Do you want to outsource your financial activities? However, it can be costly to maintain an in-house team of accounting and finance professionals, especially for startups and small businesses. This is why many companies choose to outsource financial services.
What is financial services outsourcing, and how can it benefit your company? This article will cover all aspects of outsourcing financial services. We will also help you choose the best outsourcing service and show you how to manage your outsourced employees efficiently.
What Is Financial Services Outsourcing?
The outsourcing of various accounting and finance operations is called "financial services outsourcing."
These tasks usually include back-office tasks such as:
- Analyze financially
- Managing accounts due and receivable.
- Bookkeeping
- Risk management
Outsourcing is hiring another company to do tasks or provide impossible in-house services. In short, companies outsource financial services because of the following reasons:
Accounting And Supply Chain Finance Management
Accounting and supply chain finance management requires much experience and expertise. Many companies outsource these tasks to a financial institution rather than hire inexperienced staff.
Staying On Top Of The Latest Technology
Outsourcing companies often have the most current software to perform the finance function. This allows you to take advantage of their continuously updated infrastructure.
Greater Efficiency
Outsourcing complex financial tasks allow you to focus your resources and time on your core business activities.
Operational Hardiness
Outsourcing is an operational shield against volatile markets and unforeseen circumstances. You can scale up or down your outsourcing processes at any time.
Now that you understand why companies outsource financial activities let us take an in-depth look at the three main benefits that provide the foundation for all the other benefits we mentioned above.
Key Benefits Of Outsourcing Financial Services
Many companies have been outsourcing financial services to increase their business growth.
These are the main reasons for this:
Lower Labor And Infrastructure Expenses
A finance department in-house can be expensive. Most businesses must spend thousands to cover their accounting and financial reporting costs, from training and hiring to office and management rents. You can reduce your costs by outsourcing your finance department.
You can save money by working with a financial outsourcing service provider.
Costs of Talent Acquisition and Onboarding: Hire an outsourcing team to save time and money.
Training Costs: Outsourcing professionals in financial services have years of experience working with various businesses. This allows you to save time and money on training your outsourced accounting team.
Software Cost: Outsourcing solutions should frequently upgrade their software to maintain competitiveness. Outsourcing options can offer top-notch tools for much less money than you would pay to make them yourself.
Infrastructure Expenses and Leases: Since there are no internal employees on your outsourced team, you won't need to worry about paying rent or utility bills (electricity, internet connection, etc.). Your outsourcing contracts will cover all of these expenses.
Global Talent and Expertise at Your Fingertips
In-house finance staff is often limited to the local talent pool. The best people for your company might be from somewhere other than your locality or country. Outsourcing is a different story.
You can outsource your finance tasks and collaborate with the top professionals in the financial sector across the globe. These teams can work remotely and provide as much or more value as an in-house team.
Working with global talent allows you to increase your company's operating hours due to differences in time zones. You can use the time zone differences to significantly improve the efficiency of your financial activities through effective communication and management.
Increase efficiency in-house
You can boost employee productivity by outsourcing your financial services. This can be due to several factors:
- Move Management Responsibilities Offsite
Managers and business owners can outsource their financial team to allow them to concentrate on the core elements of their business and not have to worry about financial statements and accounting.
Managers who oversee other departments but need more expertise in financial management will particularly benefit from this. Get Your In-House Employees Freed Up
Your outsourced team will handle all financial services, freeing up your staff to concentrate on other areas of business expansion.
- Optimize Current Spending
A great accounting outsourcing provider will help you find cost-saving opportunities while maintaining efficiency and quality.
Outsourcing Financial Services Has Two Major Drawbacks
Let's now see how outsourcing can benefit your business. Now let's look at two significant disadvantages to outsourcing financial services.
Communication Can Be Challenging
Maintaining efficient communication with outsourced teams can be challenging, as they don't live in the same office. Meetings and spontaneous discussions are possible when you have an in-house accounting operation department. Please walk up to them, and ask for what you require.
This will only work if you have an outside accounting team. Depending on which offshore or onshore provider you choose, you might be in a completely different timezone than your finance team.
If you are in the United States, and your team is in India, they will naturally work at different hours than yours.
Effective functioning requires that you understand and resolve these communication gaps.
Use a complete communication platform to get the best out of your outsourcing finance and accounting firm.
Language And Cultural Barriers
Compared to your internal personnel, an outsourced provider finance team may have a different work culture and set of rules. When outsourcing services are involved, this is especially true.
In these cases, you ensure that your financial service company adheres to the same regulations as your in-house team for processing financial data and personal information.
For your team, you may organize an onboarding meeting or produce a paper with guidelines to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Also, consider language differences between your in-house and outsourced teams. To ensure your efficiency, consult your outsourcing provider.
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Types Of Outsourced Financial Services
What is financial outsourcing? A company that contracts with outside companies to perform various accounting and financial functions instead of doing it in-house. These are some of the services businesses can outsource.
