Productivity--Key to Success!

Most people have goals which one needs to achieve either in their career or in their personal lives. One of the qualities found in any productive or successful person is setting of these goals--and then having a plan to achieve these very goals that they have set for themselves.
One of the most powerful success secrets is the individual's ability to set the goals and the possess the extra drive to follow through with them.

People need to have definite goals which is essential to get the most productivity in one's personal life as well as at work. Steady production requires a sense of purpose. An increase in productivity is possible by having a clear idea of tasks, then following a process of bringing these tasks to fruition, and finally the organization and analysis to get it done.

The most important key factor in productivity is being able to maintain focus, another term for this is staying on task which means doing work directly that leads to the goal and one isn't being distracted by trivia or unrelated matters. A simple example would be in avoiding speculation about remote possibilities, and instead staying on track with the outcome that is likely to follow.

Productivity begins with an understanding of the desired goal and the steps involved in achieving the intended results. A productive worker finds that the most efficient means to achieving those goals is with little wasted time or effort, but focusing on the greatest possible outcome.

We all know that we get more done when one is motivated. The who do the most are the ones who are concerned with their aims and are truly able to achieve them. Honest eagerness for a positive result keeps them going even when things are hard and frustrating. Just think that is also with regards to life's goals, the importance of one's own health, happiness, and success which motivate an individual to set aims high.

One of the most important factors when it comes to productivity is how one uses time. A worker who is efficient with his time will be much more productive than a worker who does not use his time wisely. Remember as individuals it is vital that we reevaluate our plans from time to time, tweak it here and there to check out what could work out better for us and ultimately these reevaluations produce far more efficient time management.

The characteristics that work in the business world also translate into one's personal life. For example: One's goal might be to buy a house. Achieving this would mean formulating a plan to have the down payment and closing costs and an income sufficient to pay the mortgage. Here the buyer would need to remain on task his\her savings and earning plan and also maintain certain level of enthusiasm while working efficiently to reach the goal as soon as possible and the same steps and methods would hold true for any personal goal.

More reasons to hire Virtual Assitants.

Still not convinced whether or not to hire a Virtual Assistant, well here are some more reasons as to why one can think about the Virtual Assistant options!

With the economy melting down, one industry which is actually picking or rather experiencing a boom is the Virtual Assistant business. We can pinpoint this because every business whether big or small still requires certain jobs to be done such as the administrative, secretarial, technical and creative support, and the cost factor comes into picture and all this require the services of a full time staff which becomes a hindrance with the global meltdown. So a company by outsourcing it's work can cut down on staffing and still get all their work done.
This is becoming a very popular solution today as many business owners realize how much they can save.

We are hoping that many business owners will soon be saying 'Virtual Assistant Needed!'.
It sure is going to help all those businessmen who are thinking in terms of cost cutting, and yet trying to balance during these tough times.

Companies have been hiring virtual assistants to save on payroll and bricks and mortar overhead. Perhaps the time has come for your company for you to now try out the services of the Virtual Assistants to save money against the bottom line.

Just what happens during a recession?

Generally, companies lay off workers-- cutting jobs and inorder to save money on wages and cost of equipment such as computers, desks, electricity, telephone bills, etc., Agreed some of them are absolutely necessary for survival during a recession. But even in a bad economy, companies need services. We need to take orders, customer service staff, receptionists, data entry workers, appointment setters, warm calls, etc.. So how can we fight during the recession, get all of these tasks, and still maintain the growth of the business?

How does a virtual assistant and virtual staffing help one save their business during a recession?

It's all really SIMPLE!

Just close your eyes and imagine a world where you could ditch the high cost of maintaining office space; transmit daily and the high cost of fuel for cars, with an axe to purchase a bouquet of expensive office equipment for everyone and you don't have to deal with various other things.

Sounds like a dream?

It's really simple --all you do is hire virtually.

When you hire a virtual assistant, this is what you did getting into. In other words these are some of the things that your Virtual Assistant can do for you.

1) When you call to discuss your needs-- your calls are answered promptly and courteously!

2) The virtual assistant is assigned to perform the task of your business.

3) You immediately start working alone with the virtual assistant

4) Your VA gives you a daily report, leaving you details of the job completed and thank you for giving the work.

5) On call throughout the day, all week and you will not be charged unless you have work/task assigned for them to work on.

In case the virtual assistant is an independent contractor you benefit by not paying for the health insurance, vacation, sick leave, FICA, office space, computers, offices, or even a lunch break.

So the best thing is to try the Virtual Assistant Services so you can experience the pleasure of having an assistant who does all those tasks which you find troublesome and save your dollars.

Should outsourcing be done during the rough times

Sure why not?

Companies should outsource

and

When do Companies outsource:

Outsourcing comes into the fore front when an organisation decides to allow an outside company to take the responsibility for certain parts of their operations. The organisation choses to use an outsourcing company to change their working practices and increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of the organisation. Relying that this may increase their resources, which in turn would definitely lead to increased production and output. They need to provide additional management support to the organisation to improve their cost effectiveness through the efficiently of their overall operation.

