Monitor Costs and Stay Responsive to Customer Needs
If you don’t know where your costs are coming from, you cannot be proactive in managing them. Outsourcing allows you to tap into the expertise of outside firms and gain insights into your costs as well as how they are impacting your business and experience reduced incomes as a result of much decreased living expenses. According to industry figures, outsourcing to India may cut labour expenses by around 70% and even closer to 90% while still paying the local workers a living wage.
Companies can save a lot of money by outsourcing since suppliers charge lower rates for their workers than internal staff do. In 2018, 62% of businesses claimed savings of 10% to 25% through outsourcing, and 38% saw capital gains of up to 40%. By comparing the salaries received through outsourcing to those received internally in several key areas, your company may have a better understanding of cost reductions.
Reliable outsourcing vendors will provide you with metrics that enable you to track your costs and understand how they affect your business. If you are outsourcing a particular function, like customer service, be sure to include metrics in your SLA that require the vendor to share information with you about how their work impacts your costs. For example, if you have contracted with a call centre to handle your customer service calls but are still using an on-premise system to record data, it will be nearly impossible to understand how those costs are impacting your business.
The main factor driving any Australian company to embrace an offshore labour program is the potential for considerable cost savings when done properly. Domestic service and skill suppliers are utterly unable to compete on a cost basis. The wage/service rates in the area have risen to some of the highest in the Western world, making the rates of comparable personnel offered by teams like ours in India a vital option for companies whose margins are already too thin.
Streamline Processes and Be More Efficient
Many companies think that outsourcing certain functions will cause them to increase expenses, but that is not always the case. Outsourcing can allow you to simplify processes that are currently being handled in-house so your team has more time and resources to focus on other areas of the business. Eliminating redundant processes and using best-of-breed technologies from outside vendors can give you more time to review operational data, work on strategic initiatives and implement new technologies that can provide lasting benefits. If you are outsourcing a call centre function, for example, you should look for a vendor that uses an efficient, software-enabled system for handling calls. This will allow your team to focus on other important aspects of your business without having to worry about manually-recording calls or losing data because of limited resources.
The trade industry is still behind the times when it comes to using digital procedures, despite how much more technology is being incorporated into daily life and business. The paperwork is what most tradesmen respond to when asked what is hindering their company. Creating quotations and doing administrative duties takes plumbers, electricians, builders, and other trade business owners 14 hours each week on average.
You could be the only one who can complete some responsibilities for your small business, and if you are swamped with paperwork, you will fall behind. It’s merely good business sense to outsource the ordinary administrative work that may be completed by others because it will save you time and money. There is no shame in recognizing your team’s strengths and outsourcing the remainder of the work. In the same way that you have access to professionals in your field in accounting, bookkeeping, telecommunications, marketing, and design, you may outsource your work to them.
Eliminate Risks Associated with Key Functions
Risks associated with certain internal functions can often be eliminated through outsourcing. For example, if you are experiencing turnover in your customer service department, you can mitigate that risk by outsourcing that function. If your company is facing an increase in demand but doesn’t have the internal resources to increase production, you can help mitigate that risk by outsourcing production functions. Outsourcing can also help you reduce risks associated with hiring and retaining employees by turning to an outsourcing firm that uses contingent workers. Contingent workers can be brought on board quickly, allowing you to respond to surges in demand without having to make long-term hiring commitments. By hiring contingent workers, you can also avoid the risks involved with hiring employees, such as increased employee turnover, disputes about charges for overtime and legal issues related to employee benefits.
Companies strive to become leaner, more concentrated, efficient, and successful as they concentrate on managing their operations in a challenging economic climate. In order to accomplish these goals, several multinational corporations have offshored jobs to other nations during the past ten years. Others use third-party outsourcing service providers, while some have created captive subsidiaries.
Research company Gartner, Inc. predicts that through 2012, the outsourcing industry would expand overall at an annual rate of 8%. Business process outsourcing (BPO) growth may be declining (between 4% and 6% growth), although IT outsourcing is predicted to remain stable through 2012 at a pace of around 7%. Because of this, outsourcing is commonplace, especially offshore and BPO is anticipated to carry on.
There is danger involved with these actions. Investment is needed for outsourcing, along with new contractual duties in new locations and structural adjustments across the outsourced company.
