 Image credit: Mohamed Hassan from Pexels As a business, you should be concerned with your recruitment drives. You obviously are going to want to attract the best people to do the best possible job. Most businesses know the consequences of hiring the wrong people. So, you need to o strategies into place to avoid this happening to you. The good news is that there are a lot of ways you can do this. All you need is to realise that you cannot rely on the luck of the draw. You have to work on this just as much as you would work on any other aspect. Some of the aspects, however, overrun and merge in with other business areas, which is clearly beneficial if you are doing them. Let's take a look at it all now:
Your Brand Your company reputation is key to you finding the best and brightest. If you haven't spent much time working on your brand, then it is time you did it/ this is one of those areas which has a double function. You need a great brand primarily to connect with your customers and enhance your marketing strategy. So, before creating one, it is important that you do customer research. Once you know your customer then, you can work on your brand. Consider your brand as your company identity and personality. You need to create a philosophy, complete with a vision, core values, ethics, etc. Your brand needs a level of depth to ensure that when your customers see your logo, they have a certain emotive response to it.; this is something that plays into your hand when you are looking for new recruits. Recruits who recognise your brand and see it as a company which aligns with their values, you are far more likely to attract the types of people who will want to help you achieve your company's vision. The Job Advert Remember, this is something that is designed to help you attract those talented people, so you need to put a little effort into it so the people you want will apply. First, you have to be as accurate as possible, starting with the job title and duties and responsibilities. Don't forget to give a good description of the type of company you are in - your brand will help you with this. Key messages straight out of your brand are a good idea. Put as much detail into the advert as possible while positively selling the job role and company. Recruitment Agencies It may be a good idea to work with certain recruitment agencies who can help you find the best people. They will look through all the potential applicants and filter them to find the people that suit your brand and business type. A recruitment company uk can do the leg work and leave you to get on with the job of running your business. This can save you time, money and a lot of heartache. Recruiting people is an expensive thing to do, so sometimes you need a little help.
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 Image credit: Adeolu Eletu from Unsplash If you have a small profitable business that is stable in the marketplace, it might be time to take it to the next level. Growing a business means more security, more revenue, and more responsibility, but ultimately, moving forward is better than standing still. Here is what you need.
Organization Businesses of all sizes need “organization” to be successful; owners need to categorize their company into sectors such as finance and accounting, sales and marketing, HR management, and so on, but they also have to organize their teams using basic management and software. There are many ways to build a successful business, but most of them are firmly rooted in the organization of the business. If you want to make your business stronger and more successful, consider introducing apps and SaaS solutions that integrate your teams and provide value. Keeping Records Business records are needed for the accounts and end-of-year finances; they are also needed for cross-checking data and ensuring that you have the best information available for sales, marketing, and customer analytics. Record keeping is also a form of business organization. The last thing you want is to build your business on shaky foundations, so make sure you have reliable records for your customers and accounts. Any business that wants to grow needs to have a reliable set of records for cross-checking customer information and past finances. Analyze the Competition If you are serious about taking your business to the next level, you need to know your industry, niche, and market. Chances are you have carried out competitor analysis to date, but if you want to go further, you need to look at the next level of competition and raise the standard. Competitor analysis will be more or less challenging depending on the type of business you operate. Some businesses will be able to send mystery shoppers around to the local competition, while others will need to take a technical approach; but it’s a necessary process. HR Consultants Taking your business to the next level means hiring the right people in the right places; it also means managing those people correctly so that you get the most out of your staff. Employees need to be training, managed, and organized so that everyone is working toward the goals. Sometimes it’s better to hire a professional hr consultant for this kind of work. There’s no doubt that you can hire staff yourself and manage them, but a professional consultant ensures you put the right systems in place from that start and save you time and money in your growth project. Creativity If you’re growing a business, you already have a vision in mind; you probably have a business plan of some kind and understand yoru future projections quite well. However, it’s still sensible to keep an open mind about the direction of your business; sometimes, it can change suddenly. Amazon is the perfect example of this! The company began life as a bookseller but is now one of the largest e-commerce businesses in the world and also competes with Netflix and other streaming services on the media front. They don’t put any limitations on what they can achieve.  Image credit: Monicore from Pexels Do you run a small business? Then it’s likely that you face a number of different risks and dangers each day that you need to take steps to minimize, as you simply cannot forfeit years of hard work when such risks and dangers could easily be avoided with the right methods in place. Fortunately this guide contains everything that you need to know to minimize the risks and dangers within your small business so that you can focus on more important matters, and it truly couldn’t be easier to get started today! So, if you’re interested in finding out more, then simply read on.
