Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (2024)

Markets predicted that in 2019 the industry of cloud computing, which is mostly associated with outsourcing, would reach $200 billion US.

That’s a lot of outsourcing and that number only includes cloud computing!

So, why do companies outsource?

Outsourcing is a solid strategy to maximize efficiency, save costs, and improve core services.

Let’s take a look at the top 7 reasons why various business leaders opted to outsource.

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1. Cost savings

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (1)

“Cost savings is the main advantage that outsourcing brings in. Even if you find the IT guy with the desired qualification and knowledge, it is likely to cost you a large amount of money. Outsourcing comes to you as a boon. In addition to hiring a company that already specializes in IT infrastructure, it gives you the cost benefit, which is often a fraction of what you would pay a full-time employee.”

Rohan Bhansali
Co-founder and Director of Gozoop, India’s largest independent digital agency

2. Scale quickly

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (2)

“You don’t need to maintain huge headcount to achieve economy of scale as manpower can be acquired immediately on a contractual basis. Outsourcing is a very good proposition for startups in manufacturing that are looking to scale up fast.”

Himadri Das
HR & Legal Compliance Professional

3. Network security

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (3)

“With the IT resource quitting suddenly, valuable information, data regarding network and IT infrastructure could get lost or misplaced. Network security is another concern and so is the possibility to function efficiently in its temporary absence. Outsourcing does away with these worries by guaranteeing numerous resources and records that can be shared within your team.”

Roopen Roy
Former Managing Director of PWC India and Deloitte Consulting India
Founder and CEO of Sumantrana

4. Focus on growth

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (4)

“Most entrepreneurs have great talents but many times they think they can do it all. That can really stall the growth of the business. By outsourcing the day to day back-office tasks, the business owner has more time to focus on generating income.”

Laura Lee Sparks
Owner of Legal Marketing Maven

5. Remain competitive

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (5)

Progressive entrepreneurs realize the unstoppable power of outsourcing to handle aspects of their business that are essential but simply don’t make sense for them to deal with personally. Small business, augmented by a global pool of human capital, can compete directly with the biggest players in their space, and win.”

David Walsh
Entrepreneur
Author of Source Control

6. Grow business

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (6)

“At first I felt like I was the only person who could do the work efficiently; I wanted control over everything. But I wanted my business to grow and in order to do that I had to let go and start delegating.”

Tonya Thomas
President of The Small Office Assistant

7. Delegate tangential processes

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (7)

“Small businesses must identify their core competencies and capabilities and focus their own R&D, talent management and resources on being the best in their industry at these. Outsourcing any aspect of [these tasks] would be a big mistake because they would cease to offer anything that their own customers couldn’t get elsewhere. So a small business that focuses on product design should not outsource anything related to developing its internal design talent or their design activities. But they should investigate all opportunities for outsourcing tangential processes like payroll services, IT and so on.”

Marc Resnick
Ph.D. & a Small Business Consultant
Director of the Institute for Technology Innovation at Florida International University

Sources:
Current Trends In Outsourcing
How Does Outsourcing Helps Save Time and Money?
How to Build a Better Business with Outsourcing

Also, check out our Complete Guide to Outsourcing for an in-depth discussion on the topic.

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Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (8)

Andy is a technology & marketing leader who has delivered award-winning and world-first experiences.

Why do companies outsource? Top 7 reasons from business leaders (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 advantages of outsourcing? ›

What are the advantages of outsourcing?
  • There are many advantages in business outsourcing, such as:
  • Cutting expenses.
  • Increasing productivity and efficiency.
  • Expert input.
  • Immediate understanding of your costs.
  • Competitive edge.
  • Reduction in staff issues.
Feb 3, 2022

What is outsourcing 7 Why do firms outsource? ›

Outsourcing is the business practice of hiring a party outside a company to perform services or create goods that were traditionally performed in-house by the company's own employees and staff. Outsourcing is a practice usually undertaken by companies as a cost-cutting measure.

