One of the biggest challenges being a business owner is tackling your computer problems. In today’s world, a business must have computers, databases and a system to effectively and efficiently manage all the information.
However, all of this takes time. Outsourcing some of these mundane IT tasks to an employee or consultant will help you stay ahead of the game.
To compete, it is necessary to invest in (and keep up with) state-of-the-art technology or you will quickly find your business left in the dust of your competition.
As a business owner, probably the last thing you want to do is spend some of your already fractured time trying to keep up with IT headaches by yourself.
Let’s face it… it always seems like when you have a meeting with a huge potential client in 2 hours… your computers go down. Wouldn’t it be nice to prevent that from happening?
Being a small to medium size business, it might not be feasible for you to hire your in-house IT department. What do you do?
Enter the IT Consulting Firm (or a virtual IT employee)
You already know this, but dealing with the demands of Information Technology is a royal pain in the butt. Just look at this list:
And the list goes on… We haven’t even talked about developing the best network for you, using and repairing computer systems or all the software required to run your business effectively.
IT processes, transfers, stores and secures all types of electronic data (aka your client information). It’s no wonder many businesses have their own technology departments.
However, it’s easy for a bunch of big-time enterprises to hire I.T. professionals to take care of these tasks. But for you, this may not be the case.
Smaller companies simply don’t the ability to hire in-house I.T. specialists because of their limited budget. When you are trying to grow your business, your budget dollars need to go to other places like marketing and client acquisition.
Besides, most business owners would rather focus on their business tasks vs. waste their time and energy on things they are may not be an expert at.
Don’t let all this intimidating work hold you back. Even if you are a small-business owner or just entering the trade industry, you can still hire technical professionals to handle all your I.T. tasks.
How you ask? The answer is outsourcing, and it is much more affordable than you might think
Businesses currently outsource not only to reduce and control costs, but also obtain world-class expertise, streamline to increase efficiency, shorten turnaround time, and finally gain more profit.
Outsourcing benefits not only small companies but established businesses as well. Big-time companies outsource certain tasks to create more cash flow and increase their profits.
So, what are the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing? Take it from someone who currently already does it… I will cover them all, but trust me, you will find more upside than down.
This is kind of a no-brainer. I’m sure you would want to invest your money into more important aspects of your business. However, by doing so that does not mean you will just be ignoring your I.T.
Paying for a virtual I.T. professional does not cost nearly as much as a permanent on-site employee. Depending on experience, you can expect to pay $3-$6/hr for a qualified employee on OnlineJobs. Hard to believe I know… but it is true.
Also, you will save on overhead expenses. You don’t have to provide the computer, workspace, electricity, internet, benefits package etc.
You can pay an outsourced IT professional for a complete project or the number of hours they have worked. This gives you more control over your expenses.
Even better, you don’t have to worry about sacrificing quality because there are a lot of capable specialists willing to work for you at pennies on the dollar of an on-site employee.
Since you can offload your computer problems, maintenance and upgrades to a virtual employee or firm, you can concentrate on the other business processes that need your attention and expertise.
Outsourcing allows you to spend more time on your other priorities.
Unless you are already an I.T. expert, you probably don’t have a clue how information systems, computers and technology really work.
I’m guessing you don’t have the luxury or desire to learn all of this either, do you?
Outsourcing your IT might the best thing for you to do. Both in house and virtual I.T. professionals have the experience you need and will provide the best solutions to address all of your IT needs.
I learned this the hard way. I ended up buying unnecessary software and equipment, which was a waste of my time and money. Now, I just leave it to the tech guys.
Your employees are more likely to stay and be a whole lot less frustrated if you have reliable IT systems. After all, these systems help them perform their tasks efficiently.
Having little to zero downtime assures your company of continuous productivity. More productivity means more profitability for you.
Also, IT experts make sure your system is safe from viruses, cyber-attacks and security breaches. This will always sit well with your clients!
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Okay, so it is not all butterflies and roses when outsourcing. So, let’s talk about the other side… the crappy side. You will want to know the good and the bad before you jump in. So, here are a few potential drawbacks.
It may be hard for you at first to trust and delegate I.T. tasks to people who are not directly hired by your company. make sure you are working with a well-known I.T. consulting firm or trustworthy individuals.
