Avoiding Square One: Functions to Outsource so Your Departments Perform at the Same Level

Business process outsourcing has revolutionised the way many global companies do business, and the term “a shrinking world” has never been as tangible as in the last few years. If you have ever found yourself asking “what to outsource?” at some point, the answer is: Plenty.

What many business owners (especially SMEs) don’t realise is that there is such a diverse array of services that BPO companies can provide. In many respects, your imagination is the limit with the degree of customisation possible, acting as a made-to-fit cog to complete whatever gap you wish to address.

It’s hard to come up with an ultra-condensed list of what to outsource. But in our years of working with business owners and decision makers, we have identified some of the more common outsourcing opportunities that SMEs can take advantage of:

Helpdesk / Customer Support

Recently, an online industry expert in Berlin confessed he never had better customer satisfaction metrics since he decided he had functions to outsource. His view (and we share it mostly) was that sometimes it is difficult to be expert in everything.

You know how to unlock additional sales and you developed a fantastic software as a service, ecommerce platform,  or market place . But it's difficult to deal with all the consumer interactions going along with it. Worse, it can be difficult to have a high productivity and standardised operations in a consumer care department while the rest of the company works on its own rhythm and fosters creativity.

Outsourcing customer care is one of the first steps to ensure your company is not falling into the trap of taking on too much beyond your sphere of expertise. 

Recruitment

It’s not uncommon for established SMEs to have a limited number of HR staff dealing with recruitment. The fluctuations in staff requirements can mean that for an untrained recruiter, some days are manageable, while some days are overwhelming.

Resume screening, organizing paperwork, background checks and juggling interview schedule is hard enough, but what many HR staff get discouraged with is the amount of time lost when an applicant does not show at the scheduled time, or at all. Handing over the reins to an experienced external HR recruitment outsourcing team as a function to outsource can mean finding the right talent quicker while maximising the function of your HR team.

Accounting and financial services

We’ve come across many entrepreneurs who wish they could concentrate more on their creative endeavors and in business development, and they confess that one of the biggest things holding them back is the inability to disengage from the accounting and financial aspect of the business.

This is where finance & accounting outsourcing companies help, by doing the heavy lifting when it comes to crunching numbers, leading you to deal with only the most crucial decision points. We’ve lent a helping hand even to actual accounting firms who have realised the efficiency of identifying functions to outsource (e.g. data entry, reconciliation) or formulaic (e.g. accounts payable, accounts receivable, end of year reports) functions.

Marketing

Many SMEs reach a point of growth wherein they realise that a graphic designer taking random ideas from the boss is no longer the best approach. We are asked for advice by businesses on what to outsource, those who wish to explore the services of a full-fledged marketing team, but without the heavy commitment of hiring 5 full-time employees handling digital and traditional marketing.

In many ways this not very different from a traditional company-ad agency relationship wherein the scope of work is defined and the work is executed by professional copywriters, designers, digital marketers and account managers according to your parameters.

Virtual assistant / call concierge

Those who are close to mastering the art of what to outsource are business owners who lead a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. In the literal sense, this can be entrepreneurs who are in Argentina and Japan in the span of a week, while in a figurative sense these are people who prefer not to be tied down to full-time personal assistants.

Dedicated virtual assistants are becoming more and more popular for those who want the nitty-gritty done while they attend to the bigger things; the tasks range anywhere from booking hotels and plane tickets to ordering flowers for mother’s day. VAs can also sometimes  be referred to as a call concierge, attending to a personal or business line, making sure no call goes unanswered while organising schedule and important return calls.

Have you identified functions to outsource in your business but you’re unsure how to proceed? Whether you’re in the exploratory phase or are shopping around for the best outsourcing provider, give us a call and we’ll take you through how we can transition most easily from your current set-up to outsourced efficiency.

Fred Tshidimba is a Sales and Marketing professional, having headed teams with multinationals such as Nestle and Coca-Cola, he became an entrepreneur in Digital Media and Online Advertising in Southeast Asia where he worked for several agencies . Fred is originally from Brussels, and is still enjoying his life in the Philippines after 5 years. When he's not busy heading Eastvantage outsourcing or Eastcube business accelerator in Manila or Hong Kong, he can be found playing basketball, scuba diving or playing tennis. 

Source: Eastvantage Newsroom

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