Can Outsourcing Work For Your Business?

outsourcing benefits and risks

Business owners have different reasons for outsourcing some of their business processes. In some cases, it may not even be a want but rather, a need. It’s tough to run a business where you feel the need to do everything yourself. Sometimes it is wise to delegate tasks to a maven or an assistant for you to be able to concentrate on running the actual business at hand. While there are outsourcing risks that you need to be wary of, there are benefits to it as well. As with any major decisions, you have to think twice before outsourcing any task.

While there are various tools which may help entrepreneurs in tasks ranging from payroll to marketing services, outsourcing is still very popular among businesses. One of the reasons is because the labor is low-cost as well as there are others who are more skilled and adept at some of the areas of the business.

The first thing you must know is what works or what area in your business needs to be outsourced. You may need someone to send out emails on your behalf, create blog posts and even optimize your site. You have to note which specific area you need help in so that you would know what to look for in an assistant. This way, you would also have a definitive description of what exactly the job entails.

Check out and compare different outsourcing companies instead of just focusing on one company. Since there are many companies who advertise specific services, you need to know which one would best cater to your needs. Doing due diligence on conducting background check on companies will save you from future problems. It boils down to what your business need – it could that the finance aspect of your business be outsourced, your manufacturing process (one reliable company would be www.asianprosource.com) or your IT management. You might be confused with all the outsourcing companies available today but when you think about it, it’s actually a good thing because then you would be able to compare your options. When you do decide to sign up for the service, it wouldn’t be because you had a lack of options but because it is what you think is best.

You also need to consider how long you would need the services of a remote employee. There are some who would work as freelancers and there are others who would work full time. Ultimately, it is up to your business needs and demands but if you require long term arrangements, you could also find that companies are willing to give you reasonable pricing.

In any business, trust is a very important factor. You need to know that the person who you will be entrusting your business with is trustworthy and dependable. It would be a wise decision to do background checks before delegating important and data-sensitive facets of your business. As an added security measure, you might also want to draw up non-disclosure agreements at the onset of your contract so that you would be covered legally.

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3 Comments Can Outsourcing Work For Your Business?

  1. Brad

    Actually I remember reading a study that was recently conducted that indicated that outsourced SEO and Online marketing out performed in-house personnel by 40%. I think that is important to consider. Percentages like that mean more bottom line.

    Reply
  2. Adam Gottlieb

    Hi Amanda,

    I think business owners who are new to outsourcing should keep a couple of things in mind:

    1. It definitely pays to do some research before settling on someone or on a particular service. A small business owner can lose *a lot* of money in an attempt to cut corners.

    2. When an outsourcing arrangement is *not* working out, take some time to figure out why. If the problem is with the hired person or service, and it is not something that can be changed, then end the arrangement as soon as possible. (In this case, it pays to have a well-written, clear, and detailed contract with the worker/service that includes situations in which the business owner can back out of the arrangement and how it will happen.)

    Reply
  3. Is It Down

    Thinking twice and doing lots of comparing is great advice to any business owner looking to outsource work. It can be a great way to get things done, but it can have its risks too and people should remember that! 🙂

    Laurie

    Reply

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