Outsourcing can be an incredibly smart move for businesses, but the timing needs to be right to reap the benefits. Knowing when to utilise outside talent can help you focus on growth, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
There are different ways you can take advantage of outsourcing. Here are some times when outsourcing is advantageous.
When scaling up your business
Growing a business is a precarious process. Growth needs to work in symbiosis with other areas of the business to make sure no areas are left under pressure or neglected.
Having the option to outsource different areas such as customer service or back-office support allows existing staff and resources to be freed up to focus on expansion. This can help the process move quickly and effectively. A people-first platform would allow the management of the outsourced teams, all whilst keeping the focus on business goals.
When you face skill shortages
There are occasions, such as during expansion, when businesses will find themselves short of staff. Usually, these are people who are specially trained in new areas.
Being able to outsource these skills allows for the seamless transition to new ways of working or the production of new products. This can help to provide new streams of income, allowing the business to grow organically without any gaps or shutdowns whilst you source staff.
Both freelancers and short-term contractors will help to plug the gap until you can conduct a recruitment campaign for permanent members of staff – you may even be able to offer full-time contracts to temporary staff.
When budget constraints require efficiency
Although a business may aim to keep all contracts within the UK, budget constraints may not always allow this to be possible.
Having the option to outsource to a different region allows work to get done to a high standard whilst keeping costs down. This does not have to be a permanent change, especially if the business wants to keep UK-based structures at its core.
When the core focus is diverted by repetitive tasks
Repetitive tasks or administrative tasks can take up a huge amount of manpower which could be better spent elsewhere.
Taking advantage of outsourcing for back-office and administrative work helps to free up your core staff. You may want to offer to upskill them in other areas so that they are able to diversify their skill sets.
