If you are struggling to manage all business activities on a daily basis, maybe it's time to consider outsourcing. Your goal should be to concentrate on core competencies and business growth. So what could you outsource and how to do it?
1. Administrative activities. Business trip arrangements, data entry, etc. - all this you can do through virtual support. There are specialized companies that can provide these services.
2. Generating leads and customer service. In particular, in case of intensive cold calling, you can use an external supplier, which will forward you good quality leads selected from their calls. In the same way you can provide customer support.
3. Accounting and financial services. You can choose to hire a firm or an individual. You can outsource anything from invoicing through payroll, to financial analysis. The time savings is huge and the same applies to your market options - there are plenty of providers.
4. Marketing. Effective marketing influences how the company and its brands are perceived in the market. An external contractor has the advantage of an outside perspective whereas an employee is always influenced by the company, so he or she is not objective. Professional copy-writer will help raise the level of all marketing materials - from website, through press releases to SEO.
5. IT support. Having your own IT support is usually quite expensive. So if IT is not part of your core business, it makes a lot more sense to hire an external provider.
6. Human Resources. Hiring new employees, and most HR processes are a very common area to outsource. And again - there are enough providers to choose from.
Very often you can get the best suppliers with help of colleagues who are in the same industry. References help you gain your trust and ensure that you choose a competent partner for a decent price. Another excellent source to look for external service providers are LinkedIn groups.
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