Are you a startup or small business owner overwhelmed by small tasks without much business growth? Here are five business processes that can save time and money you should consider outsourcing now...
What are key business processes you can outsource to save time and money?
For startups and small businesses, trying to do too much all by themselves can quickly become their downfall. For this reason, many smart entrepreneurs try to outsource some tasks to outside companies or freelance workers.
No matter what industry your company is a part of, or the kinds of products or services that you sell, outsourcing these 5 core business processes can streamline operations and free up time and energy for improving business growth as well as controlling expenses.
Below are five business process you should consider outsourcing now.
1. Content Marketing
Content marketing is vital for most businesses today. It involves the use of easy-to-understand online content which is designed to provide customers with information, answers, and education without coming across as ‘salesy’.
Although the main objective of content marketing is to generate leads, it is also often essential for strengthening and nurturing the relationships between your brand and your customers. In turn, this itself can improve your chances of closing a sale.
However, most small businesses today don’t have the capital necessary to hire an executive who is directly responsible for content marketing. Hiring a team of freelance writers or outsourcing your content marketing to an agency is a much cheaper option that will help you build better relationships with your audience.
2. HR And Payroll
If you hire any employees, you’ll need to ensure that all human resources and payroll operations are up to scratch. Given the numerous regulations, laws, and requirements surrounding this area of business, it’s highly recommended that you outsource HR and payroll.
Since even one small payroll mistake could cost your business thousands of dollars and lead to tax audits, it’s worth it to leave the job to the professionals.
3. Customer Services
It's all about the customer experience. Providing full in-house customer services, including:
- Contact center
- Online chat agents
- Social media managers
- Customer-facing staff members
Can prove to be very costly for a small business. The good news is that many of these services can be outsourced.
For example, online chat agents can work from anywhere provided they have the right software, such as IT asset management by SysAid and an internet connection. This allows you to outsource the work to freelancers and virtual assistants all over the world, which may enable you to extend your hours of availability.
For more in-depth customer issues, consider outsourcing the work to a call center agency that will represent your brand and deal with your customers on your behalf.
4. Administrative Tasks
As a business owner, it’s important to focus on company growth and expansion.
As many know, this can quickly be overtaken by smaller, mundane administrative tasks that may be essential, but cut into your valuable time. Instead, outsource admin duties to virtual assistants paid per task handled.
The result? Freed-up time to concentrate on improving the bottom line, rather than spending time on these types of business processes.
5. Any Weak Areas
Lastly, it’s always best to outsource the areas that are not your strength. Understanding your own weak points in business will help you get the most from outsourcing and ensure that you are investing your time in the best possible ways.
Over To You
If you found this article helpful, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. ?
30 Replies
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Reading the article on business process outsourcing, I found it enlightening and relatable, especially as someone striving to streamline operations and foster growth in my own business. The insights into the various business processes suitable for outsourcing provided valuable food for thought, prompting me to reassess my own workflow and identify areas for improvement. The emphasis on leveraging external expertise to optimize efficiency and focus on core competencies resonated with my aspirations for achieving sustainable growth and success.
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Hi there, Glad you found our article on outsourcing business processes enlightening. We do aim to be a resource to business owners, managers and marketers. Getting workflows right and creating relationships for all workers – in-house and out of office – is necessary in our hybrid world. You make some good points. Thank you for adding to our conversation here! ~Keri
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As a small business owner, I appreciate the practical advice provided regarding hiring freelance writers or outsourcing content marketing to agencies. The suggestion to hire freelance writers or outsource to an agency resonates with me. It not only makes financial sense but also allows us to tap into a pool of diverse talents with different perspectives.
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Afton, Glad you like this article about business processes and the possibilities of outsourcing various tasks. It maximizes productivity and cost-effectiveness when business owners and entrepreneurs delegate or outsource tasks where they do not have expertise, as you imply. There is also an advantage, as it may be possible to someday bring on a contractor as a regular employee. In that case, there is a win/win. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and adding value to our conversation, ~Keri
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A payslip is a document that an employer provides to an employee, typically on a regular basis, such as weekly, biweekly, or monthly. It includes important information such as the employee’s name, job title, hours worked, rate of pay, and the amount of money earned during the pay period. The payslip also typically includes information about any deductions taken from the employee’s pay, such as taxes, insurance premiums, and retirement contributions. Payslips are important for both the employer and employee as they help ensure that accurate payments are made and provide a record of income earned and taxes paid.
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A p60 is a document given to an employee by their employer, typically on a regular basis such as monthly or biweekly, which outlines the details of their earnings and deductions for a specific period. It provides information such as the employee’s gross salary, any bonuses or commissions earned, and any taxes or other deductions taken out of their paycheck. The p60 also often includes information such as the employee’s name, the pay period covered, and the employer’s name and address. p60 are important records for both employees and employers, as they help ensure that wages are paid correctly and allow employees to keep track of their earnings and deductions.
