If there’s one thing that businesses have learnt in recent years, it’s that outsourcing is one of the best ways to cut costs and free up time. Though it was once preferred that everything was done in-house, the rise of remote working and the freelance community has meant that it’s often more cost-effective to outsource responsibilities to third parties. Below, we’ve put together some of the most common business activities that are best left to the professionals.
Marketing
Marketing is perhaps one of the most outsourced services of small and medium-sized business, with most preferring to hand over the reins to an experienced marketing executive. From social media management to affordable SEO campaigns, there are lots of ways that you can spread the word about your business to a wider audience and increase sales. Be sure to work with a firm that is hot on communication – fast response times are important.
Facilities management
Another service that cannot be overlooked is facilities management – that is, a company that handles everything from cleaning to workplace design to security to hard maintenance and revamps. A good FM provider will get to grips with how your business works early on and provide recommendations and suggestions to increase your efficiency. By handing over the reins to an FM company, you don’t need to hire cleaners, grounds maintenance staff, interior design staff, plumbers, security specialists, or call centre staff in-house. Though ultimately, it’s up to you how much of a role an FM company plays in your day-to-day operations.
Office cleaning
As the coronavirus pandemic has taught us, you cannot be too careful when it comes to office cleaning. Employing the help of an external cleaning company is preferred. Not only does it keep your staff focused on their workday (rather than being tempted to clean the communal kitchen or their workspace), but it ensures that your premises are cleaned to a professional and COVID-secure standard. And because lower-paid positions like cleaners have a high turnover rate, outsourcing removes the logistical and administrative issues.
Health and safety regulation
It’s vital that your business follows all government health and safety regulations, so do your research and choose a company that can come into your premises and see what needs to be changed. It could be that your staffers are in need of first aid training, or that you need to appoint a new fire warden who can oversee your team’s safety. This is one area that cannot be scrimped on, and choosing a professional via outsourcing is much more cost-effective.
Call centre solutions
Finally, a quick word on call centre solutions. Whether you’re cold calling potential customers or you’re delivering customer service over the phone, outsourcing is one of the best ways to free up your time and increase performance. The best part is that call centre companies will handle clients in a wide range of industries, and can scale based on demand. This means you don’t need to hire five agents in-house if you’re usually quiet and only sometimes have a spike in calls. Do your research and test various options before signing a long-term contract.
There you have it – some of the things that your business should consider outsourcing. Be sure to check back soon for more advice on running your business effectively, right here.