Focus on Fire Safety One of the most important safety features that you need to consider to control the threats inside your small business is fire safety. Ignoring fire safety responsibilities will no doubt put you and your team in serious danger, as you need access to all of the right systems and equipment if you want to escape unharmed in the event of a fire. First things first you’re going to need to install clear fire exits within your business premises, with bright, light up exit signs that can be seen from all corners of your workspace so that your team knows exactly how to get out if they spot the warning signs of a blaze. To add to this you should also install a smoke alarm or heat sensing system that can trigger in the event of a fire, as sometimes your staff might not be able to spot a blaze until it’s too late. You also have the responsibility to provide your staff with a range of fire equipment, including a variety of fire extinguishers that can tackle gas, liquid and chemical blazes, as well as things like fire retardant blankets that can be used to achieve a safe escape. A good sprinkler system can get rid of a blaze in a matter of minutes too, so this might be something you choose to consider. Have an amazing HR department HR (or Human Resources) are some of the most important staff members when it comes to the control and handling of risks, so it’s vital that you can take the time to source an amazing HR department that knows exactly how to react in a dangerous situation. This can be a little tricky if you’re a small company, but thankfully you can even outsource your HR department or at least some aspects of the department so that you don’t overwhelm a single-person department in your own business. For example, you can access the services of a virtual general counsel to seek expert legal advice on risky and dangerous situations so that you know the best approach to take! This can be of real benefit when you’re attempting to manage threats, so it’s something you should aim to bear in mind. Reducing risks within your small business has never been so simple when you can take the time to utilize some of the brilliant tips and ideas detailed in this guide!  Image credit: Austin Distel from Unsplash You might be doing a disservice to both yourself and your company if you refuse to take advantage of the perks that come with outsourcing, which is a practice that is becoming increasingly popular year after year. This post examines five potential jobs that might be outsourced as a starting point for you if you are unclear whether or not you should do so.
Marketing You will be able to devote more of your attention to other aspects of your company if you outsource your marketing, despite the fact that marketing is an essential component of every organization. It is easy for businesses to wind up with a web presence that is nothing more than a copy and paste job, what with keyword research, content review, on-page optimization, and internal linking. This kind of web presence does not generate engagement or conversions. When it comes to marketing, small business owners often lack the time, resources, and experience to handle all that goes into a successful SEO strategy. For this reason, outsourcing to a top SEO agency might be an absolute necessity for these entrepreneurs. Accounting The level of intricacy involved in operating a corporation can, at times, feel overwhelming; when this occurs, outsourcing becomes an absolutely necessary practice. The accounting function should be contracted out initially. When you outsource your accounting, you free up your time and energy to concentrate on the operational details of your business, its goods, or its services. When you outsource work, you may put your confidence in people who are highly skilled in a certain area. Your books will be kept in order by someone who knows what they are doing and possesses all of the essential abilities. This will free up your time so that you can focus on other aspects of your business that require more attention. Cybersecurity Every single company, regardless of its size, is susceptible to the dangers posed by cybersecurity attacks. Every day, a new danger comes to light, and in order to protect your company from being a victim, you need to make sure that your company is always up to speed on the most recent advances in this area. Regardless of the size of your company, you should consider making the investment necessary to get the services of a knowledgeable professional in this field. Payroll Payroll management is outside the capabilities of the vast majority of small enterprises, both in terms of resources and knowledge. You have a responsibility to ensure that your employees are paid appropriately, that you submit all relevant data, and that you comply with all laws and regulations. This activity calls for a great deal of focus and attention to detail, and it is frequently difficult. It is likely going to be in your best interest to outsource your payroll to a professional if you do not have the time or the abilities necessary to handle these responsibilities on your own. Assistance to customers Customer service is typically a significant focus for owners of smaller firms. It is possible that you spend hours upon hours talking to clients, replying to emails, and solving problems that arise. And although providing excellent customer service is very necessary, it may be quite time-consuming. At this point, it may be beneficial to outsource one's customer service needs. Some businesses have customer service personnel on staff who are trained to handle issues and complaints brought out by customers. Because these reps are experts, they are aware of how to address these concerns in a way that will keep clients satisfied. They are also aware of what to do in the event that an issue emerges and are able to solve it in a way that does not require any participation from you.  Image credit: Niklas9416 from Pixabay As a business owner, you’ll want to make sure your company is running as effectively as possible. That’s often more difficult than many non-business owners think. With the wealth of factors that need to be considered and various strategies you can use, it’s easy to see why it can feel overwhelming.
