Is your e-commerce business growing? Do you find yourself with an endless to-do list? How about constantly pushing tasks off? Transitioning to an outsourced workforce can seem daunting, with entrepreneurs facing common challenges like language barriers, security issues, and time zone differences.
However, done correctly, outsourcing can improve productivity, cut costs, and bolster customer satisfaction. This makes it no surprise that recent studies uncovered that 70% of global businesses are leveraging outsourcing.
In this article, we’ll explore e-commerce outsourcing, including which tasks to outsource, how to choose the right outsourcing partner, beneficial resources, and how to avoid common mistakes.
What Tasks Can E-Commerce Owners Outsource?
Outsourcing will look different for every e-commerce business, especially depending on your company size and strategic needs. Here are a few of the main tasks to consider outsourcing in your e-commerce company:
- Customer Service & Support – Live chats, email support, and social media are top outsourced e-commerce tasks.
- Order Processing & Fulfillment Coordination – Monitoring the flow of goods, inventory levels, and shipping data are great tasks for an outsourced partner.
- Product Listing & Optimization – Product listing and optimization, such as updating listings for product changes, ensuring descriptions are SEO-friendly, and adding high-quality images, can be passed off to an outsourced professional.
- Digital Marketing – E-commerce businesses rely on digital marketing to sell products, which is why managing social media ads, creating marketing content, and tracking advertising KPIs can be assigned to an outsourced individual or company.
- Data Entry & Inventory Management – Outsourced talent can closely watch inventory levels, re-order low quantities, enter inventory orders, and track which products are selling best.
- Bookkeeping & Financial Tasks – Letting your bookkeeping function fall behind can cause serious problems, such as higher risks of fraud, late filings, and unclear margins, which is why outsourcing bookkeeping and finance professionals are so valuable.
The most successful e-commerce businesses leverage outsourced talent in many of the above areas. Think about where your business falls short. Is it keeping up with bookkeeping tasks? How about constantly running out of inventory? Identifying the shortcomings in your e-commerce business can help you pinpoint which outsourced services you need.
How to Choose the Right Virtual Assistant or Outsourcing Partner
With the business process outsourcing market projected to grow at a rate of 9.6% by 2030, it’s important to select the right virtual assistant or outsourcing provider. There are two main types of outsourced talent: freelancers and outsourcing agencies. Freelancers work independently, while an outsourcing agency is comprised of numerous professionals.
Freelancers specialize in small, one-time projects, while outsourcing agencies can take on large and complex projects. Freelancers can also provide a more personal feel; however, turnover can lead to costly business disruptions. On the other hand, outsourcing agencies have a team of professionals, allowing your business to scale with ease, avoid business disruptions, and have more structure in outsourcing.
Regardless of whether you are choosing a freelancer or outsourcing agency, there are a few key qualifications and skills to look for, including:
- Adequate security protocols
- Industry expertise
- Strong communication skills
- Scalability potential
- Compliance safeguards
- Availability
- Reasonable cost
When evaluating potential candidates, be sure the value they provide matches the cost. For example, if an outsourcing agency can help your business scale, you might decide to pay more for their expertise.
Cost Savings & ROI: Why Outsourcing is a Smart Investment
Too often, e-commerce business owners focus only on the hourly rate of outsourced talent. When considering outsourcing, it’s important to calculate the true cost savings and return on investment by evaluating both quantitative and qualitative benefits. For one, outsourced talent is considered independent contractors, meaning you don’t have to offer benefits or pay employer payroll taxes on wages.
Additionally, outsourced talent works on your time. If you don’t have enough work, your outsourced talent won’t be racking up a bill. This isn’t the case for an in-house employee, who gets paid regardless of whether there is work to be done. Other benefits include stronger compliance, added revenue growth, better cost controls, improved efficiency, and a higher scalability potential.
Tools & Software to Streamline Outsourcing
Unlike an in-house employee, you can’t just stop by and talk to your outsourced professional. Instead, you will need to leverage different tools and software to streamline the outsourcing process and open communication lines. Here are some of the top tools and software programs for outsourcing teams:
- Project Management Tools – Platforms like Trello, Asana, and ClickUp are great options for overall project management.
- Communication Platforms – Communication hubs, such as Slack, Zoom, and WhatsApp, keep everyone on your team informed and on the same page.
- Automation Tools – Shopify, OpenCart, and WooCommerce integrations are essential for e-commerce businesses to reduce operational silos.
These tools can be great starting points for small outsourced teams. However, as your business begins to grow, consider switching to an outsourcing company, like Remote CoWorker, that offers built-in e-commerce management tools for your outsourced talent.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Outsourcing
When you onboard outsourced talent, there are bound to be challenges and hurdles to overcome. Here are three common mistakes and how to avoid them:
- Poor Onboarding and Training – Outsourced talent is an extension of your team, meaning they need the same onboarding and training as a regular employee. Taking the time to train on your processes and expectations can reduce mistakes and allow for fluid workflows.
- Unclear KPIs and Goals – Like in-house staff, outsourced talent needs benchmarks and goals to work toward. Defining your KPIs and goals keeps your outsourced professionals engaged and adds clarity to your expectations.
- Prioritizing Cost Over Quality – The cheapest option isn’t always the best choice for your e-commerce business. Before choosing an outsourced agency or freelancer, evaluate the value they will provide to your company. If paying a few dollars more an hour allows your business to grow 10% in one year, it might be worth the added cost.
Keep these common pitfalls in mind as you start your search for outsourced agencies and freelancers.
Conclusion
E-commerce outsourcing doesn’t have to be daunting. In fact, when used correctly, it can help your business scale, improve efficiency, and unlock greater accuracy and insights. If you’re thinking about outsourcing, the first step is determining your business needs. Then, search for the perfect freelancer or outsourcing agency.
