“Do what you do best, and outsource the rest” is what business philosopher Peter Ducker says. And he’s right. For your business to grow, you’re going to need to be self-aware enough to know your own strengths, then delegate around them. But sometimes it can be difficult to know what can and cannot be outsourced, which is why we’ve put together this little guide. Some of these aspects might come under your strengths, meaning there is no need to outsource unless you’re looking to save time. Simply put, if you deprive yourself of delegation and overwork yourself, you’re putting yourself out of business.
1) Delivery
No matter how good your product is, if it’s not delivered on time, your customer isn’t going to be satisfied. It’s a major annoyance that taints their experience, making it a factor vital for customer retention and lifetime value. So if you’re serious about growing the business, partner up with a dedicated courier. There are the big companies like Hermes who are great for super large scale businesses at a reasonable rate. However, their cheap rate sacrifices some reliability and tales of poor customer experience are not uncommon. But there are alternatives. If you’re a new business who can’t afford any damage to brand or customer satisfaction through bad delivery, then working with a supplier like CitySprint is a better choice.
Partnering with a dedicated courier service means you’ll be able to provide same day, next day, international, and specialist courier services. And opting for an alternative option than the large courier brands can massively pay off due to the flexibility offered by outsourcing, and can even be more cost effective in the long run. For example, you won’t need to hire an extra team of couriers or have a team dedicated to working out the logistics and routes.
2) Admin
Admin is not only boring, but most of it requires little to no human thought, only interaction. As a result, if there’s software that exists that makes the process more efficient, you might as well make use of them. Automating your administrative tasks not only removes mundane jobs, it saves you valuable time and effort that would be better spent on other, more creative or expertise-required tasks.
The list of admin tasks that can make use of software is endless: there’s task and project management, communication, customer service, file management or file sharing, lead management, and even certain content management solutions. To give an example, Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service platform that is designed to improve communication between the company and its customers. It gathers all your interactions with customers in one place, allowing you to create a seamless and productive workflow. Without it you’d be stuck with an unorganised barrage of emails and messages that would be a nightmare to sort out.
3) Paid Social Media Ads
Paid ads are a powerful method of gaining leads, getting eyes on the brand, and making conversions. From top of the funnel awareness to bottom acquisition, paid ads are a necessary part of a growing business. But they can be tricky to set up, especially the technical side. For example, Facebook ad management alone could have its own university course, and learning how to use it has a steep learning curve. This is especially true for people who are less skilled in analysing data. It doesn’t help that it’s updated and undergoes frequent changes that are hard to keep up with.
As a result, hiring seasoned experts who are in line with updates is a wise decision when it comes to getting the best success from ads. You will find a plentiful selection of freelancers on sites like Fiverr and Upwork who will be buzzing to help you out in this regard. To ensure you get decent people, educate yourself with the basics of paid advertising first. This is so you can decipher the legitimate and experienced consultants from the not so legitimate.
4) Creative
Creative is the variable of success in modern businesses, especially ones within a brand. However, not all of us have the necessary skills needed to make a vision come to life. Why? It has become essential for marketers to show a story in different perspectives and present them in a way that’s ‘outside the box’. Sparks of creativity helps conserve the ad budgets for social media campaigns. Not every amazing piece of creative has to cost thousands in production.
The reality is, though, that even if we have some great ‘outside of the box’ ideas, we don’t always have the capacity to execute on them, even if it seems relatively simple. For example, you may have a killer concept for a logo or piece of video for a paid ad, however if you aren’t a wizard on Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro, then that idea will simply stay in your head. Outsourcing experts to execute creatives brings your ideas to life.
5) Accounting
When you outsource accounting services, you are hiring an expert with the latest knowledge and skills in the field. That means you can expect the job to be done with minimal – if any – errors.
Having someone to keep track of everything makes submitting your tax return a lot easier at the end of the tax year. You can be sure that everything will be in order, which means no problems and no stress for you. As your business grows, you might need to scale up your bookkeeping or cut back as required. And when you outsource, you can be as flexible as you need to be.
While you get more time to focus on your business, you will also get more time to relax. Even if you don’t mind doing your own accounting, it takes a toll on your focus and attention. Now, rather than filling your weekends with spreadsheets, you can enjoy some downtime, keeping your mind fresh and more productive when it comes to doing the work you love.