It doesn’t need to be as difficult as that, however. By outsourcing key areas, you can make things much simpler for you and your employees. It’s worth diving into what outsourcing is and how you can use outsourcing to streamline your business. Why Should A Business Outsource Tasks? Despite it being a common practice, many small business owners might wonder why they should outsource any duties. Not only will they see it as an added expense, but they’ll be forced to trust someone outside of the company to perform important duties. That can make it seem like a negative. Far from it. It can help you streamline your business more than you’d expect. It also offers a host of additional benefits, including:
7 Areas To Outsource To Streamline Your Business 1. IT Business IT support has been a popular area to outsource for quite some time, especially among small businesses. Establishing and managing an IT network, even a small-scale one, can be an expensive and complicated process. With how necessary it can be, however, it’s something you’ll need to take care of. By outsourcing, you can ensure that any issues - if they pop up - will be addressed quickly and effectively. It’ll also ensure your network is secure and efficient. 2. Sales Like IT, your company mightn’t have the budget to hire enough sales employees to establish a high-quality funnel that generates leads and converts them. When you’re starting a business, this process is essential to generating your initial revenue. Should you not have enough funds, it could seem as though you’re in a catch-22 situation. By outsourcing the initial stages of this, you can establish your sales funnel much faster and with a smaller investment. You can then use this revenue to streamline your business even further. 3. Marketing When you’re launching and growing your business, marketing is a necessity. Nobody will buy from your company if you don’t know it’s there. Advertising your company can be a complicated process and it could prove costly if you don’t know what you’re doing. By outsourcing to a marketing agency, you’ll have a much lower cost per lead, which increases your overall return on investment. Your overall marketing strategies should also be higher-quality, thanks to the agency’s expertise. It’ll also help you avoid notable marketing mistakes. 4. Accounting Accounting is one of the most common areas to outsource to help streamline your business. Many entrepreneurs, especially small business owners, aren’t financial experts, although running a company often needs this to ensure everything goes smoothly. Working with an accounting firm ensures you can do this. You can rest on their expertise to ensure that your finances are taken care of. At the same time, they can offer you advice to further improve and streamline your company. If leasing is something your business is involved in, managing the assets in your portfolio can become a fulltime job in itself. Emails, spreadsheets, and sticky notes can only take you so far. For an easier solution, try this lease accounting software to improve the management of cash flow through your business. Though a decent cost, you’ll save much more money by taking this approach. 5. Manufacturing If you make products, then you’ll need a manufacturing facility to make sure you can scale up your business. That’s an expensive proposition, especially for small businesses, and can be too large of a hurdle for many to overcome. You can avoid it completely by outsourcing your manufacturing. While this could mean paying a premium per product, it’ll be a more affordable cost as your company grows. Though you may want to invest in your own manufacturing facility in time, outsourcing initially is a recommended option. 6. Shipping & Logistics Speaking of manufacturing, the next step in the process is to ship your products, either to you or directly to your customer. That can be a time-intensive and costly process, especially if you’re trying to set up your own logistics network. Outsourcing this as much as possible will not only save you time and money, but it could ensure products are delivered much faster. It should also make sure they’re safer during the shipping process. If you run an eCommerce store, this is especially recommended. One of the main advantages of this is that you can have products manufactured and shipped without doing anything yourself. That could be enough to reduce your costs and ensure you don’t need to pay for warehousing. 7. Human Resources Quite a few entrepreneurs are surprised to hear they can outsource their human resources. It’s a distinct possibility, however, especially when it comes to hiring and onboarding employees. As these are often the most time-intensive and expensive parts of the process, outsourcing it saves you a lot of time and money. Recruitment firms also take care of writing and advertising your posts, alongside the interview process. Choosing this option means you’ll save a significant amount of time with the process. As you’ll be consulted throughout the process, you can also ensure you hire the right employees for your needs. You can lean on the agency’s expertise when you’re doing so to make sure you know how to evaluate potential employees. You’ll get a host of benefits without any of the risks. Areas To Outsource To Streamline Your Business: Wrapping Up You can outsource quite a few areas to streamline your business. With the various benefits that the practice offers, there are more than a few reasons to consider it. Focusing on a few key areas, such as those outlined above, outsourcing will have a much larger impact than you’d expect. There shouldn’t be anything stopping you from outsourcing and streamlining your business.  Image credit: Kraken Images One of the most essential aspects of running a successful business is focusing on your bottom line. To do this, you need to make sure that you're putting your resources and energy into the areas of your company that can help generate the most profit.
