Introduction
Running your own business on a budget and making sure everything is just right can be challenging. So you decide to outsource some processes, especially the tedious Administration processes. But you do not know where to start in the choosing, research and all that. Well, here are the things to keep in mind when considering outsourced administration for your admin support.
In this post we will see what it is, its history, some terms to know, examples of it and tips and reminders.
What is Outsourced Administration (and Why Does it Matter)?
Outsourced Administration has been around for several decades but became really popular after the pandemic where everything and everyone was cutting back on spending and virtual solutions came to the forefront.
Basically, this is when you hire a firm or an individual outside your organization to deal with the administration part of it. It could be virtual or with some physical aspects. But if you want the scientific definition here it is.
The History of Outsourcing.
Outsourcing as an option has been around since the late 1980s and has been used in different ways. For example publishers have been outsourcing printing for a long time.
In the matter of outsourced Administration, it began to become popular in the late 2000s and has quickly become the go-to solution to cost-saving in a business.
Terms to Know
Baseline: This is the starting point for defining your needs. Your needs are not the same as the needs of another business so you need to know them and define them to your admin.
Best practices: These are the terms and conditions to be met on both sides. What you expect from the relationship like confidentiality and what they expect from you like on-time pay. This will also include the checks like reports required and regularity of them, invoicing dates and terms and so on. They vary from one service provider to another.
Retainer: When you hire an outsourced administrator on retainer you are getting them to do work for you per period of time of the retainer and all their costs will be billed to the amount agreed until they exceed the amount paid.
Expense claims: When your admin sends you expense claims, they are outlining the expenses they incurred on your behalf. They will need to be reimbursed for these.
As you speak with your chosen agent it you will get to know more terms but these are the most important.
The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Administration
Pros
Focus on the core business functions and the most important, rather than spend energy and time on back-office or other admin tasks that are relatively unimportant.
Paying for administration services as and when you need, hourly basis charges, rather than employing someone full time.
Access to latest & world-class technologies
Increasing efficiency
Reduction of operating costs
Cons
Some loss of managerial control and possible quality issues.
Hidden costs in running tasks.
A tie to the financial well-being of the outsourcing company or individual.
Outsourcing admin services means you are guaranteed to benefit from the experience of someone who already knows the administrative functions and is an expert in the field. You don’t have to recruit or train the staff for administrative functions. There is less employer liability.
# Examples of Outsourced Administration
Virtual Assistants: These have become very popular after most offices had to be closed due to lockdowns. People started finding solutions to keep processes going without spending too much and remotely.
Specified Outsourcing: There are different things you can outsource ranging from simple task allocation, bookkeeping and even getting a personal assistant who works outside of your office in order to keep all of your life organized. There is even the option to outsource digital marketing and customer care. The options and opportunities are endless so do some searching and research.
# Tips and Reminders for Outsourced Administration
Remember to;
Check through your business processes and know exactly what exactly you want to outsource so that you pay for the specific services.
Have an at length talk with the candidate for the services and understand all the expectations on both sides.
Make sure there is some sort of contract or agreement signed that will govern work and that it includes all the terms and conditions discussed.
Closing
Outsourced Administration has become an integral part of most business processes because it is cheaper than having an in-house admin who may not be busy all the time and increases efficiency because only the necessary things are done which reduces turnover times.
Call-to-Action
If you are thinking of getting some of your work outsourced, send us an email or fill out our contact form and we will get back to you and set up a virtual meeting. You can also ask any questions you may have in this regard.