Outsourcing

[orion_joel]

Hi All,

I have read a number of different books and articles that have discussed the use of outsourcing in smaller business for anything from customer service right to automating much of the business. Has anyone looked into using outsourcing to save time in an area of their business? Is it something you are considering looking at in the future, or maybe something you have decided you want nothing to do with.

While it was very much so promoted as a good part of business, by the author of a book i just finished reading a little while back called The Four Hour Work Week. It is something that i don't think is for every business. Personally i may consider it for some area's of the business however i think that i much prefer a personal touch, especially when my business is primarily localized in the area that my business is located, so local staff would be much better then outsourcing long distance.

I look forward to your discussions on this topic.

[Steve B]

I outsource my tax preparation, my payroll, my legal work, and my website work. I'm considering outsourcing the bookkeeping soon. This may not be what you had in mind, but most people outsource and don't realize it. It's just a matter of to what degree.

In my business, there wouldn't be too much opportunity to successfully outsource much else.

[Rockman]

I outsource much of time consuming tasks. My accounting is outsourced, so is my payroll, my bookkeeping.

The absolute best thing I have ever done and highly recommend is a personal assistant. I found a marketing student that is looking for part-time work to make ends meet. This person is fluent in all of the MS Office programs and Macromedia, has a great head on her shoulders, and is eager to learn and willing to do anything pertaining to the advancement of my business.

This is how I found this person: I put an add on my local Craig's List.
Here is the add:

Local Company President seeking Student-Assistant to work on small project to advance the business. Must be fluent in MS Office. Very flexible hours and must be able to work from home without supervision. Between 4 and 12 hours per week.

Please send resume to : ___-___-____

I got over 30 resumes the first day. I conducted 5 interviews before finding the perfect fit.

My assistant performs all kind of duties such as:
- research
- data entry
- letter writing
- scheduling
- customer contact
- answers emails
- website updating

Most of these tasks are all done remotely (meaning at home).
The results have been nothing short of astonishing. I can get 4 times more done during the week now that I am not bogged down with all these time consuming tasks.

Give it a try, you'll be surprised on the results.

[KristineS]

I think outsourcing can be a great help in a lot of areas. The only thing I wouldn't outsource is customer service. That can have such an impact on how your business is perceived. I like to keep it in house so I have some control over how customer service is handled, and I also know who's handling it.

[Steve B]

That sounds great Rockman. How do give her access to your computer so she can do data entry and schedule for you?

[Steve B]

I just cut and paste your ad into craigslist myself. I only made a few changes - I hope I have the same success you had.

[KarenB]

Personally i may consider it for some area's of the business however i think that i much prefer a personal touch, especially when my business is primarily localized in the area that my business is located, so local staff would be much better then outsourcing long distance.

I agree that outsourcing is not the best option for every business, or every aspect of one's business, but in many cases, it can be terrific.

When I started out as a virtual assistant (VA), my clients were those who needed one-time projects like spreadsheets, transcription, proofreading, PowerPoint presentations, etc.

As time went on, the same clients would come back to me and say something like, "Gee, Karen. I wish you could also respond to my emails or maintain my calendar," and I would say, "Of course! Let's do it."

I provide customer service for clients ranging from San Diego to NYC (and everywhere in between). To their own customers, it's seamless. To them, it's priceless. They finally have the time to devote to other aspects of their business without being chained to their laptops and cell phones.

I now know first-hand that certain outsourced tasks can work out very well for certain businesses. I will definitely be looking "virtually" for my own team as my business expands.

Karen

[KarenB]

I think outsourcing can be a great help in a lot of areas. The only thing I wouldn't outsource is customer service. That can have such an impact on how your business is perceived. I like to keep it in house so I have some control over how customer service is handled, and I also know who's handling it.

I think that's a great point, Kristine. I think it's very important to really know the person who is handling your customer service. In an outsourcing situation, I believe it helps to have some prior experience with that individual to be fully confident in their loyalty, dedication and commitment to your success.

Karen

[orion_joel]

Rockman, that is exactly what i meant, it seems to be a good success for you. I think it would be very much dependent on the person you found through how successful this could be.

It seems that outsourcing for small business is something that can really actually create more small business on a local level.

[KristineS]

I think that's a great point, Kristine. I think it's very important to really know the person who is handling your customer service. In an outsourcing situation, I believe it helps to have some prior experience with that individual to be fully confident in their loyalty, dedication and commitment to your success.

Karen

Karen,

I was thinking more in a company situation where you have multiple customer service people answering questions and taking orders. We have that for one of our companies, and I am pushing for it to stay in house because I want to have some control over what gets said.

I think, in certain situations an arrangement like you describe would be a wonderful benefit. I just have seen two many companies with larger call centers lose their way because they outsource the calls and then have no control over the quality of information or service that gets passed along to the customer.

You have a great point though, you have to know and trust the person that you're allowing to handle part of your business image. If you don't or can't, then you're in trouble.

[cbscreative]

I'm very careful with this one too. Most of my outsourcing has been hiring my daughter who is very creative and plenty skilled. I have a significant resource pool of freelance people should the need arise and I consider that approach to be very sensible in some situations. There are times when someone else could be more suited for a project than I am, and it makes much more sense for me to utilize their strength when it matches the needs. I believe businesses are gravitating more heavily toward outsourcing rather than hiring, and it works very well in many situations. It's not for everyone, and not in all areas, but there is a place for it.