To help you pinpoint these key departments, Here Are 8 Departments Where Business Owners Should Focus Their Efforts To Increase Their Profits: 1. Sales And Marketing: Many business owners know that they need to have strong sales and marketing processes in place to attract new customers and grow their customer base. However, many entrepreneurs don't always realise how important it is to have effective systems in place for lead generation and closing sales deals as quickly as possible. By making sure that your sales and marketing teams are working efficiently and effectively, you can help ensure that your company is bringing in new revenue on a regular basis. 2. Human Resources: It's no secret that your employees are one of your most valuable assets. That's why it's so important to have a strong human resources department that can help you attract and retain top talent. By offering competitive salaries and benefits and creating a positive work environment, you can help keep your best employees happy and reduce turnover. 3. Finance: Many business owners believe that the only way to increase profits is to bring in more revenue. However, this isn't always the case. One of the best ways to boost your bottom line is to focus on reducing your costs and expenses. That's why it's so important to have a strong finance department that can help you identify opportunities for cost savings and find ways to optimise your spending and improve your cash flow. 4. IT: Suppose you're not investing in technology and other tools that can help streamline your business processes. In that case, you could be wasting valuable time and resources on manual tasks that could easily be handled by machines or software applications. That's why it's so important to invest in an effective IT team that can implement systems and tools to help automate many of the tasks your employees are currently performing manually. This will help eliminate waste and allow your workers more time to focus on revenue-generating tasks. 5. Customer Service: Excellent customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business, yet it's often one of the most neglected. If your customers are unhappy with your products or services, they're likely to take their business elsewhere. That's why it's so important to make sure that your customer service team is providing responsive, courteous service at all times. By ensuring that your customers are always happy with their experience, you can help reduce churn and keep them coming back for more. 6. Manufacturing: In many businesses, manufacturing is one of the most important parts of the operation. However, it's also one of the most challenging to optimise. If you're not carefully managing your manufacturing processes, you could be wasting time and money on inefficient production methods. That's why it's so important to have a team in place that can help you streamline your manufacturing processes and ensure that you're producing quality products at a lower cost. 7. Shipping and Logistics: If you're selling physical products, then shipping and logistics are essential for your business. However, many entrepreneurs don't realise how complex and challenging this area can be. Having a strong shipping and logistics team in place can help ensure that your products are delivered on time and without any damage. This will not only improve customer satisfaction but also help reduce your costs. 8. Legal: Last but not least, if you don't have a strong legal team to handle all of your business-related legal needs, you could be putting your company at risk with every transaction. By having a talented lawyer on hand to address any legal concerns as they arise, you can help ensure that your business stays compliant and protected at all times. With this insight into some of the most important departments for business growth, it should be easier for you to build out an effective team that can help take your company to new heights. Just remember to focus on filling roles based on each department's unique strengths and needs. In conclusion Each department has its own unique set of responsibilities and tasks that contribute to the overall success of a business. By ensuring that each department is staffed with talented individuals who can carry out their roles effectively, you can help ensure that your company can reach its full potential.  Image credit: Nick Fewings from Unsplash Recruitment is tricky at every stage of the company. From the lower end of the pay scale to the very top, you never want to be responsible for making a bad hire. Some candidates that seem great during the interview process just don’t work out, and that’s fine, but you still want to make sure you get it just right the first time. This is especially important further up the company channel, and leadership positions are notoriously difficult to fill. What can recruiters do to make it easier? Here are four recruiting tips to help.
