If you’re drowning in small business duties, it might be time to take your processes to the next level and outsource as your business grows.
When running a small business, there are an endless number of hats you have to wear. It’s much easier to switch from the human resources hat to the customer service hat to the logistics hat, and so on when your business is small; however, as things begin to grow, it’s much more difficult to make sure that every facet of the organization is running correctly.
While your business is still in the growing phase, it might not be feasible to recruit, hire, and train the staff needed to run your business. Outsourcing is an excellent option that helps ensure everything is running efficiently – plus, it can also save you some money.
Read on for seven things you can outsource to help you run your business more efficiently.
1. Accounting
Accounting is one of the most common tasks that people outsource as their business grows. Finances can be quite convoluted, and if you’re not well-trained, a simple mistake can quickly derail the trajectory of your business. Proper accounting takes a lot of time, patience, and close attention to detail. This isn’t something that you throw together quickly at the end of the work week; accounting is a task best handled by a professional.
There are two major factors that play into accounting – payroll and taxes. Payroll takes special attention to ensure that your employees receive the correct compensation for their work. Outsourcing payroll will ensure accuracy and free up some of your valuable time.
Outsourcing your taxes can be pricey, but it’s worth it to avoid the stress and headache taxes can cause. Small business owners who are claiming deductions are the most heavily audited sector of American society. Take the weight and stress off your shoulders and outsource your taxes instead.
2. Customer Service
Although the customer might not always be right, they are the reason why your business can grow. Unfortunately, customers will always run into problems, and solving them effectively can make or break your company.
With such intense pressure surrounding the importance of customer service, outsourcing can give you comfort that your customers are being taken care of properly. While you’re contemplating outsourcing, be sure to provide clear instructions to the company that will be dealing directly with your customers.
3. Administrative Operations
The pandemic changed the professional world as we know it. Three years ago, hardly anyone knew how to operate video chat, and most workplaces didn’t offer the option to work from home. Being asked to quarantine and stay home opened the opportunity for many people to work from home.
With more work-at-home options, administrative work has become complicated. Outsourcing these duties can include everything from making appointments and handling office logistics to answering the phone and creating travel itineraries.
4. Human Resources
Human resources are an essential component of any business. This division includes recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and managing your employees. Recruiting is one of the top HR duties people outsource. Creating an effective job posting, sourcing applicants, and qualifying those applicants can take up a lot of precious time. Outsourcing recruiting can relieve tons of stress and give you more freedom over your business.
Recruiting isn’t the only aspect of human resources that can be outsourced; training, benefits, payroll, and employee discipline are also available for outsourcing.
5. Marketing
Simply put, businesses couldn’t grow without marketing. You’ll need assistance to spread the word about your product or service. Although it might seem simple on the surface, there are many components to running a successful marketing campaign. Outsourcing marketing services can help take your business to the next level in no time!
Marketing agencies can focus on your ad design, social media presence, content creation, business branding, campaign executions, and more to help your business soar.
6. IT
Outsourcing your IT is a very effective way to streamline your business. One of the top benefits is cost reduction. When you outsource your IT department, your costs become variable. You’re only charged for the work that is needed. This means you aren’t charged when there are no IT problems.
Another benefit of outsourcing IT is to ensure that you are utilizing properly trained IT professionals. The peace of mind that comes from an IT professional is worth any money spent on this service.
Outsourcing IT duties can also help you stay up to date with technology. Since technology is always changing, it’s very time-consuming to stay up to date with the latest changes. Using a third-party IT company ensures that you’ll be able to stay ahead of your competitors.
7. Shipping and Logistics
If you don’t currently outsource shipping, you fully understand how time-consuming this process is. Outsourcing shipping can offer a lot of benefits, such as:
- Faster shipping speeds – Shipping speed is one of the most important factors to customers. With streamlined shipping provided by a fulfillment center, customers will be thrilled to receive orders in a timely manner. Outsourcing can help expedite shipping and save you money down the line.
- Lower shipping costs – Order fulfillment can add up fast. Searching and hiring employees, training those employees, paying for shipping materials, maintaining quality control, and warehouse dues all contribute to these lofty costs. Outsourcing fulfillment will free up your budget to help your business grow in other ways.
- Seasonal changes – Many businesses provide services that fluctuate throughout the year. Outsourcing can help you meet these changes in order volume. Centers can easily adapt to meet your shipping demands, no matter the time of year.
Elevate Your Business With MintFulfill
If you’re looking to outsource as your business grows, you’ve come to the right place! Mintfultill’s streamlined system automatically fulfills orders so you can focus on scaling your business. You can choose a custom fulfillment plan that best fits your needs for as little as one dollar.
We’re eager to become a vital part of your shipping team! Reach out today with any questions and to get started.