Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the process of contracting a third-party service provider to handle business operations. The services can include payroll, accounting, telemarketing, data recording, social media marketing, customer support, and more. BPO services may be more suitable for small businesses. Outsourcing allows businesses to hone in on their main offerings instead of company functions that aren’t directly tied to their core processes. Below Linked give insight into why businesses outsource processes, the risks, the main role of BPO, and more.
Why Business Process Outsourcing?
Outsourcing cuts down on costs for in-house labour, particularly for staffing and training. When you outsource business processes, you’re also outsourcing much of the administrative tasks for those processes. Outsourcing allows businesses to focus on their main offerings instead of company functions that aren’t directly tied to their core processes. Businesses that outsource processes are saving time, improving accuracy, and increasing their capacity. Buying a licensed version of the latest software and other technologies is very expensive. This is also risky for small to medium-sized businesses that cannot afford to commit to a steady budget that covers buying the latest technologies. Outsourcing to companies that already have access to the technology and have the relevant expertise, therefore, proves to be more efficient. Ultimately work of the best standard is delivered because tasks are performed by skilled professionals. These are only a few of the pros of opting to make use of BPOs.
The Risks of Business Process Outsourcing
Though the idea of outsourcing is very attractive, the risks need to be considered. Once a company designates a vendor for specific processes, the vendor becomes a part of the workflow. The company can incur extraneous costs and decreased productivity when the vendor encounters problems or lapses in work. If careful consideration is not given to the BPO provider, hidden costs may start to eat up the budget. This is especially true if the signed contract didn’t include such costs. In outsourcing, especially when business information systems are involved, companies face communication and privacy risks. Security is more difficult to maintain when the BPOs taking care of the business information systems of a company is not in the same country, especially when both countries have different security requirements. Potential data privacy breaches and vulnerability disclosures are a real threat, particularly with the current prevalence of hacking.
NetSuite ERP
The primary goal is to cut costs, free up time, and focus on core aspects of the business. NetSuite ERP is the leading integrated cloud business software suite, including business accounting, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and e-Commerce software. NetSuite equips BPOs with a single, flexible solution to manage clients of any size, from developing businesses and start-ups to Global 2000 corporations. From NetSuite, BPOs gain transformational capabilities for greater cost-effectiveness and client service. Small and family-owned businesses often need to focus on delivering their products and services rather than the nuts and bolts of operations. NetSuite is now available as part of an outsourced accounting package used to run the back office.
After having a look at the pros, cons, and main role of BPO it is evident that it is worth careful consideration. The future of BPO is similar to that of many industries in that automation will be key. It is important to adapt as the needs of a business change.
Contact Linked to provide you with an integrated solution designed for accounting firms to enable you to streamline your accounting and bookkeeping procedures on behalf of your clients, so they can get on with running their business while knowing that all the critical back-end and administrative services are being taken care of.