What is the primary reason organizations decide to outsource? ›

Lower Costs

Reducing overall business process costs is arguably the primary reason why business owners choose to outsource. 70% of the reason is due to cost reduction.

What are the three 3 main reasons an Organisation might outsource? ›

Some of the most common motives, however, are discussed below:
  • Save on labor and operational costs. Labor and operational costs are some of the reasons to outsource your services. ...
  • Save time and effort. ...
  • Gain access to skills and expertise. ...
  • Lessen operational risks when expanding or scaling. ...
  • Free up resources.

Who benefits the most from outsourcing? ›

The finance, healthcare, and insurance sectors are three common industries that benefit from outsourcing. Outsourcing saves labor costs, time, and energy.

What are the positives and negatives of outsourcing? ›

The Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing
  • Advantages Of Outsourcing. ...
  • You Don't Have To Hire More Employees. ...
  • Access To A Larger Talent Pool. ...
  • Lower Labor Cost. ...
  • Cons Of Outsourcing. ...
  • Lack Of Control. ...
  • Communication Issues. ...
  • Problems With Quality.
Jul 17, 2017

Why do companies engage in outsourcing quizlet? ›

Reduces the overall cost of the services to the business. Employee people costs more. Buying in additional capability and capacity as it is needed may mean that an organisation can get a new product to the market more quickly than if they tried to do all the work themselves.

Is outsourcing good or bad? ›

Outsourcing has proven to be a valuable strategy for millions of businesses. It not only helps in reducing operational costs but also provides access to specialized services. Companies can leverage the expertise of external providers to enhance their service quality and efficiency.

What is a negative of outsourcing? ›

Some of the ways outsourcing can negatively affect company culture include: Upset employees as they may feel they are being replaced. Confused employees who don't understand why you are outsourcing particular tasks. Add challenges to the daily workflow of the company.

Are there strategic reasons to outsource? ›

Reasons for Outsourcing

Freeing up internal resources and using the resources for other purposes. Mitigating risk by sharing risks with external parties and building meaningful partnerships. Improving flexibility and efficiency by delegating responsibilities that are difficult to manage and control to external ...

When should a company decide to outsource? ›

Your Company Should Outsource When You Need to Focus on Business-Critical Activities. Adding people to your team to do skills not part of your core business can be daunting, time-consuming and expensive, not to mention limiting to your business growth.

What are the 4 factors to consider before outsourcing? ›

What are the factors influencing outsourcing decision?
  • 1) Cost Savings. ...
  • 2) Pricing. ...
  • 3) The Resources and Technology. ...
  • 4) The Ability To Meet Deadlines. ...
  • 5) Minimal Supervision. ...
  • 7) Trustworthiness. ...
  • 9) The Service Level Agreement. ...
  • 10) Communication.

Why do organizations outsource discuss three of the six primary reasons? ›

From manufacturing to IT to customer service, outsourcing is an avenue taken by many companies to cut costs, increase profits, and provide better service than they could offer by themselves. Before shifting or outsourcing any aspect of your company, make sure you know what you need and consider all your options.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of outsourcing? ›

In summary, outsourcing offers several advantages and disadvantages for small businesses. Outsourcing can provide cost savings, expertise, efficiency, focus, and scalability, but it can also create quality control issues, communication challenges, security risks, and reliance on outsourcers.

What is outsourcing and benefits? ›

Outsourcing is defined as having part of a company's work completed by another organization instead of using its own employees. It became a popular business practice during the 1990s and helped companies save costs primarily in labor and overhead.

What are the three 3 most common outsourcing types practiced by companies? ›

Under this type of outsourcing are three categories: (a) Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), which deals with improving products or services through research and data analysis; (b) Legal process outsourcing (LPO), which involves providing legal needs such as litigation and regulatory compliance; and (c) Recruitment ...

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