Make Use Of Your Network Throughout the years, you have met people who have introduced you to even more people both across the industry and otherwise. If you are searching for the perfect leadership candidate, you can make use of this vast network to find recommendations and receive advice. This advice is especially useful if you’ve never been tasked with filling leadership roles before. Previous mentors or co-workers will be happy to offer assistance and identify what skills and personalities you must look for to pick the most suitable candidate. Hire From Within Companies across the country and even the world consider the benefits of internal promotion versus external promotion, and both of them have their advantages. When considering hiring from within, you are assured a candidate who has experience in the company culture, which eliminates disruptions. Furthermore, the people around are familiar with them already, so there will be less of an adjustment as everyone tries to figure the leader out. This approach also gives employees something to aim for, which boosts motivation and reduces issues like presenteeism, making your company more attractive. Get Outside Help Business owners are often busy; it is part of the job after all. This might mean you don't have time to conduct interviews with hundreds of candidates for leadership roles; you don't want to meet with hundreds of applicants anyway. The talent pool should be small, and everyone should have promise. You can minimize the time it takes to hire for a new role by working with a headhunting company that can use its vast database to highlight the candidates perfectly suited to your leadership role. Buck The Trend You might feel that it is time for a change within your company. Whether you understand the need to adapt to the times or see the old guard retiring, this could be your chance to buck the trend and cultivate a new company culture. Unexpected hires are not unheard of, and many have turned out to be more successful than anticipated. This is not a method that is always successful, but as long as they have the skills that make the candidate equipped for any role, it could help your business thrive and make those crucial steps forward. Hired Whether you find the perfect outside candidate or reward a dedicated employee with the role of a lifetime, these tips give you plenty to consider. A good hire can have a positively impact the company's success, especially in leadership, so it is always vital to pick the perfect person to fill the role.  Image credit: Mourizal Zativa from Unsplash Running your business can be tricky, especially in the first few days, months, and even years. As a new company, you do not have the goodwill that more established enterprises offer. You have an almost non-existent reputation. This is expected, but it cannot remain this way forever. If you want your business to succeed, you need to build your reputation from scratch.
Get your branding on point Establishing your brand identity will help you build a reputation more effectively than other approaches. You should already know how you want your business to be perceived within the industry, but you must show rather than tell to ensure success. If you look around at the many brands that exist, you will see that all of them try to offer something different and this is what sets them apart from each other. Decide what you want your identity to be and use this in your marketing content and materials, your website, and even your logo, as this will immediately give potential customers an idea of what you are all about. Recognise the Right Investments You will have plenty of investments to make early in your business's lifespan, so you must recognise which ones are worth it. This can include your time, your server space, and any employees. Depending on what your business offers, you should also consider equipment. A tradesperson should look for high-quality tools like a PVC pipe joiner or even larger equipment to handle projects of any scope. On the other hand, copywriters should look at grammar-checking software, whereas graphic designers must use high-quality editing programmes rather than using free trials or imitations. Show Your Human Side Many reputations are built on exceptional customer service and responsiveness. You must show your human side to demonstrate you care about every customer. This approach will encourage you to go above and beyond for all queries, encouraging positive word-of-mouth that can be invaluable in your branding. It pays to get to know suppliers as well. As you depend on these people to source and deliver materials, you need to build respectful relationships. The more you look after them, the more they will look after you, which could benefit you in the future. Embrace Transparency Transparency is a significant element of building your reputation, especially in the modern world. Consumers want to know what you are doing, how you source your products, and what causes you fight for. The more transparent you are, the easier it will be to build your reputation, but you must back these beliefs up with action. It’s no good discussing sustainability if you do not follow the correct practices, so make sure you do what you say. Brick By Brick Building your reputation is a slow process that requires plenty of attention. As long as your reputation can take to establish, one wrong move could shatter it. As a small business, you cannot afford this mistake. This is why your reputation is never a finished article. Once built, you must maintain it so that it is never affected and ensures your company thrives.  Image credit: Tumisu from Pixabay It's part of your job to hire, fire, and guide if you are a business owner or manager. However, you should also check certain critical aspects of the candidate before hiring. A potential employee's background may not need to be checked in every detail, but some regulations require them to be, such as residential status, criminal history and qualifications.
