A lot of trends come and go in the business world, but a recent change in office dynamics has staying power: remote workers. The category of remote workers is broad; it can refer to people who work from home a few days a week, freelancers hired on for creative work, or virtual receptionists who take calls and keep schedules. If you decide to hire remotely, your work team can now look entirely different than it might have a few years ago, and that’s a good thing.According to a study by TINYpulse, remote workers are happier, more productive, and feel more valued than their in-office counterparts. The amount of people working remotely at least part time has jumped from 15% to 20% in the last 4 years.The appeal of forming virtual teams is clear. Employees can manage their work and personal lives more flexibly, and they have the opportunity to interact with colleagues around the world. Companies can use the best and lowest-cost global talent and significantly reduce their real estate costs.The best types of roles for a remote team are those in “support” roles. It greatly depends on your field, but often roles like marketing and reception are able to be outsourced. Here are 3 roles you should consider outsourcing:
- Freelance Creative
- Virtual Receptionist
- Regular team members
Freelance Creative
Sometimes, your marketing needs a little something special and you just can’t make it happen on your own. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you have to continually manage your team, budget, and product, which means you might not have a lot of brain power leftover to make a beautiful infographic.Forbes explains, “Running your own business is no easy task, and your to-do-list is guaranteed to never end. This said you shouldn’t use this as an excuse to take shortcuts when it comes to having online visibility.” It’s extremely important to have a good looking website, a social media strategy, and engaging content. Many potential customers won’t give your site a second look if it doesn’t have all those features, but you’re busy!This is where outsourcing is an excellent idea. “Even if you run your own creative business, you can still benefit from outsourcing tasks that don’t directly tie back to the services you offer,” says Tracy Dungo, a graphic design and photographer. “Sometimes it’s better to have a fresh set of eyes and new perspective when you’re too close to the details.”You can hire remotely for tasks like graphic design, brand strategy, photography– anything that you think would benefit from a personalized, professional eye. Finding creative freelancers can be easy. Upwork is perhaps the most popular freelancing site; it allows you to search for any type of work you’re interested in outsourcing.Another smart way to find freelancers is by finding work you enjoy naturally and seeing where it came from. Does your competition have some slick branding? Do some snooping and finding out who did it. See some great design online? Reach out to the artist. If something grabs your attention, it’s likely to grab your clients attention as well.
Virtual Receptionist
Another smart area to outsource is your reception. Having someone available to answer calls is crucially important; 75% of customers believe it takes too long to reach a live agent, and having live voice call support can be the difference between gaining a client or your competition gaining a client.Businesses are increasingly turning to virtual reception services rather than in-house options. Virtual receptionists are 1/10th the price of traditional in-house receptionists, and some services are available 24/7/365 to make sure no call goes unanswered.Find virtual receptionists here and learn what that outsourcing can do for your business.
Regular team members
Lastly, you can outsource your regular team. This is a more involved decision than outsourcing creative work or reception, but it can have big benefits for your business, but you have to make sure to keep your remote team motivated. Outsourcing allows you to select employees from a global pool of talent, and truly ensures you have the best of the best managing your team.You don’t have to outsource your entire team: “Some businesses have in-house staff to handle daily activities, but may need outside help to undertake new projects that don’t warrant another full-time employee,” says Entrepreneur.com.The way to make sure this succeeds for your business is to plan carefully. “Although a remote legal team can be a big help for your firm, your success will depend on who you hire. Since remote employees work unsupervised, you need people who are motivated without someone looking over their shoulder,” we’ve reported.
Moving Forward with a Virtual Team
Outsourcing different aspects of your team is a smart decision for your business. Get top-notch design from freelancing creatives. Have your calls and schedule managed by a virtual receptionist, and help your business grow with new team members.
