The benefits of outsourcing are vast, especially to busy entrepreneurs looking to grow and scale their operations. Unfortunately, all too many business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and managers never get to experience those benefits because they’re bogged down by day-to-day tasks.
Are you in the same position where administrative tasks are preventing you from reaching your full potential and business goals? Consider these key outsourcing benefits and the tips you need in order to fully experience them with the help of a virtual assistant!
What is Outsourcing?
Outsourcing is the process of engaging a service or person outside of your company to provide services, create goods, or handle business processes.
Traditionally, these tasks have been performed “in-house” by a company’s employees, but today, more and more businesses are enjoying the benefits and flexibility of effective outsourcing. By outsourcing routine tasks, companies are able to grow faster, focus on what’s important and provide critical support to their in-house teams.
What’s the Difference Between Outsourcing vs Offshoring?
Outsourcing should not be confused with offshoring. Outsourcing is merely delegating certain functions or tasks to outside or third parties, while offshoring is moving entire departments or jobs outside of the country. Many of the companies that offer services to help lighten your load are based right here in the United States.
10 Benefits of Outsourcing to Professional Virtual Assistants
One of the best ways to maximize outsourcing benefits is to hire a virtual assistant. These administrative professionals are experts at helping clients save time and increase productivity, all for a much lower cost than directly hiring a full-time assistant. Here are 10 ways that a professional virtual assistant can improve your organization.
1. Decreased Costs
One of the top benefits of outsourcing services is the cost saving advantage it offers businesses. In most cases, you can cut costs substantially by outsourcing everything but your core business functions.
By outsourcing, you don’t have to pay employees to simply sit around when they don’t have specific tasks to do, nor do you have to worry about office space or employee benefits. You only pay for the hours you need your Virtual Assistant to work and in many cases you can customize an hourly package that best fits your needs.
2. Better Ability To Scale
You have a big project coming up, but you don’t have enough staff on hand. Shortly after that, you go through a period when you don’t have as many jobs or resources tied up in those jobs.
By outsourcing many of those key tasks, you can more easily scale your services, ensuring that you have everything your business needs as it changes and grows. Additionally, outsourcing can help you scale your business at a greater speed without the high costs of hiring professionals to join the company internally.
3. Enhance Efficiency
One of the biggest advantages of outsourcing services to a Virtual Assistant is that it allows you to increase your productivity and efficiency in your business by adding another set of hands to handle day-to-day business operations. This ensures you’re able to allocate your time accordingly and effectively instead of losing time to administrative tasks.
4. Increase Your Competitive Advantage
If your business success is tied to project completion or specific deliverables, outsourcing such tasks to a skilled professional outside your organization can really impact your competitive advantage. Professional Virtual Assistants have a vast background and can handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously – doubling and even tripling your productivity.
5. You Can Focus On Your Core Business Tasks
Are you working in the business, or working on the business? Many business owners get caught up in the day-to-day operations of running their business and don’t get enough time to focus on growing the business itself.
In these scenarios, the outsourcing benefits can be seen immediately in the trajectory and success of the business – not to mention the general work-life balance of the business owner.
Outsourcing to a professional Virtual Assistant allows business owners to hand over the administrative needs of their business to a highly skilled professional and focus their time and energy on the core business needs.
6. Restore Your Team’s Productivity and Focus
Your employees have enough to focus on in handling your core business tasks. When you choose to outsource other administrative responsibilities, you free your employees up to focus on those core tasks while ensuring that the other items are still handled effectively.
By giving your employees some capacity in their workday (and the support of a trained specialist), they can devote more time to their own professional development, becoming an incredible asset to the business.
At the same time, by ensuring that the administrative tasks are handled, employees are free to focus on the high-impact and critical items that will truly drive your business (and their careers) forward.
7. Decreased Worry About Turnover
Employee turnover can cause immense expense for your business. It’s estimated that losing an employee for whatever reason can cost a business one half to 2x the employee’s salary.
