When Outsourcing Pays Off

by Elle Ray | Mar 24, 2016 | Small Business Advice

Why Outsourcing May Be the Right Decision

Amid all the clamor about buying American and keeping jobs in-house, the word “outsourcing” sometimes gets a bad rap. Outsourcing’s reputation stems from a company’s decision to cut good people purely for financial reasons. Employees lose their steady jobs through no fault of their own, and the local economic growth becomes stagnant.

But let’s face it, sometimes you might be better off as a business owner letting go of dead weight that costs you not only a weekly salary, but also healthcare benefits, unemployment taxes and retirement matches. If you’re worried that certain workers are telling jokes at the water cooler or sending messages through their social media accounts, on your computer systems no less, then outsourcing starts to look attractive.

But Really…

Playing devil’s advocate feels a bit like kicking a dog when its leg is bruised already, but the truth is that some workers don’t care much about a business in which they have very little invested. You may get an honest day’s work from your team only when you show them that you appreciate them and reward them sufficiently for their loyalty.

Getting rid of slackers doesn’t mean that you’re un-American or anti-family. It just makes good business sense. So this article concerns the dead weight, not the perfectly good employees, even if you can duplicate their efforts for cents on the dollar in a third-world sweatshop. (That path is un-American and anti-family.)

Improving Quality

Without surrendering any quality — in fact, gaining a higher standard of work — you can outsource some of your internal operations. You can save money and headaches while actually making the environment more enjoyable for your remaining workers. A few departments that are the ripest for pruning include:

• Marketing
• Payroll
• Accounting
• Human Resources
• Tech Support
• Special Projects

Too often, companies rely on current staff to conquer tasks that are way beyond their capabilities. This leads to frustration, inferior work products and eventually lost revenue. So whether you’re in growth mode, struggling to get the work completed, or you’re having trouble with a one-time project, consider outsourcing to capable, experienced and local outsourcing firms and consultants.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

While consultants and outsourcing firms may come with higher price tags than you’re accustomed to paying your in-house staff, remember that these workers don’t use company resources or require health care. They’ll meet your deadlines and give you high-quality work. Their motivation include your repeat business and your referrals to other businesses.

Outsourcing is most practical when:

• You’ve got a deadline to meet. Putting off deadlines because your staff can’t keep up is a dangerous precedent to set. Let’s say your web team is ready to go live with your new site, just in time to launch your latest service or product. But the copy is sloppy and it’s like pulling teeth to get content from your department managers. Call in professional writers and editors like Ray Access to ensure you meet those deadlines with spot-on, perfect content to really make your new site sing.
   
• You need to increase productivity. Sure, your staff may be great at multitasking, but every time they have to switch from one task to another, they lose time and momentum. For example, if your outside sales force is suddenly tasked with making appointments that your new website’s been generating, you may be slowing down their efforts to close new clients. Instead, consider using a call center to handle your incoming calls and set up the appointments.
   
• You want to save money. When outsourcing results in inferior service or quality, you aren’t saving money. But when you can get quality that’s as good or better from an outside firm, think twice before running a want ad for new employees. Software and application creation is one area, for example, that may get you more bang for your every buck with an experienced consulting firm than trying to hire new software designers or relying on your current staff to perform beyond their abilities.

Outsourcing isn’t a dirty word when you’re considerate of your current staff, treat them fairly and communicate your intentions. Contractors and outsourcing firms work much better when your team is happy to have the outside help and when they know their jobs aren’t in jeopardy. Everyone can win — and you can win even bigger accolades with your staff and community when those consultants are local. Outsource to America — and everybody wins.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

Rejection Is Protection

by Elle Ray | Feb 13, 2016 | Small Business Advice

A Brief Diversion on the Road to Success

Whether you call it karma, God, fate, a higher power or just dumb luck, you most likely have some kind of connection with a power that holds your future in its hand. Most people do. In Asheville, we know that there is some kind of mojo working that draws creativity forth, that attracts creative people and serves as a sort of muse in inexplicable situations.

In good times, we are thankful to that power. “Yes!” we exclaim. “Everything is going my way!” But when times look dark or a situation turns in an unexpected direction, we often wonder where we went wrong. “What did I do to deserve this?” we cry. “Why did this happen to me?” Instead, perhaps we should continue to be grateful.

New Beginnings

Change is difficult. It’s more comfortable to stick with what’s in front of you — even when it’s delusional or even harmful. At Ray Access, for example, we sometimes lose a client for any number of reasons, none of which have anything to do with our work. Yet we still wonder where we went wrong or what we could have done differently.

Then, as if by magic, along comes a client who needs our full attention. We’re “magically” free to give that client our best because we’re no longer bogged down by the client who seemed to drain our resources as much as fill our coffers. All of a sudden, the diversion is over and we’re happy in our work again. We’re busy researching, writing and editing. We get to see our work enhance our new client’s business.

But it often doesn’t stop there. We end up getting more calls because of the high quality of work we’ve produced.

Short Memories

While we’re riding our newfound joy — happy to see our resources flourishing once again — we quickly forget that not too long ago, we felt bogged down. At the time, we didn’t even realize that the client who decided to stop our services actually cost us more than they paid us; the time, energy and frustration drained our accounts in more ways than one.

We didn’t start Ray Access to become frustrated. We didn’t go into business for ourselves to be miserable. We could be proofing technical manuals if we wanted that.

We forget, much too easily, that we’re Asheville writers in the midst of a mountain mojo that won’t let us down — that continues to provide for us. We forget that the last time we got dropped, we didn’t hit bottom; in fact, we ended up higher than ever.

In Every Area of Our Lives

This belief in a higher power can transform every area of our lives. If we truly hang on to the belief that there is a God, karma, luck or powers beyond our understanding that keep the universe in balance, then we know that “rejection is protection.” We know that sometimes the only way to find our footing or continue in a good orderly direction is if we let go of what’s holding us back.

Even when a new client isn’t readily apparent, a new job isn’t already offered or a new partner business isn’t on our radar, we need to hang on to the belief that all is right with the world. The only reason that one door was closed is because there is another door on which we should be knocking. A diversion can be change in direction, not a roadblock. The only way to make room for more good is to let go of that which is holding us back. Even when we don’t know it.

So keep climbing. We’ll see you at the top!

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.