For high growth businesses who are expected to become big industry players, not everything can be done in-house, and which require a number of essential business processes to be frequently contracted out to third-party companies, independent contractors, or outsourcing teams.
These are the most common outsourcing examples for high growth businesses: Accounting, Business Development & Sales, Customer Service, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Marketing & Advertising, and Shipping & Logistics.
1. Accounting
Accounting can be such a headache especially for first time business owners, so it makes sense that it is the most outsourced business task. Hiring a dedicated team of professional accountants and bookkeepers can get this task off your plate while still giving you utmost confidence that all sensitive documents and financial data remain accurate, safe, secure, and lawful.
2. Business Development and Sales
Let your in-house teams concentrate on creating and maintaining your product and/or service offerings and allow third-party professionals handle lead generation, business development, and sales. While they conduct data-driven research on high-quality leads to pursue, your resources will be allocated to pitching business propositions to prospects who are most likely to convert or to potential new business partners.
3. Customer Service
A customer service agency will act as a liaison between your company and your customers to help you strengthen existing relationships, encourage engagement and loyalty, and attract new prospects. Outsourcing your customer service support helps you focus on your core goals while being assured that communication, conflict mediation, and customer experience are being take care of.
4. Human Resources
As a core business aspect, the human resources department is essential for helping the organization function continuously, be in tip-top condition, and always thriving. Outsourcing your personnel-focused tasks like recruiting, hiring, onboarding, payroll, and team member management enables you to focus on attracting top global talents and keeping teams happy and committed to the same mission/vision that you have.
5. Manufacturing
Outsourcing partners can help small businesses and startups avoid the unnecessary production and maintenance costs of having in-house manufacturing. Third-party specialists can oversee the assembly of some parts or the whole of your product as well as the management of processes involved, so that you can have more time and effort dedicated for honing your product USP (unique selling proposition).
6. Marketing and Advertising
Delegating marketing and advertising tasks means having a team that is well-versed in what it takes to get noticed and build credibility. While your organization focuses on developing a great product or a unique service, the outsourced service provider is in charge of promoting the brand and business including online advertising, social media promotions, and even traditional marketing to your target audience.
7. Shipping and Logistics
Having an experienced shipping and logistics firm will ensure that your merchandise will have swift, safe, cost-effective arrival and/or delivery at distribution centers. Fulfillment can be a tedious task, so it’s better to have experts ensuring that the final goods are shipped accurately and in the best form – and you can promise to customers that they can receive the products on-time, every time, anywhere.
Examples of Companies that Outsource
Look into the success stories of these companies which have used outsourcing to grow their business.
1. Alibaba
Alibaba.com has grown into one of the world’s largest internet global ecommerce sites and have become the go-to e-Commerce site for anyone looking for products way cheaper than what can be found on Amazon. The founder of Alibaba outsourced web design and software development to remote workers in the U.S. which helped his business to become an industry leader, to enjoy massive sales volume, and to provide outstanding customer experience.
2. WhatsApp
Almost a decade ago, WhatsApp is just getting by with less than 40 employees – some of whom are not even considered full time. Outsourcing has become the main solution for cost reduction but as the company grows, they have hired these remote professionals to become regular workers whose expertise lie in computer programming and web development. The company also utilized iOS app development outsourcing which contributed to its popularity among people looking to keep in touch with their network of friends and family.
3. Basecamp
Basecamp started as a small 4-man team and has now become one of the most highly recognized project management tools for managing in-house and remote workers. Outsourcing their internal processes to the most talented global workers helped them improve their product development, increase team efficiency, and focus on business priorities.
4. Wise
This widely successful global money transfer service formerly known as TransferWise used remote employees and independent workers for business growth. The organization believes it owes its worldwide popularity and accomplishments to hiring the right people, no matter where they are located around the globe, and empowering them to do the best job.
5. GitHub
Derived from an open-source language Git, this billion-dollar code hosting platform for version control, software development, and collaboration is known for undertaking almost 65 million projects since its launching in 2007, all of which could not have been possible without the experienced dedicated prowess of its outsourcing partner who managed its website, software, and backend development.
6. Slack
The company turned to outsourcers for their logo creation, app design, and web design and it has reaped the rewards of a streamlined and beautiful product. Its clever outsourcing strategy led to $250 million worth of investment for a total valuation of $5 billion in 2017 – making Slack one of the most widely used workplace communication services today.
7. Google
This award-winning search engine platform doesn’t shy away from using third-party providers, skilled freelances, and remote workers for its customer support functions. The takeaway is if a company as massive as Google is willing to outsource, this can also be the key to success for small businesses and startups as long as you have the right employees committed to achieving the same business goals.
Wrap Up
If you’re wondering what step you need to take to fuel growth, don’t be afraid to look into outsourcing. Outsourcing can help you find the best global talent. Sign up here so you can be notified when the Third Wave of Outsourcing e-book will come out. It’s all about helping you attract, retain, and develop the right talent for your company’s unique needs across an international market.
