Outsource to Uplevel

Every business owner wants to be efficient in their day to day operation. Unfortunately, the many tasks and projects that business owners work on can cause efficiency and productivity to become a distant fantasy!The result is tasks that are not completed as expected, deadlines that re hampered and goals that are not reached. Worse, they often feel stressed out, sick and overwhelmed. Does this sound like you?The good news is, you’re not alone and there are people out there who can help!One of the best ways to manage the overwhelming tasks of the day to day running of your business is to outsource jobs to other professionals who can get the job done efficiently and effectively. Not only are you then free to concentrate on your core business strategies, but you can rest easy knowing that you’ve got a pro on your side making sure the things get done!Some of the benefits of outsourcing are:

• Cost-saving – you don’t spend much with outsourcers because they don’t need actual office space, training, paid vacations or sick leaves and other employee benefits.

• Help from experts – with outsourcing, you are able to benefit from the expertise of other professionals. If you don’t know graphic design, for instance, you don’t have to learn it. Simply outsource a graphic designer to get the job done.

• Time-Saving – outsourcing can save you time hiring and training staff. You also save yourself the trouble of dealing with human resource problems such as resignation, tardiness and re-hiring.

• Get results – whilst staff are paid even if they fail to deliver, contractors get paid only when they deliver. As a result, you pay for the output, not for the hired person.

• Increased productivity – entrusting tasks that you do not or cannot do to contractors can help you focus on your responsibilities as a business owner, such as planning, innovating or increasing sales.

Now you might wonder, what tasks can be outsourced? Nowadays, almost all tasks can. However, to ensure that the jobs that you are giving to contractors can be delivered remotely, you need to keep in mind the nature of jobs that you need to outsource. They should be:

• Administrative and technical task with measurable standards.
• Executable without needing physical contact with customers or colleagues.
• Transferrable.

To outsource a specific job, you should keep the following points in mind.

1. Work with someone you can trust.This may sound like a cliché but this is so important, that not following this can do more harm than good. You can find a trustworthy outsourcer by asking for referrals from people you know, by doing background checks on the outsourcer or by talking directly to the outsourcer by phone or VOIP and by giving initial tasks for testing.
2. Lay down clear expectations and policies.Contractors can take care of tasks and projects that tend to take too much of your time and effort, but you need to be clear on what they should do and what and when you expect them to deliver. Also let them know of any company policies such as confidentiality of information.
3. You can afford outsourcing.Because you pay only for the specific job, you will have more control of the costs. In effect, outsourcing will save you more money than hiring an employee. You won’t be obliged to purchase additional computer, pay for employee-related taxes, and spend for employee benefits.

Knowing these facts can ease any apprehensions you may have about outsourcing. If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, start to consider outsourcing now. You can begin by asking yourself, “which jobs take too much of my time and effort”? Once you identified them, start calling around to trustworthy outsourcing companies and letting them know your needs.I’ll leave you with a few examples of easily outsourced jobs: Print & Web Graphic Design, Social Media Management, Web Design and Management, Database/List Building, Direct Mail Campaigns, Marketing Campaigns, Contacts Management, Word Processing, Data Entry, Desktop Publishing, and Presentations, and that’s just to name a few!Even the most savvy business owner or entrepreneur would look at that list and immediately think of a few tasks in their own company that would benefit from outsourcing!Kristy Smith is the principal “elf” and creator of Virtual Elves Outsourcing Solution. She and her team help you be successful, supported and energised in building and sustaining your business growth. They aim to give you access to the latest in simple business solutions and global resources that are guaranteed to eradicate the overwhelm you feel in running your business every day. Visit her website here.