Knowing when it’s time to start outsourcing isn’t always easy. In some cases, a moment just occurs where it feels natural to outsource some extra assistance. However, on others, it can be a long process that takes a lot of deliberation.

Whether you’re the type to jump in and start outsourcing quickly, or you like to really assess your options first, knowing when to start outsourcing is a key component to success. Here’s how you know it’s time to start outsourcing.

1. Your team is stressed

A key indicator that you might need to outsource some external resources is that your team is stressed. Maybe they are tense because their workload feels too big, or perhaps it’s because they don’t know how to do the particular task.

Whatever it is, don’t let this sense of panic enter your workspace for too long. It is much more effective to outsource your work and work with flexible talent to reach your goals as opposed to allowing our team to drown in work. When you consider the fact that 1 in 5 employees quits due to stress, you’ll soon want to outsource and keep stress levels lower.

2. You have new ideas that are going to waste

Often, leaders will opt out of outsourcing in order to ‘save money’. Unfortunately, it is only years later when their innovative ideas are not brought to life that they realize they should have invested in outsourced talent. If you can’t develop your new ideas because your people are too busy, you are wasting your innovative potential.

Whilst it may be true that outsourcing is an investment, in the long run, it can provide an incredible ROI. If it feels like you’re missing out on the opportunity to innovate because you don’t have the time within your team to work on new ideas, it’s time to outsource.

3. You keep thinking about outsourcing but haven’t made the jump yet

We hear this one a lot. 

“I always think I need to outsource but have never got round to it”. Or, “I know I need to grow and can’t do it alone, but I’m worried about investing in outsourced team members”. 

If this is you, it is understandable. Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience hiring outsourced talent yourself, want to keep your team in-house or maybe you are just nervous about committing to your company’s growth. 

Whatever is holding you back, if you keep thinking about outsourcing but haven’t committed, it might be time. When you outsource, you save 46% of costs over in-house hiring. This means that whilst you can’t decide whether to take the plunge and outsource, you may actually be losing money by hiring new staff.

4. Your team are making mistakes

Mistakes can be costly – especially when they upset the key clients and customers that you have worked so hard to build. However, it’s important not to take ti out on your team when they make mistakes because they are overworked. If you’re at the point where people need to lessen their workloads, that’s on the leadership to make that happen.

When we’re tired and stressed, we all make mistakes. So it is natural that this is occurring. If you’re in a particularly busy period of growth within your company, this might be a good time to start outsourcing. You can outsource on a very casual and flexible basis to start off with, dipping your toe in to see what the outsourcing world is like and taking the pressure off your team. When people are making mistakes, you need to take the heat off them. Hiring skilled professionals to help you with that is a great step.

5. You don’t have the skills you need within your company

For many businesses, the time to outsource comes when they realize that they don’t have the talent that they need. Instead of hiring in-house, they soon realize that outsourcing the top 5% of talent is a better option.

When a project demands specific skills that you simply don’t have in your team, you may be required to outsource. With the BorderlessMind outsourcing assistant, you can gain access to a pre-approved pool of talent who can help you build the skills you need within your team.

Learn more about how we help you hire a remote team in 4 easy steps, or contact us now for more information on outsourcing.