Do more with less by outsourcing

Don't miss market opportunities due to a lack of in-house staff - consider outsourcing instead.

Do more with less. It's an easy edict for small business owners to issue to their staff. And while a surprising amount can be done with fewer people and dollars, it can strain your daily operations. Outsourcing some of your company's activities can be a necessary strategy to alleviate the pressure.

Why outsource? First, you have better control over your staffing needs. Starting or stopping a service is much easier to do than hiring and laying off employees. You might also encounter a higher level of expertise since outside providers dedicate their entire days to performing the type of work that you want conducted. In contrast, if your business is like most small businesses, you probably hired your employees more for their ability to wear multiple hats than for their expertise at performing any one activity. Finally, working with an outside service can also be accompanied by guarantees, both in terms of timing and quality.

Services that can be outsourced fall in one of three primary buckets. Financial-related services include collection agencies, payroll services, bookkeeping, and accounting. There are many marketing and sales-related service providers as well. They range from marketing collateral creation and web site design to telemarketing and strategy consulting. Computer-related services make up the third bucket, whether they pertain to a programming project that needs to be undertaken or general troubleshooting that is required to keep your computer network running.

As with any purchase, take the time to vet your options before choosing one. Where it's relevant, seek a provider that has experience with your industry. Inquire specifically about the people who will be working with your company to ensure the staff quality lives up to the company's reputation. Looking for a good match can help ensure projects start swiftly on the right track.

Make sure expectations are clear on both sides. Written statements of what work will be conducted and an accompanying discussion is a good way to kick off a project. Should problems arise, determine how issues will be resolved.

References can provide the inside scoop on how well the company works with the client. Ask questions about the client's satisfaction about various aspects of the process to get the inside scoop beyond the "they're great" platitudes. Current and past clients can also be a great source for advice about the best way to work with the service.

Before a project ends, or even begins, find out how any information or intellectual property is transferred back to your company during the course of a project or to the next provider when a contract ends. You don't want to find yourself hostage to a company simply because it's too difficult to extract your company from the relationship.

Turning to outside parties for help with your company's activities can be a smart way to conduct business. Just spend the time to choose the right service so you can be confident that you are in fact doing more with less rather than doing less with more.

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