Technology is a wonderful thing. It has enabled us to more things at the same time. But is having the ability to do more things necessarily better? More importantly, does quantity of work done equate to productivity? In order to become productive, you should be able to manage your time and allocate more hours to activities that contribute directly to the dollars and cents in your bank account. The smartest way to manage time is to outsource your tasks.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself if You Should Outsource Your Tasks

Outsourcing is the process of transferring or delegating a select group of services to a third party. It has been around since the 1970’s but came to the forefront of business development during the new millennium when the Internet became accessible and global economic conditions grew turbulent.

But how would you know if you should outsource tasks? In order to find out if it is the time to outsource, ask yourself these 3 questions:

“Do I feel confident handling certain tasks?”
“Am I able to complete at least 3 business objectives or goals every day?”
“Am I able to update all of my business records, documentation and respond to all types of communication on a timely basis?”

If yοu answered “No” to any of these questions, it means your productivity level is already compromised and you should be ready to outsource some tasks.

5 Benefits of Outsourcing Tasks

Now that you know you should outsource, how will this process benefit your business?

Here are 5 key benefits outsourcing can have for your business:

Streamline Costs – Outsourcing work to a third party service provider such as a Virtual Assistant will be more cost effective than hiring a full-time employee. When you outsource, you contract workers for a project not hire them for your company. Thus, you don’t pay them benefits. You can generate significant cost savings just by outsourcing work to virtual assistants, telecommuters or freelancers.
Improve Productivity – By outsourcing work, you will have more time to attend to matters that directly translate to your company’s bottom- line. You can also use the cost savings to fund projects or strategies designed to increase income such as marketing, research and development.
Enhance Quality of Work – Even if you have the required skill set to manage a task, you won’t have the time to focus 100% and ensure it is done according to standard. A third party service provider has the experience, expertise and most of all, the time to get the job done right.
Introduce Business Flexibility – Another way outsourcing can save you money is that it allows for flexible business modeling. For example, if you hire virtual assistants, you don’t have to employ them 40 hours a week. You can assign them a 20 hour per week schedule and cut down further your staffing costs without affecting productivity.
Reduce Risk of Expansion – Outsourcing makes it more convenient to manage your manpower costs. If business goes through a rough period, it is easier to terminate the services of outsourced talent than full- time employees.

5 Tasks That You Should Outsource

If you are not sure which tasks to outsource to virtual assistants, do a business review and identify the areas you need the most help on.

Generally however, here are 5 tasks that you should outsource:

Administrative

Administrative tasks are often referred to as “non-essential” but they play an important role in keeping your business organized and running smoothly.

Ask yourself, “How many hours do I spend going through e-mail or answering phone calls?” Outsourcing these tasks will save you time and make your day more productive:

E-mail Filtering
Phone Handling
Appointment Setting
Calendar Management
Filing of Documents
Preparation of Materials

Web Design

It is somewhat shocking that more than 50% of businesses have no websites. In an Internet- driven world, if you don’t have a website, you are seriously undermining the potential of your business to generate substantial income.

The website is your business address in the Internet. In the same manner that you would want customers or clients to visit a well- designed and functional office or brick- and- mortar store, you should also invest in professional web design.

Outsource web design and you will have one that meets the criteria for an effective website:

Mobile Responsive
Fast and Easy to Download
Optimized Content
Accessible by Multi-Browsers
Aesthetic and Functional Design

Online Marketing

Marketing is an important function for every business regardless of industry. However, not many invest in marketing programs because campaigns may require significant funding and it is difficult to quantify returns.

But online marketing is a different story. It is much more cost- efficient because the internet makes distribution faster. Content is reusable; you can re-post or re-distribute it months after initial release.

Outsourcing online marketing is an affordable option because pricing points such as rates and fees are flexible.

An outsourced marketing team will provide you the following services:

SEO
Social Media Marketing
Content Writing
E-mail Marketing
Internet Advertising

Accounting

One of the main reasons small businesses fail is the lack of sound money management policies. By outsourcing accounting services, you can have a team dedicated to keeping your finances organized.

A typical outsourced accounting team can do the following for you:

Bookkeeping
Payroll Preparation
Preparation of Financial Statements
Preparation of Payment Schedules
Accounts Management

Customer Support

Growing a business isn’t only about creating new sources of revenue. It is also about generating repeat business from existing customers. This is the purpose of customer support; they will attend to your current end- users so your market base can stay loyal and grow organically.

Your outsourced customer support group must cover the following areas:

Inbound Calling
Chat Support
E-mail Support
Social Media Support
After Sales Surveys

As great as technology is, it does not have the power to change time. Like it or not, you will only have 24 hours in a day. The key to business success is to manage your available hours wisely. Outsource your tasks and see your productivity levels go off the charts. In business, it is always about quality time.

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