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Whether you’re just starting a business or thinking about starting one, there are jobs that you’re better off outsourcing from the very beginning. Instead of using all of your funds to hire staff onshore, you can save some of the budget to outsource and hire remote staff. The savings can then be reallocated to other departments that need more of a boost such as sales. It should go without saying, remote staff that are hired through a business process outsourcing company are a cost-effective solution that helps any company deal with excess workloads and any sort of financial stress. In addition, the BPO you choose to partner with will take over all HR and IT tasks associated with your remote staff so you are able to focus on more important tasks. The following are a few necessary positions startup companies need but can save substantial amounts by hiring remote staff.

Developers

It’s no secret that technology has greatly impacted the business world. An online presence is needed to stay competitive in any industry. Any business that can’t be Google’d is already at a disadvantage versus its competition. From finding the location of the store to having a full-blown website with online shopping or built-in contact options, an online presence is needed. Developers remedy this and more. Web developers in conjunction with UX/UI devs can make the difference between having a website just for the sake of having an online presence and having a website people want to go to and enjoy being on or looking at. A software developer can save your company monthly fees by creating customized software such as an applicant tracking system, a CRM application, human resource management systems, and anything else your company might need to function properly.

Data Researchers

A position to think about outsourcing after you have software built for your company would be data researchers. If you have any software that collects data, they can use it to pull useful data to analyze, report, and advise on. In some instances, the report portion will include visuals to help ensure that everyone attending the meeting understands the data. These reports are invaluable for any type of business. For example, if a business is planning to roll out a new product or service, the data researcher could give data-based insights to help make the release go smoothly. 

Lead Generation and Sales Specialists

Whether you need to interact with consumers or other businesses, you need leads to grow your business. A lead generation specialist helps by taking over that task as their primary role. For small businesses, sometimes people have to wear multiple hats. Having sales officers also doing lead generation takes them away from what they’re good at – closing deals. Closing deals is what brings in revenue and thus should be prioritized. BPOs allow small businesses to hire lead generation specialists without breaking the bank as well as giving your sales team the leads they need to perform. On the flip side, if a business needs to prioritize another department, having a remote sales team is another popular option. For example, the Philippines’ English proficiency is ranked at number 18 in the world and number 2 in all of Asia by EF. Partnering with a qualified BPO and starting recruitment for a sales team will yield fruitful results. Recruitment time won’t be as long as it is locally and the quality will be comparable as there are many professionals already accustomed to working for overseas clients. The candidates you will receive will have prior experience in sales and, if needed, you can request a more specific type of sales specialist. For example, someone with experience selling a specific product or service. Do take note that asking for specifics may affect recruitment time.

Customer Service Representatives

Possibly the most common type of remote staff that is hired would be the customer service representative. Both call centers and BPOs provide this service. Call centers cater to larger companies with a higher number of employees required before being able to avail their services, while a BPO will take on any number of customer service staff you need. Whether you need to supplement your onshore team or want the entire team outsourced, the choice is yours. With an offshore team, you are able to have 24/7 customer support as you can request staff who have worked certain shifts or people who would be willing to work them. They can be trained to your specific needs and their point of contact can ensure that your standards are met.

Team Leaders / Supervisors / Managers

Depending on how big your remote staffing team gets, you may require on-site supervision of your team beyond the means that your BPO partner can provide. In these instances, it is best to hire an experienced team leader who is the equivalent of a supervisor. They will oversee all employees, sometimes coaching them when needed. They also keep your staff happy and ensure that team morale doesn’t drop. Managers can be hired once the teams get bigger. Essentially, this person functions as your point of contact for your team. Instead of having to share information with everyone, which may cause scheduling issues, you are able to just have one person dedicated to spreading information to the rest of the team while making sure all the tasks you assign are being completed at the standard you expect. Managers will also create reports to summarize data details such as KPIs or OKRs that you put in place.

Bookkeepers and Accountants

Depending on what you need them for, you can hire professional finance staff to either assist or take over the department for you in the beginning. Bookkeepers can help you keep your general ledger up to date and ensure that it remains accurate for both your financial peace of mind and in the event of an audit. For a more robust start, accountants are available as well. In addition to all the tasks a bookkeeper can do, accountants can also analyze financial data, give their insight on decisions involving credit or debit, ensure that no issues arise involving tax, cashflow forecasting, and more depending on if you require a CPA.

Executive Assistants

Oftentimes startups give in and finally hire an EA once their tasks get out of hand and start to get overlooked. This may not be possible for newer companies because the high cost of an onshore executive assistant may render hiring one just out of budget. Being able to start off with a high-level EA at a cost-effective price allows you to never get bogged down with backend tasks. Remote EAs are able to take on the same workload you’d expect from an onshore team for a fraction of the cost. It is also common practice to give them more involved tasks as they gain experience and settle into your company and workflow.

Human Resource Staff

Outsourcing some of your HR requirements to remote staff is an easy way to grow your HR department without taking resources away from other departments. Any facet of HR that can be done purely on a PC can be outsourced. For example, all your payroll needs can be done with a payroll specialist and recruiters can be added to bolster your onshore recruitment efforts. Adding additional roles is made easy with a BPO and can be done anytime the need arises. A strong HR department at the beginning of a business’ life cycle will lower attrition rates, as well as, help define the culture your company will have moving forward.

The Wrap Up

Whether it’s developers, accountants, or virtual assistants, outsourcing some of your work allows you the freedom to invest your time and money in other departments. In the event that you need to hire a position that wasn’t listed above, you should always reach out to a BPO you trust and inquire about it. There are no restrictions to what your first hire can be or how many staff you start with. Hiring remote staff early on in your company’s life helps ease the financial burden most startups feel and makes it easier to add more remote staff in the future.