5 Business Services to Outsource

Outsourcing has many benefits. Here is why you should outsource – and 5 business services (including printing) you should consider getting help with.

Published on 12 April, 2021 | Last modified on 24 February, 2023
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Outsourcing: the secret behind successful businesses. Whether you are a small business looking to hit your next revenue target or a massive corporation trying to streamline operations, outsourcing allows businesses to remain nimble as you respond to your organizational demands. Here is why you should outsource – and what business services you should consider getting help with.

Why Should Businesses Outsource Services?

what should you outsource

While outsourcing sometimes gets a bad reputation, it actually ends up saving businesses money. Since you are paying experts to handle a specific task for you, your employees can focus on their core responsibilities. That means your business is operating more efficiently and saving you money. Here’s why Entrepreneur.com recommends outsourcing. Reducing costs has never been a bad idea.

What Services Should Businesses Outsource?

When it comes to deciding on what your business should outsource, compare two basic data points:

  • What your employees were hired to do
  • How they actually end up spending their time

Outsourced services are designed to hit metrics for you, such as producing the right number of print workbooks or answering customer calls within 3 seconds. As a result, your employees will be oriented towards meeting your business goals. 

With that in mind, here are 5 business services you may want to consider outsourcing:

1. Back-Office Services

woman performing outsourced accounting services

Many people think of back-office services as soon as they think of outsourcing. This includes accounting, customer service, recruiting and human resources, IT management, and more. You will want to review what exactly you need, how often you need it, and whether you prefer a company with a global presence or local connections. Kind in mind 8 questions to ask before selecting a provider.

2. Data Entry

Another resource that you may want to make available to every department in your business is data entry. This can range from digitizing and organizing archival records to entering leads into your sales database. What makes data entry difficult is that it requires a lot of time and attention to detail. Rather than ask your employees to squeeze it in between their priority tasks, it may be worth finding a resource outside of your business to handle this on a project-by-project basis.

outsource data entry

3. Print Services

large digital color printer

Printing is an often overlooked task that can very easily be outsourced. Right now, your organization may be relying on desktop printers or an internal print resource to turn around each and every project. This usually means long waits, and it sometimes even means your employees have to spend time collating and binding documents. And by the way, those documents often don’t end up looking very good.

That is why a business printing service can be so helpful. What takes your employees hours to complete suddenly takes them minutes – and it is even more powerful if the printer offers shipping, too. (At Mimeo, we specialize in providing outsourced print services, fast shipping, and warehousing for print orders and merchandise. Schedule a call with our team to see how we can streamline your processes.)

Before evaluating print vendors, be sure to determine what kinds of documents you print, how many you need at a time, whether you need them shipped to multiple locations, and how often you print per year. 

4. Shipping

Whether you deliver consumer goods or need to get branded merchandise to a tradeshow, shipping very quickly gets complex. Unless you are Amazon, you probably don’t have the time or resources to build your own delivery system. Consider finding a logistics partner to handle everything from your envelopes to truckloads of product. Before reaching out, be sure to review how many shipments per year, month, and quarter you require. Also, clarify what kind of packaging you use, how many destinations you send to, and whether any shipments are international. 

global sustainable shipping

5. Warehousing

Outsourced warehousing facility

Sure, you can begin by storing your goods in a basement, or a garage, or even the back half of your office. But very soon, your inventory will get too large to easily organize. Before you lease your own warehouse, look into outsourcing it. After all, without the proper procedures, goods can disappear. Begin by taking inventory of how many unique items you have, how much of each you will store, how often you will access them, and what kind of delivery or shipping you will need. Then reach out to warehouse vendors to find out if they can meet your requirements.

Mimeo simplifies warehousing and fulfillment for businesses around the world. We will store your inventory in our secure warehouse and ship your items for you, giving you time back to focus on other priorities. Set up a call to learn more.

When your business needs to be nimble, outsourcing is a great alternative to hiring full-time employees. Be sure you understand your business requirements before evaluating vendors, and don’t settle for any business that can’t meet your needs. Mimeo is ready to help you with printing, shipping, and warehousing – schedule a call to get started!

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Mimeo Marketing Team

Mimeo is a global online print provider with a mission to give customers back their time. By combining front and back-end technology with a lean production model, Mimeo is the only company in the industry to guarantee your late-night print order will be produced, shipped, and delivered by 8 am the next morning. For more information, visit mimeo.com and see how Mimeo’s solutions can help you save time today.

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