How to Minimise Your Online Business Workload By Outsourcing
The dream of running your own online business can quickly turn into a nightmare if you are trying to manage an unwieldy workload every day.
Not only is this bad for your well-being, but it inevitably means that some tasks are completed with less care and attention than they could be.
Luckily, outsourcing is no longer a privilege only big corporations can afford. Thanks to the internet, reliable services can now be found at surprisingly low cost. Here is how to use them to benefit your online business.
What can you outsource?
The truth is that today, almost any part of your online business can be outsourced. Most businesses have historically outsourced accounting services, but everything from inventory management and order fulfillment to web design and customer service are now options too.
However, handing over a whole area of your business to someone else can be scary. If you prefer to start smaller so that you can feel more confident, try giving up some of your "T" tasks. These are tasks which are tiny, tedious, time-consuming, teachable, time-sensitive (and competing with something more important), or which you are terrible at.
If you are still unsure, the following are some popular areas to outsource:
storefront updating
promotional graphics & photography
accounting
customer support
text editing
tax preparation
website development
social media management
Find the right service
You are going to need to find out about the experience, expertise and reputation of different services. Ideally, they will have examples of successful work they have done which are relevant to your industry or the tasks you would like them to do.
Remember that you will also want them to share your business's values. For example, if customer service is important to you, make sure they value it too. And check that you agree on important definitions. Good service to you might mean speaking with a human representative, but someone else might be fine with an AI chatbot.
Avoid common mistakes
Be clear about work hours, the policies of your business, and outline the duties you expect to be done. If you are outsourcing a particular task, give as much detail as possible and leave little to interpretation. The idea is to reduce your workload, not to constantly be answering questions.
However, do not prepare too much to help your assistant. For example, if you are outsourcing design, then designing something yourself just to say “I need it to be like this” is a waste of time. Get good at writing clear instructions quickly and ask for regular updates instead.
Lastly, delegate tasks when the time comes, or let your assistant know your goals and use their initiative to figure out what they can do to help. Do not delegate daily or weekly. Having to think up new tasks each day only adds to your workload, and they often turn out to be unimportant.
Outsourcing not only reduces your workload, but it can also be a great way to help your business grow. Used effectively by following this advice, it can free up time for you to focus on important tasks or think of more income-generating ideas.
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