In this day and age, business help and support is virtually everywhere. Tasks are becoming automated and more efficient, and freelancers are becoming a prominent part of the workforce. If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed in your business, or if you have a lot of tasks that you think you are spending too much time on, outsourcing business tasks can be a tremendous asset to your company.
7 Signs Your Ready to Start Outsourcing Business Tasks
The decision to start outsourcing business tasks isn’t an easy one. You have to consider your budget and you also have to consider how willing you are to let go and let someone in to help. The one thing we do know is that if you want to find success as a small business owner, you cannot do it alone.
So stop for a few minutes and these seven signs that are clear indicators you need to start outsourcing.
1. You’re Seriously Stressed Out
If you find that you’re showing a lot of signs of being overworked, like unusually snapping at people or always thinking about work, outsourcing tasks can help alleviate that stress by picking up some slack when you’re juggling everything on your plate.
Start by outsourcing some of the more menial tasks on your plate, like managing company emails or social media accounts. Giving even one or two tasks out of everything you have to do in a day can give you some much-needed stress relief.
2. You’re Spending a Lot of Time on Tasks You Hate
If you spend too much of your office time on tasks you hate doing, eventually you’re going to be miserable and resent a job you once loved. If you can’t find the strength to power through them anymore, these are the perfect tasks to outsource to a person or team.
You don’t have to worry about putting off writing invoices or paying bills late just because you dislike doing them.
3. You Can’t Provide the Level of Customer Service You Aspire To
Customer service is vital to business success, especially now. Customers expect to be able to get in touch with someone and get answers right away. If you’re too swamped with other tasks, it’s hard to provide the level of customer service that people have come to expect.
You don’t have to outsource your work to someone who only does the duties of a typical personal assistant. They can be a writer, a social media guru, a book balancer or a receptionist. Having a virtual receptionist, someone designated to manage customer calls and emails, can boost the level of customer service you offer and free you up to take on other tasks. In fact, one case study showed that implementing a virtual receptionist boosted staff efficiency by 10%.
4. You Have New Ideas You Can’t Develop
You could have a million grand ideas for new projects and products for your company, but if you don’t have enough time to work on them, they aren’t going to come to fruition.
A business needs to grow and come up with innovative ideas and products to continue flourishing. Finding time to do that is crucial to developing your company and keeping it going.
5. An Area of Your Business Is Struggling
One employee can’t be skilled at absolutely everything. If you’re a small business, you have few employees taking on a large number of tasks. If there are specific areas where you’re noticing you and your workers are having trouble meeting your company’s or clients’ standards, outsourcing the work or hiring a freelancer that specializes in that kind of work can really help.
With this, you are helping your company out by having employees take on a bit less work. They can also help the business prosper by taking on tasks no one else is genuinely skilled in. Your employees will undoubtedly be relieved that they don’t have to worry about those duties anymore — and so will you.
6. You’re Forgetting to Do Certain Tasks
Simple tasks like answering emails, confirming appointments, and updating your website and social media may sound like small items on your to-do list, but they’re also things that can easily slip through the cracks if you’re stressed and busy. They’re also crucial factors customers and clients are going to pay attention to, so they need to be done.
If you find yourself forgetting about these things on a regular basis, you may need someone to help you out and ensure those tasks get done.
7. Your Work-Life Balance Needs Reset
You don’t want to be working so much that you’re missing family dinners and other events you wish to attend. If you start outsourcing work, even for a few hours a week, you’d still have more time than before. Work is essential, but it shouldn’t be something that’s completely taking over your life.
Do any of these signs fit your situation? If so, it’s time to look into outsourcing your work and hiring a team that can help your small business grow. It’s a smart business decision that’ll make both you and the rest of your company happy.
#4 is a big one for me! I have all these ideas but no time to put them into action. I’ve started to write them down too. I have outsourced several tasks but I may need to outsource more after reading this one!