Outsourcing can be a strategic tool for improving your business’ productivity and profitability and will drastically reduce your workload. The hardest decision is knowing when to outsource, and for most businesses there is no ‘right time’ to start outsourcing.
If you’re considering outsourcing your administration, here are three key indicators that help you identify if you’re ready.
1. Too much of your time is taken up on routine tasks
If you find a large portion of your day is spent doing mundane tasks that somebody else could do, you should consider outsourcing.
You might need help with general business administration and secretarial tasks, designing and formatting training material, customer service support, draft business writing and proofreading, newsletters and email marketing, internet research, website content updates, organisation of travel and accommodation, diary and email management, social media updates, blog babysitting and management etc. All of these time-consuming tasks can be easily outsourced to an administrative professional.
2. You’ve got better things to do
While it may save you money to handle daily tasks yourself, it costs you time and potential income. That’s the beauty of outsourcing – you’re buying someone else’s time because you don’t have enough of it yourself. You have more important things you need to do, like focusing on your clients and marketing your business to potential customers.
3. The learning curve is too slow or the task is too painful
There are certain tasks you can outsource immediately. These are tasks that you don’t know how to do yourself and would take too much time to learn, or that you simply detest. If it would slow you down too much to learn by yourself, hire someone else who is already knowledgeable in the area to do it. If you take three times the amount of time to do your bookwork as it should because it’s a job you would rather not do, it’s time to outsource!
The main advantage of outsourcing is that it enables you to invest your energy into more profitable activities. If one or more of the above key indicators resonated with you, it could be time for you to outsource!
If you’re overwhelmed, struggling to get things done, or recognise you need some assistance, organise a call with me to discuss your business support needs.