Not only do you have to find new employees, you have to get them up to date on training which slows down your pace, increases your workload, and can accrue higher overhead costs. One of the major advantages of outsourcing services to a virtual assistant is that you’re alleviating many stressors from your team.
When you outsource tasks that are causing bandwidth issues, the likelihood of an employee willingly exiting a company for dissatisfaction reasons is reduced.
8. Outsource Services to Industry Experts
Outsourcing services to companies, such as Zirtual, allows you to hire industry experts in a cost-effective way that are an excellent match for your Organization’s size, culture and trajectory.
With Zirtual, you gain access to a larger talent pool than you would find with a regular job posting. The professionals in the Zirtual network go through a rigorous screening process, have tailored industry and software experience, and are ready to hit the ground running.
During your onboarding, the Zirtual team reviews your needs, programs, industry and any other skills you require, and finds the best fit possible for you. This tailored and time-tested process ensures you realize the outsourcing benefits immediately.
9. Access To Better Resources
Similar to the outsourcing benefit mentioned above, your company can get access to the advanced resources in your industry through an outsourcing partnership. Your outsource partner may have experience with the latest resources, including software, programs, and processes.
In turn, you get to benefit from those resources directly because they’re impacting your day-to-day work, deliverables, and anything else that you may need.
10. Reduce Communication Errors with US-Based Outsourcing
Hiring a US-based virtual assistant company increases your productivity by reducing errors, time in training, and eliminating language or cultural barriers. It also ensures your Virtual Assistant works when you work, and can be available when needed.
A major advantage of outsourcing services to a US-based Virtual Assistant company such as Zirtual who only hires college educated, US-based Virtual Assistants is the ability to increase communication in the channels your business uses.
Proofing, blogging and email management are some of the most common tasks that business owners trust Zirtual to handle, and our US-based Virtual Assistants are perfectly skilled to communicate in these environments – where context is key. Business thrives on communication both externally and internally so hiring a highly skilled and communicative Virtual Assistant is critical.
What are the Challenges of Outsourcing Services? (7 Challenges)
There are plenty of advantages to outsourcing services, but there are also challenges that businesses can face which may hinder them from pursuing this. Several specific problems and issues can get in the way, such as:
1. People Don’t Know What They Need
If you don’t know what you need when you outsource a specific task, you may end up paying for far more hours or far more support than you really need, which can cut into your cost savings.
2. Not Knowing How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Partner
Choosing a company, individual partner, or virtual assistant requires time. Outsourcing is much like choosing a new employee: you have to do your research and put in the time to find the right one.
3. People Are Hesitant to Trust or Relinquish Control.
Outsourcing means giving up some control. You need to turn over those tasks to the partner company and assume that they know what they’re doing. When you try to micromanage, on the other hand, you lose the advantages offered by that expertise.
This requires a trusting relationship though, which is why it’s essential to find the right outsourcing provider to build a successful working relationship with.
4. Fear of Security Threats
Many business owners are concerned about security when working with a remote Virtual Assistant or employee. Hiring a company like Zirtual gives you an added layer of comfort as Zirtual provides all of their Virtual Assistants with access to industry leading encryption tools, best-practices for protecting sensitive online activity (like purchasing), and secure storage options.
All Zirtual Virtual Assistants complete a rigorous screening, including a background check. As a Zirtual customer, you also received a dedicated Account Manager for any questions that may come up along the way.
5. Possible Communication Issues
A big question that is asked about working with a remote assistant is how are communication issues resolved. We can start by offering a few key suggestions to prevent communication issues from starting.
- Establish your preferred method of communication with your Virtual Assistant early on. Do you prefer instant messaging, texting, emailing, phone calls, or another task management platform? Our Virtual Assistants will accommodate your preferences, and may even have some tips to further streamline your communication.
- Set up recurring meetings with your Virtual Assistant. Regular meetings allow you and your Virtual Assistant to connect live and clear up any questions either of you may have and ensure you’re on the same page.
- Set up a project management tool to delegate work to your Virtual Assistant. Project management tools provide clarity to you and your Virtual Assistant on deadlines and information needed to ensure project completion and productivity. Your Virtual Assistant can even select and implement one of these tools for you!
