Outsourcing occurs when you contract out aspects of your business operations, such as payroll or claims processing, or business functions, such as facilities management or call center support, to another party. When a company considers outsourcing, there are many discussions regarding the benefits of contracting out specific functions or processes, but it’s equally important to discuss what your company should not outsource.
Social Media Management
It’s ok to outsource running Facebook and Google ads, but you should never have an outsider plan your marketing strategy and run your social media marketing. You are the one most familiar with your company and brand, and this is one of those things that you have to do internally. Social media is a great place for you to market your brand and it won’t be done properly if you have someone else do it. Outsourced social media management will continue to surge in growth as more businesses attempt to use social media to extend their reach and more customers use social networks. It is, however, important to understand when it’s okay to make that call or to white out the option.
Lead Generation
It’s ok to buy some leads when you’re just starting, but it’s not sustainable as a long-term plan. Lead generation can be time-consuming and challenging, particularly since there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to lead generation. However, nobody knows your company better than the people within it. Your lead generation strategy needs to be something that you keep in-house.
Employee Development
Employee development is also the task which you should never outsource. People outside of your company cannot develop employees based on your company’s needs and environment. You know your company better than anyone else. That’s why you have a better idea of how to develop an employee according to your company’s requirements. You can also take the help of training courses and online learning for building the career of your employees. When you’re working on developing your employees, an outside source might do it in a different way than you had planned. Working to develop your employees in-house will help your employees to understand that they are valued in your business.
Not all functions are viable candidates for outsourcing. Deciding to keep certain business aspects in-house doesn’t preclude augmenting your staff with outside resources, however. Consultants provide valuable expertise, independent objectivity, and staffing flexibility.
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