and agile as an organization. Not to mention that, by letting someone else keep your site, software, and hardware pieces up and running, you will manage to focus on what really matters- growing your business properly.
Back to You
Outsourcing is all about focusing on the right activities, managing risks, having control over operational expenses, and providing your customers with top quality and continuity. Still, there are numerous aspects of your business to outsource.
To harness all the power of this practice, you should look at your team, projects and all the tasks you need to complete on a daily basis. Pay special attention to the areas of your business your employees are struggling with and consider outsourcing them first.
Emma Miller is a digital marketer from Sydney. Works as a blogger, Senior Editor for Bizzmark blog and a guest lecturer at Melbourne University. Interested in digital marketing, social media, start-ups and latest trends.
Originally posted here: https://www.ruhanirabin.com/ideas-small-business-outsourcing/
