Every successful business outsources. But are you outsourcing the right tasks for your business? Is outsourcing growing your small business?
It’s essential to choose the right tasks to outsource. Some tasks are more suitable for you to keep doing yourself or to delegate to employees. This post explains when (and when not) to outsource business tasks.
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The Outsourcing Process
Outsourcing involves hiring an external team or company to handle specific tasks or services. It typically starts by identifying areas where outsourcing makes sense, like IT support, customer service, or accounting.
Then, businesses research and choose providers based on cost, expertise, and reliability. Once a contract is signed, the provider takes over the agreed-upon work while maintaining communication to meet performance goals.
This setup helps companies focus on their main priorities while reducing costs or filling skill gaps.
Outsource tasks that you’re not skilled at
It makes sense to outsource tasks that you don’t have the knowledge or physical ability to carry out well yourself. For example, if you and none of your employees know anything about computer repair or cybersecurity, then it’s worthwhile to outsource managed IT services.
Don’t outsource tasks that you are skilled at. If you’ve been doing social media advertising and getting good results, there’s no reason to outsource to a marketing company. You should particularly avoid outsourcing the core services of your business (it makes no sense for an accounting firm to outsource accounting).
Outsourcing The Right Tasks That Are Time-Consuming
Some tasks can take up much time and prevent you from managing others. For example, many law firms spend tremendous time doing litigation work. Outsourcing litigation could be one way to free up massive amounts of time on cases.
Avoid outsourcing tasks that are quicker to do yourself. There’s no point outsourcing someone to run an errand that only takes a few minutes – by the time you’ve found someone to run that errand, you could have already done it yourself.
Similarly, if you’ve got a tight deadline, you should consider whether you can realistically find someone in time.
Outsourcing the Right Tasks: Like those you don’t enjoy
If there’s a task that you detest, then it makes sense to outsource this. Interrupting work to answer the phone is a typical example of a task many business owners hate. Outsourcing someone to answer phone calls could allow you to focus more on jobs you enjoy.
Another area where outsourcing can make a big difference is in maintaining a clean and professional workspace. Hiring commercial cleaning services ensures your office or facility stays hygienic and welcoming without taking time away from your team.
This is especially valuable for businesses with high foot traffic or health regulations to follow. Rather than managing cleaning schedules or relying on employees to tidy up, outsourcing to professionals allows you to maintain high standards while focusing on what drives your business forward.
Of course, if you enjoy talking to clients or suppliers on the phone, this is not a job you should outsource. Some companies make the mistake of outsourcing time-consuming or difficult jobs that are fun and rewarding.
Outsourcing these tasks could affect work morale and make your work more tedious. It all comes down to which tasks you enjoy.
Outsourcing: The Right tasks you can afford to outsource
Outsourcing things costs money. It’s only ever worth outsourcing a task if you can afford it. Many solo startups cannot initially afford to outsource tasks like accounting and marketing. You may find that these tasks are only affordable to outsource once you start developing steady earnings.
Sometimes, outsourcing is a way to save money rather than doing something in-house. For example, some companies outsource printing services rather than invest in a commercial printer. If you constantly need to mass print items, it may make sense to invest in your own printer.
But if you only need to print things occasionally, it may be more financially sensible to outsource the task when needed.
Conclusion: Outsourcing The Right Tasks To Save Time
Outsourcing works best when it saves time, reduces costs, or brings skills you don’t have. Look at tasks that slow you down or aren’t worth your full attention. Admin work, bookkeeping, IT support, or marketing are common ones to outsource.
But don’t give away anything tied to your core goals or that needs your personal touch. Ask yourself: Is this task something I should handle only? If not, it might be the right one to delegate.