How outsourcing your typing and other admin can save you time and money
You may say, “Surely outsourcing my typing and other admin will cost me money, not save me money?” and, looking at it from a superficial point of view, it could seem that way.
But it really isn’t as clear-cut as that. For instance:-
Do you have a backlog of typing or admin tasks waiting to be done?
Do you employ temporary staff to cover busy periods or staff leave?
Do you have too many in-house staff for the workload, but too much work to be able to reduce your staff numbers?
Do you or your secretarial/administrative staff know how to use Word and other computer programmes to their full potential?
Employing temporary staff, whether directly or through an agency, can incur significant costs. Costs which you will still have to pay, even when there is no work for them to do!
Are there often times when your in-house staff have little or nothing to do? If the answer is ‘yes’, outsourcing your typing and other administrative tasks could enable you to reduce your staffing levels, potentially saving you thousands of pounds each year.
By outsourcing these tasks, you will only ever pay for the time spent completing those tasks. Not a penny! Good and reputable outsourcing businesses will not ask you to sign up to any lengthy contracts, nor will they expect you to pay a retainer for a minimum number of hours per month… unless that is what you want.
With regards to using Word to its fullest potential, here are a few questions for you to ask yourself:-
Do you know how to format a document so as to make it look consistent throughout? Sounds simple... but is it?
Do you know how to use multi-level paragraph numbering?
Do you understand how styles work and how to use them correctly?
Do you know how to insert a table of contents, using styles, so that you can simply click on a particular clause or chapter number within that table of contents and Word will take you straight to the relevant paragraph in the document?
Do you know what the difference is between endnotes and footnotes and how to use those features?
Do you know how to use the citations and bibliography features in Word?
A good transcription company will be able to answer “yes” to all of those questions, but can you?
Have you considered how much time you or your staff spend using, or working out how to use, features/programmes that you may not be fully conversant with? Or even time that’s wasted using basic features like page and paragraph numbering, when things don’t quite go to plan and Word isn’t doing what you want it to (which can all too often be the case)? From experience, I know the headaches that can cause!
When it comes to typing and transcription, what could take some people an hour to do, will take an experienced transcriptionist a fraction of the time and the same can be said for administrative tasks.
For those of you who do your own typing, do you know how many words per minute you can type? The average typing speed for an untrained typist is around 35 to 40 words per minute. My typists and I produce anywhere from 85 to over 100 words per minute.
This is, therefore, another area where outsourcing your typing can save you precious time and, therefore, money. What could take an hour of your time, will only cost you around half an hour of an experienced transcriptionist.
The moral of the story?
Simply that, by outsourcing your typing and administrative tasks to a company like mine, not only will you be assured of a speedy, accurate and professional service, you will also save money. Something I am sure is music to the ears of every individual and business owner.
Why not give us a call to discuss your requirements and try us out for size? Whether you are an individual, a small business or a multi-national company, I think you will agree that we are the perfect fit.
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