Should I Outsource my Professional Services?

The answer to that question is YES! Outsourcing is something you should absolutely consider. Outsourcing professional services like accounting/bookkeeping, strategic thinking, human resources, administrative support and talent acquisition/retention services offers small/mid-size businesses a variety of benefits, because they are:

• Affordable. The foundation of outsourcing is based on the principle that you only buy what you need. Outsourcing provides access to world-class talent at a reasonable cost because one company’s needs are being pooled with other companies to create the resource pool they need. The savings over in-house solutions can be substantial.
• Efficient & Effective. Outsourced service providers are solely focused on completing the tasks they are assigned; they don’t get swallowed into other activities. With the application of best practices, they work smarter, while technology allows them to streamline activities.
• Stimulating. Whether its human resources or strategy, outsourcing brings together intelligent people who have experience and unique insights into your organization. This allows companies to contemplate and consider opportunities, challenges, and situations from alternative perspectives that otherwise may have gone unnoticed.
• Time Saving. Being dedicated to a task while having the best tools, processes and practices, inevitably leads to activities being accomplished faster. Ultimately, these inherent advantages save time, and in turn, also save money.

But, don’t just look at outsourcing in the context of the benefits it can provide; consider it from a practical standpoint. Think about it in the context of focusing on your core. Its common knowledge that companies should focus their efforts on what they do best. What the most successful small/mid-size businesses have figured out is that focusing on the core shouldn’t be confined just to their products and services; it should also include their organizations business processes and practices. As a case in point, most companies already embrace some type of professional services outsourcing. For example, companies have accountants and lawyers because they recognize that when it comes to tax and legal issues, it’s better to outsource to professionals who have experience.

So, why do companies insist on doing their own human resources, recruiting, bookkeeping etc.? Is it because it’s something that appears to be simple – bookkeeping is just debits/credits, and recruiting is just finding someone who can do a job? Or, is it perhaps something altogether different?

It is said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.” When it comes to most professional services, the vast majority of small/mid-size businesses embrace insanity; they keep doing things in-house because that’s the way it has always been done. Yet, if you ask most business owners where their pain points are, they inevitably talk about finding the right people, having access to timely financial information, or dealing with compliance. Sadly, most small/mid-size businesses fail miserably on these fronts because they habitually choose insanity. The bottom line is that choosing that pattern causes disruption to their organizations while wasting valuable resources of time, money, and energy.

We think its time for small/mid-size business owners to consider outsourcing and end the insanity. Our mission at The Vann Group is to put an end the insanity, breaking the pattern, while helping companies turn business processes and practices, which previously destroyed value, into activities that create value.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of outsourcing and how we can help, contact us or sign up for our upcoming White Paper on the subject.