1: Accounting Services
Accounting is the process of recording all financial transactions of a business. It is the most well-liked financial service that is outsourced. These are only a handful of the services that fall under the umbrella of financial outsourcing:
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the accounting part where a company's financial transactions are recorded in organized accounts called ledgers. This includes the preparation of financial statements and source documents.
Management Accounting
Management accounting is about analyzing and measuring accounting data to assist managers in making informed decisions. A management accountant monitors sales and costs to determine future goals and needs.
Tax Accounting
Tax accounting involves the preparation of tax returns and payments. The business world focuses on how money is spent and whether something is taxed.
Accounting Audit
Audits of accounting are performed to verify that financial and accounting statements comply with applicable laws. Auditors gather evidence and information to determine whether accounting statements are correct.
Forensic Accounting
Investigating a company's financial operations to identify the nature of a financial crime like fraud or embezzlement is known as "forensic accounting."
Payroll Services
Payroll processing is a financial service that may be outsourced. Professionals managing this outsourcing solution will figure out employee taxes, compute salaries, and ensure labor rules are followed.
Statutory Reporting And Compliance
Submission of financial data to pertinent regulating bodies, such as state, federal, regional, or national agencies, is called compliance and reporting. This procedure guarantees adherence to all rules and legislation.
2: Outsourcing Of Financial Services Specific To The Industry
Real estate companies, lending institutions, banks, insurance companies and insurance companies are the most in-demand financial services.
Insurance Companies
Policy Management
Policy management is a primary task in the insurance industry. It involves a range of responsibilities, such as policy checking and renewals. Insurance companies often outsource financial services because these are complex and time-consuming tasks. A competent team can handle policy management tasks, which can help reduce costs, save time, and reduce risk.
Claims Administration
Processing insurance claims is another essential duty performed by insurance firms. This entails disclosing allegations and releasing pertinent information upon settlement. Insurance companies often outsource this service to increase productivity and reduce overhead costs.
Insurance Data Services
In the insurance industry, a lot of data entry and processing are required. Employee stress can be reduced by outsourcing insurance data services, allowing them to concentrate on duties of more excellent value.
Annuity Services
Annuities are long-term investments that convert your purchase payments into regular payments to help you protect yourself during retirement. Insurance companies offer these services to individuals according to their goals.
Productivity Tools and Insurance Software
For insurance organizations, financial service outsourcing also includes software and productivity tools. A reliable outsourcing partner can provide cutting-edge technologies that streamline your operations and simplify your job.
IT Support
Insurance companies need adequate technical support to stay current with market changes and the ever-growing data pool. A professional IT support provider will be able to identify industry-specific practices and create IT strategies that meet the needs of an insurance company.
Support
Insurance companies also require call center support in addition to outsourcing financial services. These agents can answer calls and collect premium payments. They also provide information about benefits and insurance policies.
Consulting
There are many areas that insurance consultants specialize in, such as auto, life and health. They help individuals and businesses identify their insurance requirements, provide information about premiums and policies, and create quotes for clients.
Operations Management
Maintaining a healthy insurance company's operations is complex. A trustworthy operations manager for outsourcing can be helpful. This expert will supervise and manage the company's operations to ensure optimal effectiveness.
Real Estate
Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants are independent contractors in the real estate sector who manage administrative duties, including appointment scheduling and data processing. Additionally, virtual assistants can answer the phone and administer social media profiles.
PLANetary Administration
Property managers oversee commercial, residential, and retail properties. Rent collection, planning for upkeep and repairs, and advertising fall within their purview.
Sales Support
Agents are often on the road, and their sales support team assists them virtually. The sales support team is responsible for booking appointments, setting up inspections, delivering proposals, and supporting the agent in any way possible.
Banks And Lending Institutions
New Customer Acquisition
Banks and lending organizations occasionally use a skilled outside company to acquire customers. Their business can grow, attract new customers, maintain market trends, and establish a sustainable acquisition process and plan.
Account Servicing
Banks and lending institutions can designate competent outside teams for financial service outsourcing to handle client accounts and address consumer issues.
Commercial and Consumer Lending
Banks and lending organizations may hire specialists to manage consumer and business loans. This guarantees that all debt-based funding solutions adhere to all legal and regulatory requirements.
Back Office Process Management
Back-office support is another outsourcing option that banks and lending institutions can benefit from. Back-office support is another outsourcing solution from which banks and lending institutions can benefit. It allows the organization to concentrate on its core functions and improve efficiency.
Higher Value Functions
The banking sector less frequently outsourced higher-value functions such as forecasts, budgets, and capital management.
3: Management Of Investments
One option for people and companies looking to outsource their financial services is investment management. It entails creating plans to manage investments and financial resources. Each client's needs are catered for by professional investment management. Investment managers can assist people with stock selection, asset allocation, portfolio management, and asset allocation.
Investment management is a term used in business to describe the preservation and enhancement of a company's assets. This enables insurers and fund managers to make the most of their assets and portfolios without incurring high costs.
