Why Outsourcing Might Be a Good Idea During a Recession

Companies tend to go into conservation mode during periods of recession. Doing so is a natural response to business slowdowns and revenue reductions. Companies want to conserve as much of their capital as possible. And yet, the business itself still needs to continue to run. That is where outsourcing comes in.

Whether it’s answering calls, handling helpdesk tasks, scheduling appointments, or dealing with other routine tasks that aren’t part of a company’s core business, outsourcing those tasks during economic downturns can prove quite beneficial.

For the purposes of illustration, we will use the example of a live answering service for the remainder of this post. Outsourcing might be the best option when recession is making it difficult to keep a full office staff.

It Starts with Saving Money

Outsourcing call center tasks during a recession is generally motivated by the need to save money. The question is, can you really save by outsourcing? In a word, yes. Find the right outsourcing partner capable of providing the services you need at a reasonable price, and you could spend considerably less.

Outsourcing to a live answering service can save money in three ways:

• Salaries – You need to pay full-time employees a full-time salary. Outsourcing is different because you are not actually paying the salaries of the people who take your calls. You are paying a company for a service. That means you are ultimately paying less.

• Benefits – Paying for live answering service also mitigates the need to cover benefits for employees on the payroll. During recessionary periods, benefits can take a sizable chunk out of a limited budget.

• Leaner Operations – A salaried staff gets paid by the hour or day, regardless of how many calls are answered. But when you outsource, you only pay for the actual work of answering calls. When operators aren’t answering your calls, they are answering someone else’s. This makes for leaner operations for you.

Saving money by outsourcing boils down to using a service that does one thing and does it well: answer calls. Your outsourcing partner is more efficient and cost-effective because live answering services are what they do best. They can do it more cheaply than you can.

Adding Scalability to the Equation

Immediate financial savings are a pretty good incentive to outsource during recessionary periods. But what about adapting as business starts to pick up again? This is another area in which outsourcing shines. Outsourcing adds scalability to the equation.

During a recession, you might be tempted to cut back on your staff as much as possible. As business picks up, you’re trying to do more work with the same limited staff – because the funds aren’t there yet to rehire. But now you are in a pickle because you have more work but fewer employees.

Outsourcing lets you scale as needed. You pay a slightly higher price for a larger call answering capacity. Meanwhile, the live answering service is responsible for making sure there are enough employees to keep up. You can scale up as quickly or slowly as you like.

Expertise for Greater Efficiency

Finally, outsourcing during a recession gives you access to expertise you otherwise might not have been exposed to. That expertise can help you make your company more efficient so that, as the economy recovers, you’re doing a better job serving your customers.

Recessions are bad news for everybody. But when they come, companies just work through them. We might even be in a recession right now. If your company is feeling recessionary pressures, consider outsourcing wherever you can. We are here to provide live answering services.