10 business tasks that can be outsourced to boost productivity
Due to the tough competition these days, businesses – whether online or offline – are finding themselves performing outsourcing for getting different kinds of stuff done. This is particularly true for medium and small sized businesses, however it is also not an uncommon thing for big brands as well. This post will highlight ten tasks that businesses can outsource to improve their productivity. The act of outsourcing at the right time can expand the business greatly, cause an increase in clients, shorten workload, save costs, and generally make the life of the business easier.
Basically, there are two main types of tasks which can be outsourced. First are the tasks that can be performed on your own but would ultimately take up too much of our time. These may vary from meeting set ups, file organization, data entry and others. Second are the tasks which cannot really be performed on our own and need special expertise such as web development, content writing or accounting.
In addition to these, the following are some tasks that can be outsourced by a company in order to save time and money in the long run and to boost productivity.
Virtual Office Assistance
An efficient virtual office assistant is a great business asset, particularly with small businesses. The greatest benefit of having a virtual office assistant is that since they work remotely, the company does not have to worry about different supplies that he or she may need, as they work as freelancers and independent contractors.
Also, it would save all the cost of paying them extra in terms of health insurance or taxes that a company provides to its permanent employees. It is a great advantage to the company’s finances in the long run. Hiring virtual office assistants is a great way of starting outsourcing.
Web Development
With the advent of technology, it may seem like a convenient task to build one’s own website with the help of WordPress, Wix and other such similar services. It also will obviously save the company some major bucks. However, experts claim that it is better to go to the professionals for creating a great website of your company which presents a good impression to the clients and works fast.
For most companies, it is useless to hire a full time web developer and will also be costly. Companies that wish to improve their productivity and save some money at the same time tend to hire talented web developers as part time employees and let them build their website. For future, they can be kept on call if required. They can design websites, create banners, logos and other different visuals and install themes and plugins on the company’s official website.
Social Media Marketing
Online world is now brimming with activity and it is all the more sensible for companies to build a social media presence, no matter how big or small they are. For management of social media, a company can either find an agency or a freelancer for handling social media issues or find a proper consultant that can teach the company and its employees ways of social media management. This is a great task to outsource today as a professional can give businesses a clear strategy which can be conveniently followed without spending a lot of time on it.
Also, if a big presence on the social media is required on social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram, it makes more sense to outsource this task to a professional who can come up with a proper plan to achieve this.
Search Engine Optimization
Outsourcing the task of search engine optimization will also help the company boost its productivity to ten folds. A professional who is expert in SEO will be able to help people find your website online easily and discover business actively.
Even if a company is already familiar with the concepts of SEO, it makes more sense to outsource this task because SEO is rapidly changing so a professional who knows what they are doing to get your company in the top searches at Google is a better option.
Content Creation
One of the greatest parts of digital marketing today is content creation. Many companies now have their own blogs for driving traffic and looking for more leads. However, it remains a hefty task to write as much amount of content as is needed. In such circumstances, a professional company like WritingsGuru or blogger who specializes in custom writing and relevant content creation can be hired to perform this task.
Administrative Tasks
Data entry, travel arrangements, scheduling, typing and other such time-consuming tasks can easily be handled by a virtual person or an administrative service. Since these tasks are not core business activities, it does not make sense to keep them within the company.
Customer Service and Lead Generation
More calls often take the company to more leads and sales. It is only a matter of numbers which can be handled by a sales’ professional. It is a hefty task to be performed by several people at a company at a time so it is better to let an outsider do it for you. Once the leads are generated, the internal task force can take on the matter and take it further. Similarly, customer service can also be outsourced.
Accounting Duties
Accounting firms when hired can provide several services such as invoicing, bookkeeping, keeping a check on receivable and payable accounts, financial reporting, planning and analyzing. These tasks are extremely time consuming and may cost the company a lot more than required. It is best to save the headache and outsource all accounting duties to a professional company.
IT Operations
Handling IT operations like building software and applications in-house can be very expensive. An average business may not have the required amount of knowledge and finances to perform IT operations efficiently. Hence, outsourcing IT tasks has a lot of advantages. Companies like Electric.ai have created services and products to make handling and scaling IT services much easier for smaller to medium-sized businesses.
Human Resources
Human resource functions are also extremely time-consuming. Choosing the right kind of employee for your company may take up most of your valuable time and of course, money. This can be outsourced to an outside agency which can be made responsible for such tasks as advertising, candidate screening, and reference checking.
Final Word
Today, many entrepreneurs wish to do everything themselves. They believe this would save them both money and time. However, this is a great misconception. It may seem like a bad idea to pay at the time and may even be expensive in the short run to achieve something which can be readily done by the company itself. However, in the long run, outsourcing can be extremely beneficial for the business and the overall physical and mental health of the company staff.
The above mentioned ten tasks can easily be outsourced and prove to be a great start to boosting your productivity.