Small business owners are often expected to do it all, but that’s not realistic or sustainable for many new entrepreneurs. Time, experience, and money all factor into which tasks a business owner can manage each day, and it can be difficult dividing them up in a way that benefits daily operations. If you’re considering your options for outsourcing, here are some ways that may benefit your company.
Table of Contents
Customer Service
If you’ve ever lost a morning to answering emails, you know just how much time it can take to manage customer service. This is also one of the most important aspects of any business, so you shouldn’t leave it to just anyone. Attracting new customers is expensive, and chances are your next sale is going to come from someone who’s already familiar with your company. If someone spent their hard-earned cash with you, why wouldn’t you want to make sure they’re satisfied? Outsourcing your customer service duties means you’re handing the reins to people who know how to solve problems quickly, easily, and in a way that leaves customers feeling even better about your company. Plus, who wants to be responsible for responding to negative messages when you’re on a remote vacation, like one of the Alaska cruises from Seattle?
Marketing
There’s a reason why big companies have entire marketing departments. It’s a big job! Marketing can mean anything from social media ads to billboards, posters or local radio spots. Not only do you need to make marketing content, you need to do the research to understand your target audience, what they want, and where they spend most of their time. Outsourcing these tasks to professionals can help you avoid spending hours testing ads, setting up social media accounts, and interacting on posts. You can set a budget, go over your goals, and a professional marketer can help you come up with a realistic plan for growing your reach.
Production
If you enjoy creating your products, and making everything in-house aligns with your company purpose and values, outsourcing your production may not be the option for you, but it doesn’t mean you should discount it entirely. For example, maybe you enjoy making candles in your store, but hate figuring out your printer for all the different labels. You can pay someone to design and create those components and assemble later. Outsourcing is all about giving the less enjoyable aspects of running a business to someone else, so why not make your life easier? All those little things add up!
Delivery
Not everyone wants to deal with the hassle of delivering their products to people by hand, but people are more accustomed to convenience than ever before. With the tap of a button, they can have their shampoo picked up at the same time as their dinner order. If you don’t want to find a company vehicle or have to set up a system for delivery, you can partner with a company who handles the specifics for you. You might just become someone’s new go-to store for last minute gifts.
Shipping
Shipping and logistics can be a nightmare for a small business. Just finding the space for enough product is often a huge obstacle for growing companies. A viral video can result in a huge amount of orders that the business isn’t prepared to purchase, store, package, and ship in a timely manner. If you’ve already outsourced your production, why not hire a shipping and logistics company too? They’re experts at organizing and getting products out the door in a timely fashion, and you don’t have to worry about folding boxes!
No small business is the same, and no solution will be perfect for everyone, but there’s almost certainly an area of your business that would be better completed by someone else. If you have the budget, consider freeing up some of your time to devote to the aspects of the business you love.
