What services can be outsourced?
The following article will discuss the range of services currently available via the web from freelance and outsource providers. Whether or not some of these things should be outsourced is another discussion entirely 
As little as 8 years ago, the answer to this question for small business was ‘software and web stuff’. Whilst global corporations were enjoying the benefits of large scale ‘off-shoring’ and the debate raged over ‘sending jobs overseas’; there was a conspicuous absence of opportunities for small business. Articles littered the popular press trumpeting a workforce and technological revolution, but unless you had a $1M project you could forget about it.
There weren’t many opportunities on the web for smaller operators to take advantage of the technological shift. The few services that did exist were in their infancy, and were mostly the domain of IT geeks and entrepreneurs skating on the bleeding edge.
In the last few years, the range of services being offered has absolutely exploded! Basically if it can be done on a computer, and does not strictly require your physical presence, there is someone, somewhere selling it as a service online right now. Here’s a brief of the sort of things you can have done. It’s by no means conclusive:
Web, Programming and Software
- website development
- software development
- database design/management
- technical support
- server administration/configuration
Graphic Design and Multimedia
- general graphic design services (web and print, logos, pamphlets etc.)
- rich media services (videos, podcasting, animation, special effects)
- fashion design
Translation and Technical Writing
- translators (written and verbal)
- article writing and ebooks (creative and business)
- ghost writers
- sales writing
- proof reading and editing
- technical writing of nearly any flavour
Administration and Support
- virtual assistants (travel planning, email, transcription, telephone etc.)
- customer support reps.
- data entry
- Sales and Marketing
- market research and strategy
- direct marketing (print/telephone)
- email/internet marketing
- outbound sales
Accounting and Finance
- bookkeeping
- tax preparation
- financial management
- investment research
- accounting software support
Business Management and Consulting
- business planning
- business analysis (costing, process mapping/modelling etc)
Legal Services
- contracts
- legal research
- paralegal services
- immigration
- real estate law
- intellectual property
- employment law
Engineering and Technical Design
- architecture
- industrial design
- interior design
- design software support (AutoCAD etc)
- 3d modelling
Manufacturing and Distribution
- small and large run manufacturing jobs
- managed distribution centres
- logistics support and advice
- packaging design
And counting!
Accessing these services is as easy too. If you’ve ever bought a strange cow clock off ebay (or anything else), you have all the expertise you need to complete the deal . Jump onto an outsourcing website, describe what you want, then watch your inbox get flooded with dozens of offers. It is usually free to post a job (often referred to as a proposal), and there is usually no commitment on your part to accept a bid (posting ‘proposals’ will be fully discussed in future). So if no bids are suitable, the price isn’t right or you change your mind, it costs you nothing. Services are largely provided by entrepreneurs and businesses based in developing nations, however providers based in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are now increasingly involved in the bigger markets (like software).
So whether you want to buy locally or overseas, the choice will be yours. As you can see from the very condensed list above the range of services is quite staggering. So if you need something, before you pick up the phonebook, why not have look online and get a risk free quote
Future articles will discuss the proposal process in detail. Also different sites have different rules and systems, some are far better than others, but they all have tradeoffs!