Public reporting hazards may occur when outsourced operations and procedures have an impact on financial reporting. Customer satisfaction and product failure risks may occur when operational procedures are outsourced and/or offshored. Chinese-made toys were recalled in 2007 due to lead paint risks and ingestible magnets, which served as an illustration of this. Additionally, as the Satyam controversy develops and the ultimate effect of the fraud on the operations of the Indian business is still uncertain, attention has been brought to the significance of an outsourcing provider’s reputation and dependability. Despite the dangers, it is difficult to ignore the cost advantages.
Help Maintain Organisational Talent
Outsourcing certain functions can actually help you maintain organisational talent. For example, if you have a significant amount of knowledge that exists in the form of internal experts in your engineering department but there is a lack of engineering opportunities in your region, outsourcing can help you keep that talent engaged in your organisation by using those experts as consultants. Similarly, if you are experiencing shortages of talent in certain fields, such as sales or customer service, outsourcing those functions can help you maintain organisational talent. In the case of a sales shortage, for example, you can bring in an outside sales team that has the skills and expertise to close deals while using your existing sales team to manage and train the outside team.
This initiative gives core employees in the company the opportunity to lead the outsourced teams and overall develops the core teams management skills as well. Internal teams get leadership roles and also lets them focus on multiple projects simultaneously.
On the flip side to this is maintaining the organisational talent of employees in the outsourced company. The benefits of outsourcing in the perspective of the employees that you outsource to is that they will experience many of the benefits that an Australian company has to offer. Australian businesses treat their workers with respect. Our 8-hour shift is the same as theirs, and we often get the weekends off. Additionally, there is excellent work-life balance since offshore workers observe the client’s time zone. In essence, they will put in 40 hours every week. Giving them free time to use on the weekends is one of the finest perks of working for an Australian firm. This allows you to fully recover before returning to work on Monday by watching more TV, using Facebook, going out, and spending time with their families. If you do the maths, working for a local business for example the India, requires you to put in an average of 206 hours per month, but working for an outsourced business only requires you to put in 172 hours per month, plus travel time. This would result in a monthly difference of 34 hours according to a simple calculation. Likewise, calculate the “difference” for a year with 408 hours, or 48 working days. The advantages of working for an outsourcing firm increase productivity and accuracy.
Help Establish a Culture of Continual Improvement
A culture of continual improvement is essential to any business looking to become more successful. Outsourcing certain functions can help you achieve that goal. For example, if you are struggling to meet deadlines on internal projects, outsourcing those projects can help you meet those deadlines with a sense of urgency that internal projects often lack. Using an outside team with a sense of urgency can get projects done quickly while also setting expectations that they need to meet a certain standard. While outsourcing isn’t the right choice for every business, it can be a helpful tool that is used by companies of all types and in every industry. If your company is struggling with inefficient processes, a lack of talent or is experiencing high internal costs, outsourcing certain functions can be a great way to mitigate those issues.
Organisations that specialise in contractor management also possess the specialised knowledge and experience needed to provide services that maximise your contract workforce. They’ll assist you stay current on legislation changes and provide you access to the most advanced technologies available in their area of expertise. They don’t just give you, their client, fantastic service; they also offer your contractors specialised contractor care programs. It is their responsibility to do so. More content workers are also more productive workers. Contractor management companies may assist increase your contractor’s productivity and loyalty by offering services like compensation package alternatives and contractor-specific financial planning.
Is Outsourcing The Right Move for Your Business ?
It is important to note that business owners, no matter what type of business they own, are always on the lookout for ways to save money. Outsourcing, while it may not be the best solution for every business, can provide a way to save money while still offering the same services and products that your business offers. This is something that business owners who are just starting out or who are in the early stages of building their business may not be able to do on their own.
Managing or running a business is challenging. It is important not only to be able to run a business, but also to be able to do it in an efficient manner. This is where outsourcing comes in. Outsourcing essentially allows you to outsource specific tasks within the business to other people or companies who are skilled in those areas. These tasks may include IT support, HR support, ERP system development, graphic design, accounting and bookkeeping services, financial report preparation, and more.Although outsourcing doesn’t necessarily have a bad effect on corporate culture, you should take precautions before you ever move in that path. This normally entails talking with any affected personnel about your choice.
Before choosing in favour of or against this tactic, you should carefully weigh the numerous advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing. This shouldn’t be taken lightly because it has the power to change organisational culture. Do you have any prior outsourcing experience? Did it help or hurt your business more than it helped?