6. Potential Quality Assurance Issues
It is common to worry about the quality of work you may receive when outsourcing. This is where outsourcing to a company like Zirtual makes all the difference. When you outsource to a company like Zirtual, your Virtual Assistant is already vetted for the proper skills and training that are critical to your Organization.
You are guaranteed to receive a highly-trained professional based in the US who has been matched to you based on your specific needs. And if your needs change along the way, your dedicated Account Supervisor will help you identify the best-fit going forward, and streamline the transition process.
7. Lack of Budget
Is outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant company in my budget? This is a large concern most businesses and business owners have. One of the advantages of outsourcing services to a Virtual Assistant is that it’s more cost effective than hiring directly, but can still stretch the budget.
Working with a company like Zirtual who can customize your plan can help you receive the specialized help you need without breaking the bank. And if your budget changes, Zirtual can help you adjust your plan to match while still retaining your core talent.
How to Ensure Outsourcing Will Be Successful (So You Can Experience the Benefits of Outsourcing)
Want to ensure a successful outsourcing relationship? Apply these practical tips to ensure that you get to experience the full advantages of this kind of professional partnership!
1. Communicate Effectively
The first way to ensure that you’re experiencing the advantages of outsourcing services is to get really good at communicating effectively.
Set a plan in place for regular communication and stick to it. Be in contact with the company or individual provider regularly, and follow up quickly with any problems.
2. Evaluate A Potential Company Completely
Make sure you have a solid understanding of the company you’re considering and what they can bring to the table. Make sure you have an expert in what they’re doing for your company to ensure a more successful working relationship.
A quick Google search will present you with a myriad of options for Virtual Assistant companies, but they are not all created equal. How do you know who provides better quality? Here are some things to consider:
- When the company was established? How long have they been providing their services to the public?
- Do they handle the tasks you need?
- Can you schedule a consultation to discuss your specific needs ahead of time?
Reviews can also give you good insight on how the company operates, treats their clients, and the overall satisfaction of their clients. Check out independent review sites, such as Trustpilot, or ask around! Do your colleagues work with Virtual Assistants? Who do they use and what has their experience been like?
3. Clearly Define The Scope The Company Will Cover
A sure-fire way to ensure you’re starting a relationship on the right foot is to establish a crystal clear scope of responsibilities and expectations. Know the responsibilities you’re planning to outsource and communicate them clearly with your partner.
Establish who you should contact with a problem or if a specific point-of-contact (POC) works best. Knowing how to address roles and responsibilities ahead of time can make it easier to deal with problems as they arise as well as ensure that expectations are being met.
4. Set Specific Goals and Benchmarks For Projects
Working with your Virtual Assistant to set goals and expectations is the key to success. Think about what a successful working relationship looks like to you, and what your goals for a Virtual Assistant are.
- Are there certain tasks that you’d like your Virtual Assistant to handle independently within 30 or 60 days? Are there tasks that you prefer to handle yourself?
- Are there projects with strict deadlines that need to be front and center?
- Are there personal time management goals that you’d like to achieve (signing off by 5PM, for example)
- Would you like to be at inbox-zero within 30 days?
Your Account Supervisor will help you identify these goals and set appropriate checkpoints and benchmarks for your Virtual Assistant. They can also assist you with setting clear expectations with your Virtual Assistant.
This ensures you realize the advantages of outsourcing services early and often in your Virtual Assistant relationship.
Get Major Outsourcing Benefits with Zirtual’s Virtual Assistants!
Working with Zirtual’s Virtual Assistants allows you to focus on what you do best. They will level-up your team with the dedicated, specialized, fractional help you need, and get stuff off your plate — fast.
At Zirtual, you will be paired with a highly skilled, college educated, US-based Virtual Assistant on a flexible plan that fits your needs both personally and professionally. This gives you the assurance that the virtual assistant services that are provided are quality services you can rely on.
Still have questions? Request a consultation and learn how you can start to experience the outsourcing benefits in your Organization.