In today’s age of highly digitized processes, the difference between a successful business and one that is lagging behind is the integration deft management and suitable skills to complement its processes.  

From small concerns to large establishments, many businesses are choosing to acquire business assistance as innovative and advanced services have become increasingly accessible in the current competitive and ever-evolving business climate.  

What is Business Assistance? 

The textbook definition of business assistance, or more commonly called business outsourcing, is the process of subcontracting multiple business operations and functions to third-party service providers.  

That means that it is a business practice in which an organization contracts with a third-party vendor or external service provider to perform a specific business task or function. The third-party service provider is therefore solely responsible for carrying out all the tasks pertaining to that business function. 

When Do I Know I Need Business Assistance? 

There are many reasons why companies acquire business assistance. The major reason is to save money and increase their work efficiency.  

Generally, companies outsource skills because they get better, cheaper, and faster work done for their particular task. They can hand over tedious and time-consuming tasks that often take lots of time and effort. Thus by getting business assistance, they can focus on more critical work, turning to their advantage in the market.  

Some companies outsource their work to third-party services as they cannot hire in-house employees who have specialized skills to perform specific tasks. Another reason is that sometimes companies don't want to handle regulatory requirements or obligations, and that's why they move over the management of these tasks to third-party services.

If you find yourself in these business situations, it may be time for you to start seeking assistance for your operations. 

What Processes Should I Get Assistance For? 

Broadly speaking, organizations get assistance for two key areas of operations. They include: 

1. Front office functions and services that pertain to customer-related services such as sales, marketing, support, etc.; 
    

2. Back office functions and services that pertain to core internal business operations such as payment processing, quality assurance, information technology services, accounting, regulatory compliance, human resources, etc. 

Below, we go into more detail of some functions that companies get assistance with: 

• Customer Interaction
  An assistant in this function may handle the company’s email services, voicemail services, telemarketing, appointment scheduling, payment and order processing, warranty administration, surveys, customer feedback and support and other types of services.
  
• Software and IT
  Assistance in this function may include providing technical support functions like implementation services, IT helpdesk support, development and testing of application and data, among other services.
  
• Back-Office Operations
  Here the outsourcing service party provides a wide range of services, some of which may include data entry, data extraction, data conversion, warehouse management, transportation administration, cheque processing, logistics and distribution, etc.

• Knowledge-Based Services
  Assistance for knowledge-based functions may include high-level processes like marketing, data analytics, data processing and management, data mining, research, etc.
  
• Accounting and Finance
  Your business can also benefit from getting assistance in functions involving payroll, auditing, receivables, regulatory compliance, accounts payables, billing services, etc.
  
• Human Resource
  Here the outsourcing service provider can help to address challenges in the workforce by covering employee management, time and attendance, payroll, insurance processing, training, hiring and recruitment, etc.

Benefits of Getting Business Assistance 

• Reduce Operating Costs 
  Outsourcing often saves money and time rather than hiring a full-time employee, and you also get to know beforehand how much this costs and what services you will get. This will mean that you will know ahead how much you will spend and what services you're going to get. This also makes sure that you don't spend before your budget and get quality services simultaneously.  
   

• Focus on Critical Areas of the Business 
  By outsourcing small, unimportant tasks, you can focus on more important tasks that need your attention rather than working on less important ones. You can outsource small tasks or tasks that need lots of time or repeat work. This will give you more time, energy, and attention to spend on more important work.  
   
• Access a Wider Talent Pool 
  Outsourcing allows you to work with specialized, experienced people in their field. Sometimes, you might not get the same specialized talent in-house that you can get by outsourcing. By outsourcing, you can get quality work from experts to help you achieve your business goals faster. 

Cons of Getting Business Assistance 

Like all business decisions, company executives must arrive at the decision to acquire business assistance by weighing and considering various factors and reasons in addition to being mindful of the economic conditions and market forces. 

Transferring internal processes to an external third party or outsourcing company requires change management as it impacts the workflow processes, employees and the business as a whole. This is not necessarily a negative outcome that may spring from getting assistance for some business operations, but when this step isn’t done right, it may impact the organization negatively rather than create benefits.

Get the Right Business Assistance You Need 

Employee outsourcing or acquiring assistants for multiple business operations is something that many organizations have benefitted from. It’s starting to become a normal setup in most companies, where company executives focus on the more critical areas of the business while employing talents in repetitive and time-consuming operations.  

Before jumping on a decision to get assistance, it's essential to know which is the right one for you that meets your needs and demands. NFT offers business assistance as one of our services and we can help you get the right talents for the functions outlined above.

If you’re in the market for business assistance, contact us at +61290898875 or leave a comment below to get started with a free consultation.