How To Pick A Reputable Outsourcing Company (Step-By-Step Guide)
Although outsourcing financial services may have drawbacks, most businesses still see the benefits. First, you must choose the right outsourcing company if you are interested in outsourcing. Many companies offer financial services outsourcing. How do you choose the best outsourcing contract for your company? This step-by-step guide will make it easy.
Step 1: Determine Your Company's Needs
Before looking at all the available financial services, consider what you need from your outsourcing service.
Consider the following factors:
- Are you looking to outsource only specific accounting service providers or financial planning tasks? Are you looking for complete outsourcing of business processes (BPO)?
- Do you prefer an offshore, nearshore or onshore outsourcing company?
- What security and privacy measures will be required depending on what data and operations you share with the outsourcing team?
When looking for an exemplary outsourcing service, make sure to list all of your business requirements.
Step 2: Calculate Your Company Budget
An approximate estimate will assist you in making sure your business doesn't overspend, even when it is not yet possible to assess your outsourcing costs precisely.
When estimating your budget, consider the following:
- You will receive the exact services that you require.
- How much your company can spend.
- Their value to your company.
- How much would it cost for an in-house team to do the same job?
These figures can be used as a rough guide to help you estimate the range of your outsourcing budget.
Step 3: Select The Best Service Providers
You can begin your search for service providers once you are clear on your business's requirements and financial constraints. Utilize the criteria mentioned above to reduce your list of choices.
Consider the benefits each vendor offers - this might be something you need to learn about.
These could be:
- Special pricing
- Security compliance and internal controls.
- Outsourcing service uses software and infrastructure, and many other things.
You should have a minimum of 5-6 potential service providers by the end of this step.
Step 4: Take A Look At Testimonials And Reviews From Clients
Before you hire a service provider, it can take time to determine if they will meet your needs. Please do your research and take a look at previous clients and the quality of their work. It would help if you watched for similar businesses or those with similar financial services/finance needs.
See what clients have to say about the performance of outsourcing providers, their employees and the quality of their work. These impressions will help you narrow your options to 2-3 financial service outsourcing companies.
Step 5: Create A Trial Project
As the final step, you must work on a brief project or task with each outsourcing provider.
This will allow you to evaluate their performance and determine if they meet your business needs.
Factors that decision-makers need to consider include:
- Efficiency and Performance: How efficiently is your outsourcing team completing their assigned tasks?
- Communication and Compatibility: How well does your outsourced team interact with your employees? Do you have any communication gaps or barriers that could affect your operations?
- Value: How well do various outsourcing options fit your unique business requirements? Use an objective metric to assess performance (or key performance indicator)
Once you have completed the trial project, it is possible to determine the best outsourcing company for your financial services.
How To Effectively Manage Your Outsourced Team
It would help if you managed your team correctly for the best results. These are some key points to remember, as well as the best tools that can help you.
Communication
Communication is vital to the success of your outsourced financial services team.
To get the most out of your outsourced finance team, you need a sophisticated messaging system like Slack. It enables functions like:
- Instant messaging.
- The channels and threads.
- Access levels for multiple users.
- Integrations with popular software.
Instant messaging can be great for quick questions and real-time answers. Still, there are other substitutes for face-to-face conversations with your outsourcing team members. Text messages may not be the best option for lengthy explanations or detailed discussions.
These circumstances necessitate an intense video conferencing solution. Microsoft Teams and Zoom are common choices.
Project Management
A robust project management system with an easy-to-use interface is required to keep track of all your outsourced financial tasks.
Using a project management application, you may easily assign work, monitor task progress, and manage all outsourced financial tasks from one location.
You can also define milestones and targets to ensure your teams collaborate effectively. When it comes to financial accounting tasks, you will all agree.
Project management systems like Asana and Trello are widely used.
Productivity Management
A project management tool may help you keep track of your progress, but it needs to tell you how productive your external financial dedicated team is.
You will need productivity management software, such as LHI.
Financial Research Services Of LHI
Here are various benefits of LHI when companies are looking at outsourcing financial research services.
- LHI provides the financial data portfolio, and financial managers must make timely decisions.
- LHI allows clients to tap into an established, experienced network of financial experts.
- A well-trained team of financial and writing specialists is available 24/7 to assist with any urgent requirements.
- Screen and identify financing options, including venture capital, banks and private equity firms.
- LHI allows for optimal risk-return situations with financial experts' risk and insurance strategies.
- LHI guarantees that clients have accurate and impartial data. We perform original financial research or validate data from third-party sources.
Last Thoughts
Although outsourcing financial services may seem overwhelming at first glance, it is possible. Follow the steps and tips provided in this article to be able to outsource your financial department. You'll be able to reap all the financial outsourcing benefits as soon as you find the right service supplier and the correct set of tools.
Want More Information About Our Services? Talk to Our Consultants!
Outsourcing an accounting department service will allow you to work with top financial professionals in the financial analysis services sector at a fraction of the cost of hiring them in-house.