Not Renewing Certificates Many sectors of the economy require a valid certification to work. Some of these sectors include nursing, teaching and construction. Employees who hold the necessary qualifications and experience can work in these sectors. For example, on a building site in the UK, you need to obtain a CSCS card application for each team member. Some sectors, however, are constantly evolving and require continuous training and education. Because of this, all licenses and certificates expire at a certain point. Therefore, before allowing an employee to begin working, it would be helpful to do everything you can to obtain the necessary credentials. Disregarding Testing You may want to conduct a test during the interview phase to save time and money. You may choose to test the specific skills necessary for employment. When it turns out an employee isn't up to standard, you could spend a lot of time and money finding a replacement. For example, it would be a total waste of time for your restaurant if you spent two weeks looking for a sous chef. Then to find your new employee doesn't have basic knife skills. A quick test should generally reveal everything an employee knows or doesn't know about a role. Failure to Check Criminal History A criminal background check is necessary for those working with vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly and people with disabilities. And you might need a criminal record check based on your industry or business. But regardless of your sector, you can check each of your employees for criminal records. But in some cases, it's mandatory. Nevertheless, suppose a criminal history check results in a positive outcome. In that case, you can hire the employee as long as the crime has no relation to your business. For example, the fact that someone has been arrested for downloading music illegally does not mean they are abusive. Not Verifying an Employee's Right to Work Millions of illegal immigrants enter foreign countries every year, according to experts. Latinos and Central Americans migrate to the United States. French and British shores are also experiencing record numbers of displaced Middle Eastern refugees. Government placements can be found for many, but most undocumented immigrants arrive unemployed. Hiring illegal workers is punishable with harsh penalties, and you must verify their right to work at your company. Verification is essentially a matter of proving identity, address, and obtaining a government-issued number. Taking Their Word for It Lying on a CV isn't a crime but shouldn't be taken lightly. For some roles, verifying someone's skills and qualifications on their CV is vital. If you fail to do so, you may put others at risk. For example, if a candidate cannot safely handle a forklift truck, taking them at their word can be extremely dangerous. You can maximize safety in your workplace by checking any claimed skills by calling previous employers and checking references. Therefore, you should ask a candidate for manager or supervisor names, work phone numbers, and work email addresses.  Image credit: Fauxels from Pexels It’s not always easy to be proactive at work. It’s defined by the behaviour of the people in your organization and if you have staff who are not proactive in what they do, you are going to fail in your business. You need to ensure that your employees don't have to be asked to do their jobs, and you shouldn't have to micromanage them into it. Your staff should want to be proactive in their jobs, and if you ensure that you are working with a great group of self-motivated individuals, they will be more proactive without being asked about it. If you want to make sure that the employees you have hired maintain their ability to be proactive in their roles, you have to promote the right environment for it. This means knowing when to introduce construction document management software into your day to day business. It means knowing when to implement employee training and when to teach your staff to be more organized. It means helping your employees before they need to ask for it. You can take plenty of steps to become more proactive at work and you can keep your employees proactive, too. Proactive employees help each other and when you yourself are more proactive in keeping others motivated, you can ensure that your business is one that is successful. You can organize your time better, and schedule your tasks better, too. You need to have the right amount of downtime and do what you can to keep your life in balance. So, how can you help your staff to be more proactive?
 Image credit: Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay Running a business can use up a lot of resources and time, this can be difficult to achieve growth. If you are a lone ranger or a small business, you will understand that you have to wear many hats and complete various tasks. It can be hard to actually state what your job role is there is that much variety. However, if you want to grow, you need to find ways of establishing structure and organisation to run successfully. This is where outsourcing comes in. Many businesses using outsourcing as a way of controlling certain tasks and freeing up time for other areas that need your focus.
Let’s have a look at some common areas you could outsource: HR It would be nice to look after every single area of your business, but this isn’t possible if you want to grow. HR is an area where expertise and experience are extremely useful, especially if you ever have to face disputes or recruitment. HR Consultant Experts will ensure your staff are looked after, and they are on hand to answer any of your questions, guiding you through recruitment and employing employees. Social Media Management Social media is one of the most commonly used areas for marketing for many businesses. With consumers using at least one form of social media on a daily basis it’s not a surprise that it’s taken the business world by storm. It’s cheap, it’s simple, it’s effective, but it takes up a huge chunk of time to maintain. This is one of the most common areas to outsource, especially considering it can sometimes take the time of a full-time employee to look after. Digital marketing agencies such as iTonic provide a whole host of full-service digital solutions. Whether it be Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing, paid social, programmatic display and SEO through to a full digital strategy and transformation, being brand new to social media or marketing doesn't need to be as scary as it may sound. Data Entry Although data entry doesn’t require much skill, it can still be a task that is tedious and lengthy. It can be frustrating to see your skilled staff and expertise spent on this sort of task when it could be completed elsewhere, freeing up copious amounts of time. There are many freelancers and data entry companies that are there if you want to outsource this sort of task. They may even complete the work quicker and more accurately. Saving you money in the long run. Accountancy A lot of businesses outsource accountancy, this is because completing the accounts and keeping them updated is time-consuming and stressful. It also requires a certain level of skill, and if you aren’t willing to learn, it can be tedious and you could make mistakes. Mistakes could be costly for your business. You may be able to atumble your way through, but if you want to keep them in the best order, an outsourced accountant is probably the best option. As you can see there are many ways you can streamline your business with outsourcing. These aren’t the only options either, there are just some of the most commonly outsourced areas for small businesses. Have you started to outsource anything in your business? Please share some of your successes in the comments section below.  Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels Does your business have all of the vital services that it needs? The answer is probably not, because too many businesses miss out at least one in the name of saving money. However, when you have these services they are going to more than pay for themselves, so you need to stop doing this. Down below, we are going to take a look at some of the vital services that you are going to need, so keep reading to find out more.