So, how do you know if they are reputable and/or trustworthy? There are several ways.
There is a risk of not knowing everything that goes on in your technology department. Make sure you have a weekly/monthly meeting so they can explain any adjustments they made to your system. Make sure you require your employees/firm to obtain your permission before modifying any part of your business’ system.
Also, your virtual employee/company should be sending you an e-mail at the end of each shift explaining what they accomplished that day, any challenges they encountered and anything they need from you to help them accomplish their tasks.
Sometimes your virtual information technology professional will get things done in a different time zone than you are in. This could be great, but can also be a pain if something goes down in the middle of your workday. You will need to keep this in mind and perhaps require your employee/firm to work during your business hours (unless it is a server update or something that requires your employees to be off their computers).
If you have a hard drive that fails or someone accidentally unplugged the copier… a virtual worker can troubleshoot the problem over the phone with you, but they will not be able to come to your business.
Make sure you have a local company on retainer for such instances as failed motherboards, mice, keyboards and hard drives. Just about everything else can be done remotely.
Also, for large upgrades, you will probably want to hire another company to set all your new computers and servers up (unless you are comfortable doing that yourself).
Okay, so we went over the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing… now, where do we find a good outsourced employee or company? Where I go? The Philippines!
The Philippines is home to thousands of talented individuals you can use to outsource tasks from your business. A lot of foreign business process outsourcing (BPO) companies have found their workforce here. This industry continues to rapidly grow in the Philippines as well.
So, basically by going direct to the Philippines, you are cutting out the middle man in a company. The workers will be the same but at a fraction of the cost.
Let’s look at why the Philippines the best place to outsource your computer and information technology tasks.
I said it before, but it is worth saying again, one HUGE benefit of outsourcing is that it lets you reduce your expenses.
Plus, you don’t have to pay for business expenses like office space, utilities, supplies, internet, electricity, 401K, health insurance, etc.
Filipinos are excellent in oral and written English communications. This is because of their great exposure to the English language. English is a part of the school curriculum and Filipinos are fond of American and other foreign cultures.
You may find this surprising, but Filipinos listen to the same music we do, love the NBA and watch a lot of the same movies we do as well. They are immersed in English. It is literally all around them.
Filipinos are accommodating, hardworking and loyal. You can expect them to hold these values in the workplace even if it is set up in the digital world.
A lot of business owners have found exceptional virtual staff in the Philippines and they continue to look for more.
I can tell you that my Filipino employees are as invested in my company as I am. They want me to succeed just as much as I do.
Since the business processes outsourcing industry is flourishing, it has brought in considerable government revenue.
This is why the local government has enacted laws and policies that make it easy for BPO (business process outsourcing) companies to function.
Now that we have laid out the benefits of outsourcing your business processes to the Philippines, let me show you where you can find your own rockstar I.T. consulting firm and/or professional.
I’ve already talked about my go-to option, but I will list it here again… Onlinejobs.ph is an awesome website (think Careerbuilder.com or Monster.com in the Philippines) where you can find a great number of highly-skilled individuals.
Their skills will range in experience in various fields like accounting, marketing and sales, office administration, web development, social media management, information technology and so on. You will never run out of options.
Obviously, this post is about IT, and you will literally find hundreds of qualified applicants very eager to take a job with you.
If you are looking for a well-established I.T. consulting firm, here are the cream of the crop, but it will cost you more. You can find their pricing on their websites listed below:
Most of these I.T. companies are based in the Philippines so you can expect authentic Filipino hospitality from them.
Phew…. That was a lot of valuable information all at once. I hope it will help you with outsourcing your business’ I.T. essential tasks.
Let’s sum it up.
Benefits of Outsourcing Your I.T. Solution Providers
A Couple of Things to Consider when Outsourcing
Upsides of Outsourcing Your I.T. Specialists to the Philippines
I hope this blog has given you several solid options regarding outsourcing I.T. needs. Outsourcing has become the trend among businesses and I’m sure you will find it incredibly helpful for your company as well.
Feel free to post any questions or comments in the field below, or as always you can e-mail me directly from the contact us page.
Talk soon.
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