Top five ways to tell when outsourcing PA duties makes sense
We can all do with a bit of extra help from time to time, but most of us simply power through on our own. What you should be doing is asking yourself, ‘Does this make good business sense?’ Whether you’re running your own SME or consultancy, or are in charge of a large department, there are times when doing everything yourself or sharing out the extra tasks with colleagues becomes counterproductive. Here are our top five tips on how to tell when outsourcing makes sense.
1) When you run out of time
Putting in a few extra hours from time to time to get tasks completed is fine, but if it happens more and more frequently, it’s time to get extra help. There are tasks that only you can do, but there are some that others can do just as well - if not better - than you. So if you’re struggling to get everything done and have a personal life, it’s time to outsource to a Virtual Assistant (VA). Once you’ve got someone competent and trustworthy taking care of the tasks that are distracting you from your core role, you’ll have the time and the energy to concentrate on doing what you do best.
2) When you’re distracted by tasks you don’t need to do
Even when you do have the luxury of enough time to do the tasks that someone else can do, at some point you’ll become aware that these tasks are beginning to distract you from your core business tasks - the ones that bring in the income. As soon as you realise that if you didn’t have to do certain tasks, you’d be able to spend more time developing your business or your role in the business, it makes sense to outsource to a VA or freelancer. In other words, they’ll make your life easier. The investment you make in hiring someone else to take over some of your tasks will soon pay dividends in terms of your productivity, and that will lead to more business and more income.
3) When someone can do the job better
Everyone’s different, which means different people are going to be better at some things than you are (sorry, but it’s the truth!). That means it doesn’t make sense for you to struggle with certain tasks that you find tricky or you’re not that interested in - you’ll spend a lot more time on it than need be, you’ll be frustrated that it’s taking you away from other tasks, and because you’re not as invested in it, you won’t do it as well as someone who has experience and expertise in it. In terms of outsourcing to a VA, don’t just think you’re hiring someone who can look after your emails and calendar - VAs do a lot more than that, including looking after your social media accounts, updating your website, organising events and creating presentations you can impress clients with, as well as any number of extra tasks.
4) When you realise it’s a cost-effective way of working
Many business people are reluctant to outsource work because they’re understandably worried about the expense. But it’s actually a hugely efficient way of working. If you employ someone in-house to take over the tasks, even on a part-time basis, there are associated expenses such as the employer’s National Insurance contributions. You are also committed to paying for them to be there, even when things are quiet, which is not an efficient use of funds. When you outsource tasks to a VA, for example, you will only use them as and when you need them and only pay for the work they actually do. There will be no associated employment costs. That means you’ll get 100% efficiency from your budget plus all that extra time to concentrate on improving your business.
5) When your business is growing
Everyone wants to grow their business, and the more business you get, the more help you’ll need. Finding someone to outsource work to will enable you to concentrate on the bigger picture while they take care of the details.
Outsource tasks to a blueumbrella VA
Our VAs are all experienced, proactive, motivated and willing to learn new skills that will enable them to become even more helpful to you and your business. They have all worked as PAs and EAs at board-level, so they understand the importance of speed, accuracy and delivering great customer service. If you recognise that you need to outsource some of your business tasks into the safe hands of a blueumbrella VA, contact us for an initial chat about your needs.