| Outsourcing is an emotive topic that is often portrayed | | | | perhaps currently carried out by your existing |
| in a negative light by the media. It is also something that | | | | administrative staff but could just as easily be carried |
| has traditionally been seen as the preserve of big | | | | out remotely by someone working evenings or even |
| multi-national corporations, and small business has been | | | | working in a different country. |
| slow to take up this business trend. | | | | Are there specific functions within your organisation |
| However, outsourcing is something that we all do | | | | that don't require full time cover? |
| regularly, most of the time without realising it. For | | | | Perhaps you are a small company that employs one |
| example, when your radiator starts leaking, more often | | | | secretary. The secretary's functions still need to be |
| than not the plumber will be called out to come and fix | | | | carried out even when they are on leave, and |
| it. This is outsourcing at it's most basic level: the | | | | therefore you could consider hiring a freelance virtual |
| necessary skills don't exist within the organisation (your | | | | assistant to act as an answering service and |
| home) and so a freelance professional (the plumber) is | | | | appointment planner. |
| hired to work on the project (fixing your radiator). It is | | | | Or, you might need somebody to run your on-line |
| this basic principle that should be used to determine | | | | marketing campaign, a task that only requires a |
| whether or not it makes sense for your business to | | | | maximum of one or two days work per month in total. |
| outsource projects. | | | | It makes little sense to try and hire someone on a |
| If you can answer 'Yes' to any of these questions, | | | | part-time basis for this (and no sense to pay a full-time |
| then chances are you are in a position to gain by | | | | salary for so little work), and so outsourcing your |
| outsourcing. | | | | on-line marketing campaign to a freelance professional |
| Are there particular projects that your business does | | | | specialising in this area is the appropriate decision to |
| not have the skills to complete? | | | | make. |
| During the course of the business year, there are | | | | Hopefully you now have some ideas of projects that |
| often particular activities that need to be carried out, | | | | you might look to contract out. The next step is |
| where the necessary skills pool does not exist within | | | | deciding who to give the work to. |
| your organisation. These are the most obvious | | | | One of the oldest, and trusted, routes for finding a |
| projects to be contracted out, because you can retain | | | | professional is to use word of mouth. In other words, |
| the services of an expert but only for the time it takes | | | | speak with someone you know and trust who has |
| for the project to be completed. | | | | been in a similar position before and find out who they |
| For example, it may be that you run a guest house | | | | used to get the job done. This way you are using a |
| and need to have your website redesigned. It is unlikely | | | | tried and trusted resource to complete your project. |
| that you will have the necessary skills to carry this out | | | | However, if you don't know anybody who has had a |
| within the company, and therefore this is a prime | | | | website designed (for example), or the named web |
| example of a project that can be outsourced to a | | | | designer is busy, or you feel that it might be possible to |
| freelancer. | | | | get the same standard of work at a lower cost from |
| Could you be completing your existing projects more | | | | somewhere else, a different approach is required. |
| cost-effectively? | | | | On-line freelance marketplaces are a great place to |
| Perhaps you are the Managing Director of a | | | | find the skilled professional that you need for your |
| medium-sized company, yet you put together the copy | | | | project. These will often allow freelancers to compete |
| for the full page advertisement you run in the weekly | | | | with each other for your project, thereby giving you a |
| newspaper each week. It is highly likely that your time | | | | range of cost options to choose from, as well as |
| is worth more than the cost of hiring a freelance | | | | having some form of review or rating system so that |
| copy-writer to carry out this task for you, thus freeing | | | | you can choose your service provider with confidence. |
| you up to focus on your core business (or golf!). Again, | | | | In this day and age, more and more small and medium |
| another great candidate for outsourcing. | | | | businesses are using this medium to identify and hire |
| Another example might be data-entry, which is | | | | skilled professionals to work on their projects. |