4 Business Departments You Should Consider Outsourcing

Are you running a start-up business? Or perhaps a firm that couldn’t seem to move up to the next level? Regardless of your business, there are factors that keep you from reaching your goals.

You may not know it but you are likely stretching yourself too thin. Your employees are likely multitasking more than they should.

But one way of effectively addressing this problem is through outsourcing. In fact, overseas affiliates of American companies outsourced 14 million workers in 2013. Outsourcing empowers companies and makes them more globally competitive.

But before you consider outsourcing, you must determine the specific departments that will benefit the most. Continue reading further to find out which ones they are.

Departments Worth Outsourcing

As we mentioned above, there are certain departments you can outsource. These are departments that involve numerous demands. So which departments are they?

Let’s take a look at four business departments where outsourcing can massively help:

Accounting and Finances

Accounting and other financial duties involve tons of paperwork. They also require people who are keen on details and good in numbers. There is also no room for inaccuracy.

Thus, accounting duties can take a lot from your employees. If your teams are busy with several projects, their production will likely suffer if you throw them into a myriad of accounting tasks.

Thankfully, you can outsource some of these tasks to take off the load from your employees. You can hire people to handle your invoicing and bookkeeping. You can tap experts in accounts payable and receivable.

Moreover, you can also hire a team who can work on your planning, analysis, and financial reporting. Another area where outsourcing can work wonders is in payroll processing. This involves a lot of time and a considerable amount of headaches from your people.

The key is to find an independent contractor that specializes in accounting. You can also consider a cloud accounting software. This will help your team manage invoicing tasks via the internet.

Marketing

You can also outsource people to implement your marketing strategies. Marketing involves positioning your brand positively in the eyes of your target market.

Sure, you can have your in-house marketing team do the job. But hiring a marketing firm can provide an outsider’s perspective. Sometimes, familiarity leads to your team missing out on certain points.

With a fresh set of eyes, an independent marketing consultant can come up with a more effective approach. Some of the people you can outsource include writers. These talented people can come up with striking content. They can help deliver a more effective marketing effort.

You can also hire brand developers and website designers. The same thing goes for bloggers, social media experts, and SEO specialists. These people can help with your content marketing endeavors.

They can help generate new leads by promoting your brand across different platforms.

IT Operations

If you are managing a relatively new company, handling IT operations will likely cost you a lot. The challenges further multiply if your employees know little when it comes to managing your IT needs.

If IT is not your core business, then outsourcing is the best route to take. You can outsource software development and network management. You can hire IT personnel for your helpdesk operations and hardware support.

If you are selling tech products, you can also outsource tech support. Make sure you hire a company that specializes in managed IT services. Find a group that offers flexible IT support plans that fit your company’s budget and IT requirements.

Human Resources

Lastly, you can hire an external agency to handle your human resources and recruitment tasks. HR firms have the skills and knowledge to screen applicants. They also have the tools for checking the applicants’ references.

Another tricky area of human resources involves the law. You can expect a professional HR team to know the latest in employment laws and standards.

HR people can also handle your company’s employee engagement and retention initiatives. They can also conduct performance management reviews that help improve your people’s overall performance.

Tips for Choosing the Right Outsourcing Partner

Knowing the specific departments you can outsource is only half the battle. The other half lies in choosing the right outsourcing partner. Here are a few tips to consider:

Establish Your Goals

Before hiring any outsourcing company, you must first establish your goals. Start by carefully assessing your company’s strengths and weaknesses. Once you identify the areas that you struggle in, determine if you can hire a team that can strengthen those weaknesses.

Lay out your specific targets. Explain your goals to the outsourcing partner. Make sure you are both on the same page.

Examine Their Competence

Even if the outsourcing companies promise numerous things, make sure you put them to the test. You can do so by examining their competence.

Look closely into their operations and zoom in on their methods. How do these solve certain issues? How do they track their progress?

Are they new kids in the block or do they have several years of industry experience? Determine their expertise and infrastructure. Your goal is to ensure that they are able to meet your company’s specific requirements.

Check their Qualities

Though outsourcing companies similar services, they still differ in some ways. Hence, you need to pick a partner with qualities that match your needs.

One of the first areas to look into is your company’s culture. You need to find a partner that fits the way your people conduct their business. You should also hire people who are excellent communicators.

Watch Out for Additional Costs

Lastly, you need to look out for additional expenses. This is crucial especially if you are a start-up company. Your goal is to cut overall costs and increase your operations’ efficiency.

You don’t want your partner to charge you extra for communications, connectivity, and other implementations.

Improve Your Operations Through Knowledge

Outsourcing is one way of making life easier for your employees. So long as you hire the right people, you can expect your company to grow faster.

Moreover, you need to continue incorporating new business ideas. We encourage you to check out other posts that help businesses generate new leads.

Keep on learning and start taking your business to the next level.