Business process outsourcing in the Cloud

Written on 05 September, 2012 by Ivy Bartolome
Categories Reach Accounting Tags accounting software cloud hosting

Not long ago, all of a business’s work was done by employees at locations provided by the company. Advances in technology, most notably the Internet, and more recently the birth of Cloud hosting and Cloud computing, have enabled many business processes to be outsourced around the world. No longer does a copywriter need to sit in an office at the company headquarters, and bookkeepers can be down the hall or thousands of miles away, with no loss in efficiency or productivity.

What is the Cloud and what can you do with it?

The Cloud is an amazing bit of technology that enables secure online storage of data and software programs and makes decentralized work among many people possible and simple. It saves companies from needing a data center and IT infrastructure within the business itself, saving lots of business resources for other tasks. Cloud service providers give businesses the opportunity to improve communications and collaborations regardless of geographic location. For instance, email can now be handled completely on the Cloud without the need for a dedicated server, freeing up IT resources and staff. Well-known Cloud applications, like Software as a Service (SaaS) application Google Docs, can increase productivity by allowing easy collaboration on projects. Payroll systems can now be managed through automation available in the Cloud as well. Further hosting applications that increase business productivity are being created at a rapid pace.

VWorker—effective BPO management

As Cloud computing goes mainstream, BPO is providing opportunities for freelance practitioners in many different business service areas and saving employers significantly over the costs of recruiting and hiring for on-site workers, a win-win situation for everyone involved.

One business that successfully matches remote virtual workers with businesses who need services performed is VWorker. Populated with nearly 200,000 businesses and twice as many workers, the Florida-based firm has been touted in Entrepreneur magazine, on CBS and FOX News, in Business Week and the Wall Street Journal as a valid means of increasing business productivity with outsourced workers.

For employers, savings of as much as 80 percent versus adding an employee to the staff are possible, while also guaranteeing that the work will be completed on time and on budget. In fact, employers set up the tasks they need assistance with and virtual workers offer bids on completion costs and timing. Most business service needs are represented among the freelance workers registered on the site. Employers are free to choose any worker they want, reviewing worker’s profiles, ratings and comments from prior work done on the site before they do. The agreed upon amount is placed in escrow and released only upon successful completion of the job.

VWorker gives freelancers the opportunity to offer business services to employers in a risk-free environment. Rather than worry if a new client will pay, the funds for each project are escrowed until completion and then released. Projects on the site can be any type of service that a business feels can be outsourced—from writing projects, to SEO, website development, and customer service. Most people with some business experience will find employers on the site looking for the skills they can offer. Workers are free to set their own hours and can work anywhere there is an Internet connection and a computer.

Surveys tell us that virtual workers are 36 to 41 percent more productive than their counterparts in the office, and companies almost never have to worry about important projects being neglected due to absenteeism. They also state that more than three quarters of traditional workers would rather work from home, and would even give up a portion of their salary to do so.

Virtual workers have flexible schedules and much more control over their work than normal workers; typically this translates into happy and less stressed workers, and the clients they work for confidently outsource tasks to them knowing they will cheerfully and efficiently handle them, saving precious business resources in the process.

Giles Donovan

CEO, Reach Accounting

Reach Accounting is an online application that makes invoices & BAS easy for small business owners.

Reach Accounting is a hosted application that gives a small business owner the tools to manage their bookkeeping and payroll services, saving significantly on bookkeeping fees and internal costs.

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