Outsource so you can focus on what really matters

In a global world, you need to be more competitive than ever, but how do you do it? Outsourcing specific processes, functions, or even departments of a company is becoming a factor that directly influences business success. They allow companies to Focus on their core business, making it possible to increase the quality levels of the products or services offered.

However, many needs around the core business can divert attention from the fundamental factors that affect a company’s success. These are not minor issues that can be neglected, but the option of seeking external and specialized providers to deal with them is becoming increasingly valued.

What is Business processing outsourcing?

Business Processing Outsourcing is a strategy that consists of subcontracting certain activities within a project or an organization to another company to provide those services.

These external providers have also focused their efforts on the specific activity they offer. They, therefore, have more excellent knowledge, technological advances, and experience to take on these areas of the business than the companies that contract their services.
We can distinguish between two types of BPO:

• Back-office: tasks internal to the company itself, such as human resources management.
• Front-office: it is responsible for its internal functions in which the company relates to its customers, such as customer service.

How to outsource your business

The process for accessing the BOP is pretty straightforward.

First, determine which business processes are the most problematic, incredibly time-consuming ones and impede business growth. Then you create a list of all elements needed to perform them. Usually, the most relevant are technology and knowledge.

The next step is to find suppliers for these services. Companies specialize in many fields that work in different languages, so try to find your supplier. Once you have found a candidate, ask them how things work and how they can make sure that they meet the parameters you demand. This conversation will help you ensure the quality of the service. It will also help you understand how the BPO system works.

Why is outsourcing worthwhile?

Outsourcing can bring a lot to your company. Firstly, and as has already been mentioned, it allows you to concentrate on the company’s fundamental processes, which guarantee its future and provide more significant competitive advantages.

In addition, contracting external suppliers lightens the company’s internal structure, which improves its capacity to respond and adapt to the market’s needs. Hiring a BPO service provider reduces the company’s fixed costs. You will replace these costs by variable costs, adjusted to your needs, and are more efficient and productive. This cost reduction increases the capital available for investment in critical areas of the company. And while increased investment can help, it is not the only way to keep up with the times.

The contracting of specialized quality suppliers puts the latest technologies available in each process within the company’s reach. You can eliminate the risk of falling into technological obsolescence in those functions that are not fundamental to the business. As a result, the company improves its ability to offer higher quality end products or services.

Finally, outsourcing part of the services leaves third parties the management of the personnel that handles these functions in the hands of third parties. These are external workers who do not depend on the company’s human resources department.

The sum of these positive aspects of outsourcing can determine the success of a business. Seven out of ten European companies have already outsourced some of their processes. However, the decision to outsource some of a company’s tasks cannot be taken without taking into account the specific characteristics of the business. Each company has different needs and possibilities that define which processes should outsource and which should take on directly.

What types of BPO could help your company?

These improvements may seem helpful, but they are also abstract and difficult to imagine. Therefore, we will see how to apply outsourcing to different aspects of the company.

Outsource the sales process

There is no magic solution to improve your sales. However, a BPO service provider can put your team in contact with the best potential customers. At the same time, they can find the best information to facilitate the negotiation process.
BPO allows you to get customers by filling the sales funnel.

The main objective is to increase your potential customer list. BPO sales providers have a specific list of digital marketing platforms that they can use to find leads. They can search for potential clients on places like Linkedin or company websites. Then, they get the information they need to facilitate the deal with them and speed up the negotiation.

You can decide what type of clients you are most interested in, leaving it up to the BPO company to find them and start contacting them. You establish the requirements of the potential clients and the company so that your BPO specialist can begin getting them. Since your BPO partner will use the emails and accounts you provide, none of your customers will know the difference between those who contact the BPO specialist and your sales team. This way, your team will only take action once a meeting has been set up.

In addition, if your BPO partner finds a customer that could be particularly beneficial, they can pass it directly to your team. You can focus your attention on the most relevant clients, giving them specialized attention tailored to their unique needs.

Human Resources BPO

Recruitment and initial interviews can take up weeks of your team’s time. Reviewing CVs, setting interview dates, and eliminating all those who do not meet the requirements for the position are laborious tasks that do not need to be taken care of by someone within the company. If your company does not have a specialized human resources department, it is likely that the top management who waste their time in some of these processes.

Outsourcing human resources allow you to avoid this. You only need to specify the requirements you need. When the final candidates start coming in, you only need to decide which candidates you like the most. You will have all the necessary information about each candidate from the start, instead of finding out through various tests and interviews.

In addition, the BPO company can also take care of other tasks such as the preparation and publication of advertisements. As a specialized company, they have more experience in the process. They know more techniques and technologies useful for recruitment, they can design better advertisements and distribute them most efficiently. Thanks to this, it will be much easier for your ideal candidate to find the advert, get noticed, and decide to apply.

They also have the possibility of active recruitment. In other words, in addition to publishing the offer and waiting for interested people to apply, they can search for people who meet the requirements and contact them themselves. Sometimes, they may already know talented people who fit your needs due to previous recruitment processes. Also, they are more likely to be interested in the position by contacting them directly.

Outsourcing operations and operations management

So far, we have seen examples of ways to outsource entire processes. However, it is also possible to outsource much more specific tasks within the company. Database management, spreadsheet preparation, detailed competitor research, gathering information on a topic…

You can outsource amost all personnel, office and growth functions, either entirely or partially. Of course, you should never outsource your core activities, but it can be beneficial to eliminate the noise generated around them.

Think about the things that get in your way every day. How much time do you spend checking your email to ensure everything is in order? Do you book your trips and hotels efficiently? Or do you go for the first option you find in a free moment, without looking for something better?

Whatever problem you have, it may be a smart place to consider business process outsourcing services.

Outsource the right processes to the right partners

The BPO can help organizations of all shapes and sizes. However, it can be difficult and uncomfortable to relinquish control of any aspect of your business. That’s why it’s best to start by getting rid of timeconsuming and cumbersome tasks far from the company’s core business.

You can always start there, and if you are satisfied, you can begin to expand the collaboration. If you find a suitable partner, you will see how they react to your feedback, getting closer to your ideal performance. You will be eager to get rid of more unnecessary tasks.

Remember, though, that the goal of the BPO is to free you from burdens so that you can focus on what is most important to your business. If you waste your time dealing with a poor-quality partner, nothing will make sense.

That’s why it’s essential to outsource to someone reliable rather than simply going for the cheapest.