Why should companies outsource:

Companies outsource for a number of reasons. One of the reasons to do so is the need to try and simplify their business and therefore outsource non-core parts of their business. Another reason could be the need to build in more flexibility into the operations. Anther reason may be -- a lack of management time meaning it needs to bring in other parts to add some specialist expertise or additional management time and resource manning the operations. These are a few of the reasons as to why people chose to outsource.

Outsourcing differs from one organization to another. The most significant way in which they differ would be at the level of management wherein you would be ensured from an outsourcing provider which wouldn't be available from an employment agency. The management that the outsourcing company brings in manages the operations, putting into place the health and safety procedures and looking to see how you can continuously improve those operations.

One can expect a lot of benefits from outsourcing and this would depend on what the specific objectives and goals the client was hopping to achieve while he was thinking about the outsourcing process. A few of the typical benefits would be productivity improvement, changing working practices, improvement in through put, the ability to have a more flexible and fluctuating work force in line with changes in production, value minimization of employment liability and risks. This could result in an improvement in costs, improvements in overall delivery and service to the end customers, improvements in stock holding and improvements in quality. It could be on a very wide range of benefits depending on the specific goal the client was trying to achieve.

These benefits could be measured in the same way the client would normally measure the performance of their business relations. So it would be against key performance indicators whether it is stock turnover, cost per unit, delivery performance, customer service, performance productivity measures, time keeping, attendance etc. these will be key performance indicators set as part of the service level agreement and a professional outsource provider would be monitoring and checking these on a monthly or weekly basis against the service level agreement.
Gives managed solutions, together with operational experience, help the clients improve performance and service levels, reduce costs, and maximise flexibility.

In addition outsourcing helps de-risk businesses from increasingly onerous employment responsibilities and administration, and freeing the valuable management resources to enable greater focus on core business activities.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Equals to Quality

1. More monitoring-statistically valid data.

   Most companies have resources available to monitor just 2-5 calls per month. To have more statistically and valid results, companies should be monitor more. Unfortunately, this increased monitoring is time consuming and costly, thus if a company is outsourcing it allows them to monitor for more valid data.

2. Objective evaluations.

   Rather than relying on internal QA monitors, who may change the results to suit their needs, one can be sure outsourced monitors provide more objectivity. The staff here provides an unbiased score for each and every task that is evaluated.

3. Keep your best agents on the phone.

   Often, companies promote their best agents to QA monitors, thereby negatively affecting the already existing staff. As a result of which their QA scores tend to decrease, ensuring that your best staff remain on the phone, doing what they do best for your business.

4. Consistent evaluations across multiple locations.

   Companies with multiple contact centers can ensure consistent evaluations across all centers. With a dedicated team monitoring and evaluating the staff, you'll be able to fairly and accurately compare results, whether your contact center is in the Midwest or offshore. In addition, monitoring and evaluations are calibrated with your own results, so you can be assured that your agents' scores are accurate, just as if you performed them yourself.

5. Substantial cost savings.

   The use of near-shore or off-shore labor results in significantly lower cost-per-call-monitored.

6. Timely and consistent evaluations.

   A dedicated team focused solely on your company’s call monitoring ensures that evaluations are performed in a timely, consistent manner, rather than relegating the QA process to an “as available” staffing activity.

The Benefits of Outsourcing for Small Businesses

Outsourcing — the practice of using outside firms to handle work normally performed within a company — is a familiar concept to many entrepreneurs. Small companies routinely outsource their payroll processing, accounting, distribution, and many other important functions — often because they have no other choice. Many large companies turn to outsourcing to cut costs. In response, entire industries have evolved to serve companies' outsourcing needs.

But not many businesses thoroughly understand the benefits of outsourcing. It's true that outsourcing can save money, but that's not the only (or even the most important) reason to do it. As many firms discovered during the outsourcing "mania" of the early 1990s, outsourcing too much can be an even bigger mistake than not outsourcing any work at all. The flat economy caused many companies into huge layoffs and subsequently outsourced functions that were better kept in-house. Wise outsourcing, however, can provide a number of long-term benefits:

Control capital costs:
Cost-cutting may not be the only reason to outsource, but it's certainly a major factor. Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs, releases capital for investment elsewhere in your business, and allows you to avoid large expenditures in the early stages of your business. Outsourcing can also make your firm more attractive to investors, since you're able to pump more capital directly into revenue-producing activities.

Increase efficiency:

Companies that do everything themselves have much higher research, development, marketing, and distribution expenses, all of which must be passed on to customers. An outside provider's cost structure and economy of scale can give your firm an important competitive advantage.

Reduce labor costs. Hiring and training staff for short-term or peripheral projects can be very expensive, and temporary employees don't always live up to your expectations. Outsourcing lets you focus your human resources where you need them most.

