Article by Guest Writer Carleen Moore of TheBizBuzz.net
(*Photo from Pixels)
Depending on how long you've owned a small business, you may already know how many tasks you must navigate within a day, week or month. Do you know which tech tasks to consider outsourcing to save time? Relying on professionals for specific projects could take your business to the next level and free up time and energy.
TECH TASKS
Examples of tech-related tasks to hire a third party include web development, brand identity, marketing solutions, web design, IT services, cybersecurity, app development, and package design. Experts also recommend outsourcing your technical infrastructure. That means letting an infrastructure provider handle your servers, hardware, and other hefty equipment. While you could tackle this task yourself, as a small business owner, you may lack the financial resources and time to do so.
TECH SOFTWARE
Even though outsourcing could take a lot of stress off your shoulders, you may only have the funds to hire one or two third parties. To bridge the gap, you could invest in tech software that makes tech tasks easier.
Accounting software helps you file taxes and manage your cash flow. While software such as Xero and QuickBooks Online can do a lot, you may still want to work with a commercial accountant or bookkeeper to double-check your work and make sure you didn't overlook anything.
With inventory management software, you can monitor parts and items as they proceed through the supply chain. Software options include Orderhive, Zoho Inventory, Katana and Ordoro. To narrow your options, familiarize yourself with your company's inventory tracking needs. For instance, if you have a retail store, you may feel more comfortable combining a simple inventory system with your point-of-sale software.
To grow closer to your current customers and attract new ones, consider investing in quality customer relationship management software. CRM software helps you track customer names, email addresses, contact titles, reports, and customer types. Examples of such software include Insightly, Pipedrive, Freshdesk and Base.
No matter what tech software you use, check out reviews to see how other business owners like a specific brand. Imagine spending a lot of money on software only to not get the most out of it. That's money you could use to pay a third party.
TECH FREELANCERS
To find third parties to outsource tech tasks to, you could use online job boards. For instance, if you want to hire freelancers from Japan, you can use a service like Guru. Before hiring freelancers or using job boards, do some digging regarding how the company handles disputes, whether it vets freelancers and the timetable you should expect. Check out reviews to see what kind of results and relationships you should expect if you work with a freelancer.
You may also want to learn how to pay freelancers before you outsource tasks to them. For example, if you want to pay workers in Africa, think about how much it costs to use standard payment platforms and international wire transfers. Racking up fees could cost more than your company can handle right now. Save money by using an affordable money transfer service like Remitly. Account for the service's express and economy fees, depending on how quickly you want the money to arrive.
Once you get a handle on outsourcing, you could take your company to the next level. Instead of working harder, try outsourcing smarter.
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