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Hi there, Thank you for adding to your previous comment on this article about business process outsourcing. While these insights may be helpful for those in the UK, people in other countries should follow their directives and guidelines related to salary and taxes. ~Keri
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“Replacement p60” is a term commonly used in the UK tax system. A P60 is a document that shows how much you have earned and how much tax has been deducted from your earnings for a specific tax year (which runs from April 6th to April 5th the following year). If you need a replacement P60, it means you have lost your original document or never received one from your employer. You should contact your employer or payroll department and ask for a replacement P60. They are required by law to provide one to you.
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Hi there, I’m sure your insight will be helpful to our readers located in the UK — Especially for those working with payroll concerns. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. ~Keri
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Sure, I can help you with that. A payslip is a document that outlines an employee’s earnings and deductions for a specific period, usually a month. It includes information such as the employee’s gross pay, taxes withheld, social security contributions, insurance premiums, and net pay. Employers are typically required by law to provide their employees with a payslip with each paycheck or deposit. Payslips are important for employees as they provide transparency and help them understand how their pay is calculated.
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Hi there, Some business owners do choose to outsource some HR responsibilities. As you mentioned, abiding by laws is of high importance. Every business owner and general manager should be consulting legal services to find the best process for their organization. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri
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Outsourcing vs Out-Tasking: Which is Ideal For Your Business? Till a couple of decades back, organizations had no other options but to manage all their tasks and projects using internal teams. Then came the concepts like staff augmentation and independent contractors to help organizations augment their human resources. The emergence of technology, particularly the internet, opened up new methods like outsourcing, out-tasking, managed services, etc., for companies to manage their jobs. Outsourcing is the popular common name for the methods of getting work done by external agencies and providers, but out-tasking emerged as an alternative, though for a different scale of operations and purposes. Both these terms are commonly used interchangeably even though they are very different in terms of strategies and timelines and even organizations are often confused about the differences between them. Out-tasking which sits somewhere between contracting and outsourcing helps organizations quickly augment manpower capacity without disturbing the current operating model and adding headcount. This approach is more structured and targeted than staff augmentation or contracting and is much easier to adopt than outsourcing. However, you must consider some key differences to factor in when deciding between outsourcing versus out-tasking.
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Warisha, Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your insights with our readership. ~Keri
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This is a great information that will help many people to get employed either in a new working culture or traditional. This is really appreciating, keep uploading more content like this as this is a better way to serve humanity.
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Emma, Glad you feel this article includes great information. We do aim to be helpful to our readers across the globe. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri
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Outsourcing a business necessity like accounting and bookkeeping can save money for small businesses.
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Hi there, Outsourcing can help small businesses save money, as you suggest, if there is a process behind the decision-making. Like anything else, there are steps to take. Screening and recruiting should take time to find the right individual or agency. Also, much thought should be given to the tasks that will be outsourced, and a plan must be made for the collaboration. With those steps, it can be a fruitful commitment. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri
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Surviving in today’s competitive world requires businesses to efficiently utilize available resources and take appropriate strategic decisions. In order to prevent wastage of resources, many organizations are turning towards process automation solutions.
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Hi there, Automation and outsourcing are definitely popular trends in building a business today with efficiency for the long-term, as you suggest. Thanks for your comment, ~Keri
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Lovely article, I am impressed with the last point, “any weak areas”. What businesses can outsource change from one firm to another; the general rule is to focus on core activities, and outsource areas you lack competencies in to stay competitive in the market.
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Amazing piece of Content.
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Albas, Thank you for your kind words – Glad you liked this article! ~Keri
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This is very true. Task work like this for a business can be more efficient and saves a lot of money when outsourced. Like hiring an accountant it is better to just outsource the service.
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Michael, Glad we are on the same page. There is value to outsourcing some parts of the business – especially at first. So the owner or CEO can focus on their area of expertise before hiring. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri
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Business solutions can range from any manual process through to sending employees their pay slip. It is well known that with the fast pace of which technology is growing, most companies are in the process of automating most, if not all processes within their company and also having complete audit trails of important process in certain departments.
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Bill, It is true, there is demand for business process automation, and more tools all the time to meet that demand. Small business, especially, can benefit from implementing such business solutions. At the same time, the automation software will only be as good as the programmer and manager overseeing it within the company. So, we still have demand for smart, good, intelligent people in our business processes and we should not forget that. Software alone is not a sole solution. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri
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Awesome article.These processes really can save time and consider outsourcing. What payroll service would you recommend?
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Hi there, Thank you for your kind words. It is helpful to know that you feel the processes outlined in the article would save time, and that you believe business owners should consider outsourcing. Payroll services is not my direct area of expertise. Rather than give an un-inclusive answer, I’d rather offer our readers a thorough case study with solid options and insight. ~Keri
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Essentially all your IT needs can be outsourced, saving you time and often money too by getting rid of an expensive inhouse IT department
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John, For some businesses outsourcing all of the IT may be the best option. But there are some that still need the IT department. Fortunately, there are so many more options now, that businesses can flex to exactly what they need and works best! 🙂 Thanks for your comment, ~Keri
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