Outsourcing, as the name already suggests, basically means acquiring ‘resources’ from ‘outside’. It is a business practice where a company hires a third-party to perform its tasks, operations, jobs or processes, rather than doing the work in-house.
Is outsourcing only needed for short-term purposes? Most companies do not consider outsourcing as a permanent plan or for long-term purposes because they see it as a waste of money. Of course, anyone would wonder ‘Why do I need external help when I can do this by myself maybe with a little extra effort?’ If you are uncertain about when it’s best to outsource, this article will is for you. Here are five times that you should consider outsourcing for your business:
When employees are overburdened with work
If you already have employees running the business with you, a good boss-worker relationship, good communication and performance or work assessment will tell you when your workers are stressed and cannot take any more extra work. In this case, it is only best to invite more hands to hold up the business temporarily. By so doing, you make the health of your employees a priority while ensuring that productivity is still at its peak.
When you need a certain field
All fields of work in one way or another need each other. However, it may not be advisable for each company to permanently employ people from all fields of work as their services may not be needed regularly. A hospital, for instance, may not need a website administrator around every day and no employer would be happy paying thousands of Cedis to an employee whose service is only needed once in a while. Therefore, for a skill like that, the most reasonable option would be to outsource as and when needed.
When you need a boost: No company, regardless of how big or small, can brag of having all
7.650 billion plus people on this earth signed onto their platforms. At some point when for instance you want to introduce a new product or service, you need as much hype as you can get and this is where outsourcing comes in. Hire the best advertising company, pay the best influencers and go in for the biggest media platforms to help you push the cause and you will be marveled at how much it pays off.
When On A Strict Budget
It may not sound fathomable to be told to introduce a third-party company or another expert when on a strict budget but think of it this way: If you run a small business, would it not be better to go in for an extra hand only when you direly need it instead of having employees whom you would have to pay every month even if there hasn’t been much work done?
When employees need a touch-up on their skills
As the world evolves and innovation comes to play each day, new technologies and skills of doing things are introduced. When something like this comes to play, it is only for the benefit of the company that employees acquire that new knowledge to make work easier. Rather than employing a new set of staff who have already acquired that new knowledge, it would be best to temporarily bring in one or a team of experts to educate the employees. A new set of employees are likely to charge higher but old employees who have had their skill bettered at the cost of the company are less likely to ask for an increment in salary.
Conclusion
Outsourcing has its pros and cons just like everything else, and it may be more expensive than working strictly with an in-house team however, it is up to you to weigh your reason for outsourcing and the benefits you will be reaping.