Start new projects quickly:

A good outsourcing firm has the resources to start a project right away. Handling the same project in-house might involve taking weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the support they need. And if a project requires major capital investments (such as building a series of distribution centers), the startup process can be even more difficult.

Focus on your core business:

Every business has limited resources, and every manager has limited time and attention. Outsourcing can help your business to shift its focus from peripheral activities toward work that serves the customer, and it can help managers set their priorities more clearly.

Level the playing field:

Most small firms simply can't afford to match the in-house support services that larger companies maintain. Outsourcing can help small firms act "big" by giving them access to the same economies of scale, efficiency, and expertise that large companies enjoy.

Reduce risk:

Every business investment carries a certain amount of risk. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change very quickly. Outsourcing providers assume and manage this risk for you, and they generally are much better at deciding how to avoid risk in their areas of expertise.

Reasons for Outsourcing during Recession!

What could be the reasons as to one why should business estabishments be thinking in terms of outsourcing?
Various reasons!
As it is with all other forms of businesses, recession also has a huge impact on outsourcing and this impact on outsourcing can be as varied as the two poles!
During recessionary times, one sees that there is severe credit & fund crunch, businesses are likely to optimize whatever available resources they have and they would look at outsourcing option as one which could lead to sustained profitability because of the lower costs involved and 24X7 availability of the outsourcing vendor. Outsourcing is used as a strategic tool for a business to grow and not look at it as a mere tool for cost control.
Here is a small example of what it means:
For example John --businessman has an in-house accountant to record his daily transactions and prepare the monthly Income & Expense Statement for helping the John to take a strategic decision about his business. On an average, the hourly rate for an accountant (with less than 1 year of experience) is $14.14. The monthly fixed cost assuming a 40 hours week would be $2,262. And this is only for accounting. John in this case has to again shell out about $300 upwards for preparing his business's tax returns.
But if John decides to outsource his entire accounting function to an outsourcing vendor in India, at the lowest quote available for outsourcing accounting, he would be charged $1,280 per month for all services including the tax return preparation. Add to this, the benefit of getting highly professional reports on the current state of the business which would be far better than reports generated by an accountant with less than a year's experience.

So, cost wise, it makes sense to outsource accounting to outsourcing vendor in India. But doesn't that mean making one person jobless?

Not necessarily. The person's time can be split into: time to interact with the outsourcing vendor for reports etc. and time for the core area of the business. This would have two pronged effect on the person and the business:
a) The person would be able to generate additional direct revenue for the business and also learn a lot from associating with professionals at outsourcing vendor's office.
b) b) The business gets additional revenue while cutting down the overhead.
Thus by associating with an outsourcing vendor in India, you can do business without hurting your conscience!

Outsourcing and Recession!

It’s great to back on the pages again.
Though I know –it’s a bit too late wishing you all a prosperous and a fruitful year ahead but this is what I am exactly doing at the moment.

We all know what outsourcing is all about and we have been talking about it for sometime now—it simply is a subcontracting a process\ services to a third party.

Outsourcing has these main criterions:
a. Making better use of time and energy;
b. Redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of the business;
c. Make more efficient use of resources.

Is recession and outsourcing connected to each other? Yes, they are connected. Inoder to know this better one would have to delve a bit deeper into recession and its impacts.

Normally, economists declare recession for any economy if there has been a negative growth in the GDP for more than 2 quarters. Because of the negative growth in the GDP, people normally take defensive actions to protect the outflow of money which in turn goes to aggravate the sluggish growth further.
The solution to beat recession is to create opportunity for having higher margin from lower costs.
A recent survey conducted by Offshoring Research Network (ORN) in alliance with Duke University and PricewaterhouseCoopers, 40 out of the 100 companies interviewed said they plan to put pressure on service providers for more favorable contract terms in order to trim costs. The conclusion of the survey is summarized as "Enhancing efficiencies has become more urgent in recent months as pressure on margins forces companies to increase productivity while spending less."
This bears direct testimony to the fact that during recessionary times, it is more feasible for business to opt for outsourcing and create higher margins in order to pump liquidity inside the economy.

Most businesses will now be deciding whether outsourcing is good during these recessionary times before actually outsourcing and will outsource only if:
a. There are visible gains in outsourcing the services.
b. The outsourcing vendor shall not charge any avoidable costs like initial set up charges.
c. The outsourcing vendor shall be able to provide value added services which can directly be converted into profitability.

Many of the outsourcing vendors have therefore taken extra care to ensure that businesses in US are able to tide over the tight fund situation in these recessionary times.
At many such outsourcing vendors,
a. There are no initial set up fees.
b. The pricing is lowest among all the outsourcing vendors.
c. There is a lot of flexibility in pricing that suits any need of a business in US.

Thus, it makes sense for a business to outsource and beat the recession blues.