046. The Positives and Negatives of Outsourcing (Opinion)

What is Outsourcing, is it good for your business? 

As 2020 looms ever closer, we watch summer fizzle out like one of those cheap fireworks that always seem to disappoint, and the smell of the Christmas markets is all we have to keep our hearts warm. Here at Create8, we wanted to take a look at how you can use the constantly evolving world we live in, to your benefit in business. As competition grows and your rivals are so easily accessible via the internet, there is one way that as a company you can provide almost any service your clients should want or need, that is, of course, outsourcing.

For those who are less savvy when it comes to the process of outsourcing, the easiest way for us to explain is that you transfer the workload from your company and hire another to do the work in question, transferring not only the labour but also the risk and responsibility attached, unless otherwise agreed. In business, there can be both positives and negatives with outsourcing work and it is best practice that you assess all possibilities before making a decision based on the intrinsic factors of your company.

We always like to start on a positive note, in our line of work we have found the most common reason for a company to outsource is the quality of work desired. For example, if a design company specialises in corporate-specific graphic design, designing a company logo or the flyer for an upcoming mailshot may be done in-house, but what if the client needs are actually more suited to an illustrator? If the design company believes a fellow specialist illustrator may be able to provide a better standard of work they may choose to outsource the work to that illustrator. However it’s important to note, this is business and therefore it is likely the design company will negotiate with both illustrator and client to receive payment for their work as a middle-man.

Sometimes people just don’t have time

What about if you simply don’t have time? Well, the second most common reason for outsourcing within a business is related to the lack of time in the day. We understand (trust us we really do!) that a work/life balance is essential to being productive and successful in the real world. But what we also understand is the reluctance to turn work down (trust us we really do!) especially when you know you could do a fantastic job with the work that is on the table. So how do you manage to seal the fantastic deal and not let anyone down? Well, once again, it’s outsourcing!

We would always advise chunking your job, just like the maths theory we are taught in school but literally never use. Break it down into manageable pieces and work out what parts will be the most time consuming or potentially lessen your effectiveness in your specialist areas. However… here comes a negative… Never sacrifice quality! We would never suggest to one of our clients that they do a job that they’re not proud of, unfortunately with outsourcing this can sometimes be the case. If you make a decision purely based on time constraints or financial limitations, prepare yourself for the worst. We aren’t saying don’t have faith in other professionals, but take the time to canvas their work and be certain they are the company for the job.

Finally, we also understand that setting up your own business and then doing every inch of the day-to-day running is a very proud moment in any businessperson’s life. However, with outsourcing remember you are dealing with another business that just like your own will be someone’s pride and joy. Therefore when you ask a secondary business to take some of your overbearing weight load off your hands, be prepared for the creative control of the work outsourced to be passed-over also.

Keep your quality!

For us, outsourcing is one of the most vital tools in modern-day business and is a key factor to long-term success and survival against the countless online-based companies who can offer the ‘all under one roof’ approach. However, we would advise building relationships with a group of companies that you trust, the individuals you want to impart their expertise into one of your projects and your own capabilities, before ever taking the risk of passing control purely to save funds or cut corners. Be smart and honest in business, after all the customer is always right.

At Create8, we have an in-house team that look after all our design work, if we needed further skills to complete the job we are always transparent with that process.