• Access control.
• Data handling.
• Not being specific.
• Don’t just say ‘can you sort out our admin’ instead:
• Be specific about what needs doing.
• Set deadlines.
• Set quality standards.
• Have clear reporting.
• Too much too soon.

By moving multiple processes at once you might get confused. Start with 1 or 2 areas to outsource. Once you’ve seen the outcomes you can start adding more processes gradually. This will make it easier to spot any issues.

Final Thoughts

Carefully approached, back office outsourcing can be used as an effective cost saving strategy.

Whilst it may not always provide you with the best cost savings by lowering your hourly rates,

You will get value from getting your business running more efficiently.

Lowering the cost of having staff on salary.

Saving on hiring and training costs.

Reducing the amount of technology/infrastructure you need in house.

Saving your skilled staff time on repetitive tasks.

However, you should not outsource everything!

To start with look at processes that are clear and easy to quantify.

Look at repetitive tasks.

Look at admin tasks that are taking up too much time.

Work out what the overall cost is of doing these tasks internally.

Compare this with the cost of having external support.

Most importantly, look at the quality of the work being done.

If you are paying low prices but having to constantly correct errors then you are not really saving money. A good quality service should save you time.

• Monitor accuracy.
• Turnaround times.
• Time saved.
• Staff productivity.

These figures will tell you if you are actually saving money by outsourcing.

But do keep your strategic decisions in-house.

Your internal team should be responsible for the direction of your business, big financial decisions, customer relationships and brand. You should outsource the supporting processes.

When done correctly, back office outsourcing will give your business increased flexibility.

• Help you manage your costs.
• Keep your teams focused.
• And make your structure scalable.