Outsourcing has definitely reshaped the work landscape. The continued advancement of technology as well has spurred the growth of this alternative work arrangement by providing avenues that promote faster and efficient communication even among remote parties. Simply defined, outsourcing is the process of contracting a task or a specific business function to a third party. It has been acknowledged as an effective business strategy for companies to cut costs yet benefit from the skills and expertise of an external labor pool without having to hire additional full time employees.
Though an effective strategy, not all jobs however are suitable for outsourcing. There are certain functions that are best kept within an in-house structure and there are also those that can yield better results if outsourced. Corporate decision makers, small time business owners and entrepreneurs have been known to contract third party service providers for the following most outsourced jobs (arranged in no particular order):
1. Data Entry – Data entry jobs do not have stringent skill set requirements. Data entry workers essentially must have good typing skills, good listening skills, good grammar and must be detail oriented. Data entry jobs are needed by a wide range of industries. Jobs that require proofreading and copying of records can also be classified in this category.
2. Security – Most institutions, if not all, routinely engage the services of a private security firm to handle their security requirement, i.e. security guards and bodyguards. Doing so allow them to reduce liability and training expenses than if they had full time security staffs in their payroll.
3. Manufacturing – A growing number of companies have been setting up production facilities offshore because of cheaper production costs in other countries. Some companies, on the other hand, have opted to outsource manufacturing or assembly of a certain part of their product only keeping the rest of the business in their home shores. Suffice it to say that gone are the days when a company’s production facility is attached to their main office.
4. Accounting – Tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, benefits and bills processing are financial jobs that are often outsourced to an individual or a corporation. This has remained feasible because these jobs have basically 2 requirements: data from clients and knowledge of existing laws and regulations that govern these structures.
5. Web Programming and Web Designing - These jobs are oftentimes outsourced because of the temporary and sporadic nature of their work. In launching a company website for example, web programmers and web designers are intensely involved in the conceptualization and construction stage. Once the site is launched however, there is minimal requirement for their services.
6. Human Resources – Small businesses and start-up businesses these days choose to focus on their core business functions leaving management of rank and file employees to an outsource manning agency. This way, they do away with time consuming tasks relating to hiring, performance monitoring, payroll, benefits management and the likes and instead focus their resources more in the development of their core strengths and implementation of their business strategies.
7. Technical Support – Companies like Microsoft and Apple have large customer bases that tend to create a great amount of traffic online or through phone wanting technical support. Outsourcing technical support staff has proven to be a viable solution in addressing their customer concerns. Outsourced staffs are trained to analyze and troubleshoot a variety of technical questions and are often aided by a pre-set list of questions.
8. Customer Service – Similar to technical support functions, customer service jobs are also often outsourced as the skills required to maintain and dispense of such functions can easily be trained and monitored. Outsourced customer service staffs mostly handle customer questions and complaints, and note data on a feedback mechanism. Call centers fall into this category.
9. Virtual Assistance – Virtual assistants are the modern day secretaries. Business owners, corporate managers and business executives who are busy and are always on the go have discovered the efficiency and convenience of having a virtual assistant. These VA’s come with good organizational skills, exceptional oral and written communication skills and have good typing skills. Most VA’s are involved with a number of administrative duties, i.e. appointment setting, travel planning, email handling, research and simple business correspondence that executives are best off delegating.
10. Writing/Web Content Writing – Writing is an invaluable skill. There is also a veritable pool of writing talent online that one can tap on. Web content articles, e-books, blogs, press releases, speeches and newsletter production are often contracted to freelancers without compromising quality and timeliness.
On a retrospect, the jobs that made it on this list are those that fall into extreme categories --- those that require minimal skills and those that require highly skilled manpower. Also these jobs are those that do not impact greatly on the core functions of a business organization when outsourced. It is essential to consider these factors as outsourcing jobs involve a relegation of control over the functions. Some jobs are also sporadic and seasonal and are thus more cost-effective if outsourced. One thing is for certain though; each business organization faces its own set of challenges. Keeping an open mind to outsourcing as a strategic option could spell a huge difference on the bottom line. After all, someone somewhere can most probably do it better --- cost included.
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Technology has continued to improve in leaps and bounds. As it continues to do so, walls continue to be taken down. Without doubt it has promoted efficiency in the work area. It has also given rise to telecommuting. Telecommuting is a continuing trend these days in the work force. A corporate term, it refers to a work arrangement where an employee works remotely from the office either from home or from other locations like coffee shops. Telecommuting eliminates the daily grind of commute to and from work. Advocates of this work arrangement believe that it brings benefits to the employer, the employee and the environment.
