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Outsourcing continues to play a significant role in today's globalised economy. Businesses of all sizes outsource to boost efficiency, cut costs, and access skills and resources. Outsourcing encompasses a wide range of activities across various industries.
Some of the services that businesses outsource include:
Marketing services
Accounting services
Virtual assistants
IT services
Customer support
Manufacturing
Finance
Human resources
One main reason for modern outsourcing is technological progress. Digital communication tools, cloud computing, and project management software have rapidly increased. They make it easier for businesses to collaborate with external partners. This has helped outsourcing hubs grow. Outsourcing has become popular in countries like Eastern Europe, the Philippines, China, and India. Skilled labor is available at competitive rates in these countries.
Outsourcing lets companies focus on their core business functions. They can delegate non-core activities to specialised providers. For example, a software company may hire a third-party firm. This firm does its accounting and admin tasks. With the help of outsourcing, they can then put more resources into product innovation and development.
Outsourcing offers both opportunities and challenges for companies. They use it to improve their operations. It helps them stay competitive in a fast-changing global market. Outsourcing effectively requires careful planning. It needs diligent risk management and a strategic approach.
Let's look at some outsourcing examples that you can use to guide your business.
Outsourcing Marketing – Examples
One of the services that businesses outsource is marketing. This is especially common for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs outsource their marketing to improve their capabilities, cut costs, and access expertise. According to the statistics provided, digital marketing is among the top functions outsourced by small businesses, with 34% outsourcing this aspect of their operations.
Content marketing plays a key role in building brand awareness, engaging audiences, and driving conversions. The main outsourced content marketing tasks are writing, graphic design, video design, and animation. They show the wide set of skills needed for effective content marketing.
Outsourcing Accounting Services – Examples
Another service that businesses outsource is accounting. This includes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and B2B organisations. SMEs and B2B outsource to streamline finance, gain expertise, and boost efficiency. The statistics show that accounting is among the most outsourced processes. This is applicable for both B2B organisations and small businesses.
Accounting is a top outsourced service for UK B2B organisations. 24% of them opt to outsource accounting. Similarly, 37% of small businesses outsource accounting services.
Outsourcing accounting offers several advantages for businesses. It allows companies to focus on their main activities. They entrust financial tasks to qualified professionals. Outsourcing accounting can also save money. Businesses can avoid the costs of hiring and training in-house accounting staff. They also avoid the costs of buying accounting software and infrastructure.
Outsourcing Virtual Assistant
Outsourcing virtual assistant services has become increasingly popular in recent years. Businesses outsource virtual assistants for efficient and cost-effective solutions. VAs are capable of managing many administrative tasks, customer support, and other functions.
The data shows that the global virtual assistant services market was valued at USD 4.12 billion in 2020. It is projected to reach USD 19.6 billion by 2025. The growth rate will be 25.7% per year. More and more people are hiring virtual assistants due to better technology. It's also due to the trend of remote work, and the need for businesses to cut costs.
Virtual assistants offer many services. These include admin support, data entry, scheduling, email management, and customer service. They enable businesses to delegate routine tasks. This allows employees to focus on core business activities and strategic initiatives.
IT Outsourcing – Examples
IT outsourcing remains a cornerstone of the global outsourcing market. It helps businesses use outside expertise, drives innovation and boosts efficiency. The statistics show the important contributions of IT outsourcing in the overall outsourcing landscape and its widespread adoption across many industries.
Industry data projects that IT outsourcing spending hit $519 billion (about $1,600 per person in the US) in 2023. This is a notable 22% rise from 2019. This growth trend underscores businesses' increasing reliance on external IT services. They use these services to meet their evolving technological needs.
These needs include:
managing infrastructure
developing software
cybersecurity
cloud computing
IT services make up much of global outsourcing contract values. They are about three-quarters of all outsourcing contracts. The dominance of IT outsourcing shows its critical importance. It supports businesses' digital transformation. This makes them more competitive and drives their strategic growth.
The statistics highlight that 34% of B2B organisations in the UK outsource IT support. This makes it the most outsourced service in the UK. Additionally, accounting and IT services are the top outsourced processes for small businesses. Thirty-seven percent outsource both functions.
Start Outsourcing to Grow Your Business!
Outsourcing continues to be a vital strategy for businesses of all sizes. It offers numerous benefits such as increased efficiency, cost savings, and access to specialised expertise.
The examples highlighted in this article demonstrate the diverse range of outsourcing opportunities available to businesses in today's global economy.
Whether it is leveraging external marketing agencies to enhance brand visibility, entrusting financial tasks to accounting professionals, accessing virtual assistant services for administrative support, or partnering with IT experts to manage technology infrastructure, outsourcing offers tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each business.
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