IT The first thing that you are going to need to think about is IT. Instead of hiring a full-time employee to take care of this, you are better off hiring an outside company that offers managed IT services. The reason for this is because this way, you know that you are getting professionals, and one of the services that is usually on offer is 24/7 monitoring. This is not something that is offered when you hire your own employee, and you pay more for a salaried employee as well. When things go wrong with your IT, it needs to be fixed ASAP. You can’t afford to wait because all of the downtime is going to be losing you profits. We know this isn’t what you want, so hire professionals and they will ensure the least amount of downtime possible. Marketing The next thing that we are going to mention is marketing. Too many business owners are of the opinion that marketing is a waste of time. While they are wrong, their loss is your gain. You now have the upper hand because you will be marketing your business well, bringing in more business than you have ever seen, maybe even some of the competitors' clients. If you don’t market, people aren’t going to know anything about your business, which means they aren’t going to use your services. When you hire a marketing service, all of your needs will be taken care of through this company, and you won’t have to stress about it at all. Human Resources The final service that we are going to look at is human resources. While people might not hear about HR that often, they are always around. You need them to mediate and moderate the interactions and issues between employees and yourself, or between employees and other employees. They are essential for dispute resolution and a number of other things. You should never run a business without either a HR service, or a HR department on your side. We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the services that are vital for your business. If you are currently missing any of them, then it’s essential that you get this sorted out sooner rather than later. The thing that you need to remember is that while it might feel like a lot of money right now, it’s an investment into the future. We wish you the very best of luck and hope that you get some of these services soon.  Image credit: The Digital Artist on Pixabay When it comes to payment, you don’t want there to be any awkwardness. The more you can do to improve your invoicing process the better. Whether your company works with individual clients or other businesses, ideally you want to streamline the invoicing process and make it as clear and easy for everyone involved. The smartest way to do this is by investing in invoicing software or apps, and they will take care of a lot of the work for you. Once you start to scale your business, you can also outsource your invoice processing. For now, here are ten smart ways to improve your invoicing process.
Invest in invoicing software Consider investing in the best invoicing software for small businesses. These will all include automated features making it a lot easier for you to bill your clients and have them pay on time. You’ll also have a record on the cloud of all the billing information automatically. Using invoicing software or apps is also much more secure for both parties and will give your clients confidence. For small businesses, it’s much easier to let technology take care of this one. Open a business account What you can do, however, is open a business account. Whether you use an app or take email invoices, you should use a business account for all transactions. It’s much safer to keep your personal and company assets separate, and this will protect you legally as well. A business account will also give you more credibility and make a better impression on your clients. Build a good relationship with clients Whether you’re dealing with B2B invoicing or providing a service to individuals you need to build a good relationship with your clients. Mutual trust is vital and you need to treat your clients with respect and professionalism at all times. This isn’t a backup for a signed agreement, however, but the better your client relationship is, the more likely the invoicing process will go smoothly. Write effective terms In order to successfully invoice a customer, you need to learn how to write invoice terms. Invoicing software will have features that will help you do this, but you need to come to an agreement and ensure your client has understood. Ideally, you should clearly outline any hidden charges such as late payment or cancellation fees. Be sure that your client has agreed on your rate, and whether this is to be paid hourly, daily, or weekly, etc, and clearly define any deadlines. Invoice at the right time Believe it or not, some business experts say there is a best time to invoice clients. It can depend on the type of service your business offers, however. If you offer a quote before the work starts this encourages your client to trust you, but you could end up underestimating costs. Some companies invoice at each milestone in more long-term projects. It’s probably better to invoice at the beginning of the week to get them paid on time, or at the end of the month to help your client keep track of payments. Share data with clients on the cloud You should try to keep your clients in the loop especially if you’re offering more long-term services or projects. If you need to share any files or information you can try using project management or freelancing apps. Here are some of the best apps to share files securely for small businesses. If you