3 ways you can enhance efficiency and reduce costs through strategic outsourcing

In the complex landscape of modern business, small enterprises often grapple with the challenge of optimising operations while effectively managing costs – but business process outsourcing (BPO) or offshoring can make for a potent solution.

Three pivotal strategies can empower SMEs to streamline operations and enhance cost efficiency: leveraging BPO services such as white-label customer experience, seat leasing, and workforce management.

Elevating efficiency and cost savings through outsourcing

Cost efficiency is a paramount goal for small businesses aiming to thrive in competitive markets. BPO provides a direct route to substantial savings, particularly in staffing costs.

Collaborating with established players in the outsourcing space can yield potential reductions of up to 70 per cent in overall staffing expenses. This financial reprieve enables businesses to allocate resources more effectively and bolster growth initiatives.

The benefits of outsourcing also extend beyond mere cost efficiency. Legal intricacies, administrative burdens, and compliance challenges can be reduced, allowing businesses to dedicate more energy to strategic core business objectives, and value-generating activities.

In the sector of small businesses, where dedicated HR specialists are often lacking, outsourcing can become a crucial tool to refine recruitment. By leveraging virtual assistance, small business owners can efficiently manage candidate inflow, converting applications into qualified leads.

This seamless transition from automated responses to human interaction simplifies processes, delivers concise reporting, and notably increases the hire rate from 7-10 per cent to an impressive 20–25 per cent. This strategic outsourcing not only reduces hiring costs but also solidifies its impact on the business by enhancing turnaround times.

Global talent access: Expanding horizons through outsourcing

SMEs can often encounter limitations in sourcing the right talent within their local spheres. Outsourcing transcends these limitations by providing access to a diverse and globally dispersed talent pool.

Outsourcing enables business owners to look beyond geographical constraints and access specialised skills that might otherwise be unavailable. As these professionals join the business, they inject fresh perspectives and a diversity of expertise into the workforce.

Incorporating strategic outsourcing across various areas of business adds another layer of depth:

• Enhancing customer experience through CCaaS – there’s a valid reason why call centres such as those in the Philippines are thriving. Small businesses seeking to provide exceptional customer experiences can turn to a contact centre-as-a-service (CCaaS) model. Outsourcing customer support operations to experts akin to our white-label customer experience service allows businesses to ensure customer satisfaction without the heavy overheads of an in-house customer support team.
• Effective workspace management – seat leasing-as-a-service (SLaaS) offers an innovative solution in the evolving work landscape and to the work environment’s need for flexibility. By outsourcing workspace provision to experts, businesses can better position themselves to optimise resource allocation and create an environment conducive to growth and collaboration.

Embraced by start-ups and small businesses adapting to trends like remote work, SLaaS offers furnished office seats on flexible terms in central business districts. Incorporating an all-inclusive approach, SLaaS redefines workspace efficiency. In most cases, including NEARSOL’s, the pricing structure encompasses infrastructure, IT support, Wi-Fi, and security protocols such as PCI and ISO 27001, among others. Additionally, services such as sourcing, recruitment and payroll are often seamlessly integrated.

Designed to meet the evolving demands of start-ups and small businesses, flexibly furnished office seats are located within prime central business districts. Beyond physical spaces, SLaaS transforms work environments with features like reception, training rooms, and conference facilities. This streamlined approach simplifies setup and management, covering facilities and IT operations, and specialised technology, leading to heightened efficiency. The inherent potential for enhanced networking and collaboration further positions SLaaS as a dynamic workspace solution, yielding advantages for all stakeholders involved.

Efficient workforce management

Workforce management-as-a-service (WFMaaS) provides small businesses with the tools to optimise staffing, scheduling, and performance monitoring. For SMEs, WFMaaS can prove invaluable. It advises on headcount reduction while upholding KPIs. Regression analysis refines forecasts for accuracy, enabling precise predictions and cross-training.

This approach, akin to the real-time management seen in CCaaS, empowers businesses to make informed decisions, adapt to fluctuations in demand, and ensure optimal resource utilisation. Real-time management suggests skill strategies, fair scheduling, and custom reporting. It optimises workforce management, emphasising outsourcing’s value without straining resources.

Agility and scalability: Navigating fluctuations with outsourcing

While cost reduction is the biggest driver of outsourcing, its true value lies in the agility it offers businesses to scale their operations efficiently, particularly during periods of economic volatility.

Instead of being burdened with the fixed costs of maintaining a larger workforce, businesses can adapt swiftly by leveraging outsourced services. This flexibility not only safeguards against unnecessary expenses, but it also positions the business for sustainable growth and resilience, enabling the business to scale up or down based on market dynamics.

As remote work gains prominence and flexible setups become the norm, businesses require versatile solutions that cater to their changing needs. Through services like those provided by NEARSOL, small enterprises can harness the trifold benefits of financial gains, access to global talent, and operational flexibility.

By Siva Subramaniam, business development director, Nearsol.