use the cloud, you can grant access to whoever you like at any time from anywhere. Automate reminders Almost all decent invoicing software will allow you to automate reminders. This is especially important if you’re dealing with several clients. You might even forget about the deadline for payments and clients commonly do. Set up automated reminders on your invoicing software as soon as you agree on the terms. You can then choose a date further in the future for the reminders to go out automatically. Late payment charges There are many reasons why you should charge late payment fees. It’s your livelihood at the end of the day and you don’t want to lose profits. Charging late payment fees or cancellation fees will motivate your clients to pay you on time. You need to be careful here to clearly point out that they will be charged for late payments. As long as you are transparent about all prices and possible extra fees from the beginning, the customer will more likely be happy. Even if they do complain about late payment charges, you will have written records of your exchange to back it up. Multiple payment options You could consider offering multiple payment options. This might be advantageous if you run an eCommerce, for instance. Multiple payment gateways allow shoppers to use their favorite payment method, whether it be credit card, Paypal, or ACH payments from their smartphone. If you have the means to do this, it could improve the customer experience on your website. Offering multiple payment options also makes your business appear more legitimate and creates trust in consumers. Outsource invoice processing There are several reasons to outsource invoice processing. You might have started out managing your own payments and finances but now you want to scale your business. The more your business grows, the more clients you will have, and this can only mean more invoices. If you outsource to invoice processing services they’ll have the resources and the capacity to cope with this rise in demand. Outsourcing also saves you time and money. You will save on the overheads, salary, sick pay, and all the other costs of hiring an in-house team. You’ll also be able to increase productivity and spend more time focusing on growing your business. If you improve your invoicing process, you’ll develop a better relationship with clients creating good word of mouth. The more quickly and efficiently you do things the better. Open a business account and let the latest in invoicing tools and technology do the work for you.  Image Credit: Carlos Muza on Pixabay.com Running a business is hard work. Many entrepreneurs or small business owners find themselves wearing many hats. They spend so much time working in their business they never get the opportunity to work on their business.
Using automation intelligently can not only improve your business processes, but it also frees people up to work on core business priorities. A study in the UK showed that business owners spend up to a third of their time on business admin. Automation can be used in most areas of a business, but here are a few of the main ones that will make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time. HR & Payroll Systems Even businesses with only a few employees have a number of legal and financial obligations to their employees. There are a number of great cloud hr systems coming onto the market which can run your day to day recruitment, HR and payroll services. These are cloud-based so won’t need to invest in any IT or data storage systems. They’ll save you time, money and make sure that you stay legally compliant. Employees can update their personal details, access policies, request holiday or communicate feedback all directly through an online platform. Running payroll through one of these systems can save your money on accountants and still let your remain compliant with the government tax systems and online banking facilities. Task Management An efficient, well-organised team can do wonders. Rather than relying on emails and handwritten scribbles, why not run all of your tasks and projects through specialist software like Asana or Trello. These programmes both have free versions that you can use to set up recurring tasks to keep your team and your business on track. The amount of time saved on unnecessary meetings or emails will transform your business. Marketing A great deal of your marketing funnel can be automated through software such as Hubspot or Zoho. Once you’ve set up your campaign materials, you can rely on your software to push prospective clients through your marketing funnel without the need to manually trigger actions every step of the way. Content, email and even social media content curation can all be automated in line with your campaign goals. A well-designed chatbot on your website can drive enquiries through without you needing to speak to people. The good news for small businesses is that you don’t need huge huge budgets to begin automating your business. Most of the larger software companies offer a freemium model, allowing you to access a range of features for free in the hopes that once you expand, you’ll move directly to the paid version. Conclusion Automating processes in our business can save you time, money and allow you to spend your precious time on actually running your business. Increased productivity leads to better margins and an improved bottom line. Not adopting an agile approach to your business can lose you that competitive edge if your competitors do embrace automation. |
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