Editor’s Note: This column was contributed by Alan Pendleton, the founder and CEO of ArenaCX, a Raleigh-based software company that has simplified the process of outsourcing to a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm, an easy way for companies from small businesses to growing enterprises to supplement their work force quickly and effectively.
Note to readers: WRAL TechWire would like to hear from you about views expressed by our contributors. Please send email to: info@wraltechwire.com.
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RALEIGH – Hiring or retaining workers combine to create the top concern for North Carolina technology leaders, says a new survey from the North Carolina Technology Association. And despite economic concerns, more than 86% of respondents say their companies are continuing to hire. But finding top talent in a tough labor market is not easy.
Here are three ways companies can continue to scale their business in a smart way, even in a tough labor and economic market.
Labor force is No. 1 worry for NC tech execs; 86% of companies are still hiring
1. Identify
Find non-traditional sources of talent. Looking to staff an entry-level operations team, marketing team, sales BDR group?
Look for potential employees currently working in places like the restaurant / hospitality space, gyms, retail or other industries. Many companies are abandoning the requirement for a four-year college degree, as they recognize they can recruit hard-working, dedicated employees and train them up for entry level roles in their organization. For more technical roles, you can consider partnering with a firm like Triangle-based Momentum, which offers a 16-week immersive training program to teach students how to become software developers. Companies can recruit grads from the Momentum program or partner with Momentum to sponsor a class.
CEO of Republic Wireless’ new spinout talks about ‘disrupting’ the customer service market
2. Supplement
Supplement your team with freelancers, using services like Upwork and Fiverr.
You can find freelance talent for areas like finance and accounting, engineering, IT, sales & marketing, legal, design & creative. You can easily scale your team adding resources for project work. A benefit of sites like Upwork and Fiverr is you can vet multiple candidates in a short period of time, check for samples of work, see client reviews and verify identity. It’s an easy way to supplement existing teams or handle projects when you can’t hire full time employees.
Raleigh startup with Republic Wireless roots that focuses on customer service raises $2M
3. Scale
Scale your business strategically with one or more business process outsourcing firm.
If you’re a scaling SMB or building an enterprise-grade business, you should consider using a BPO (business process outsourcing firm) to supplement key parts of the business. BPOs are industrial-strength companies that manage the recruiting, hiring, equipping, onboarding, scheduling, management, payroll, and taxes for you. They can handle multiple functions, such as customer service, sales/lead generation, marketing, accounting & bookkeeping, HR & recruiting, and more for project work or long-term engagements. They allow you to easily scale up operations and control costs to support a growing business. BPOs have long been used by large enterprise organizations but were difficult to access for smaller businesses. The recent emergence of BPO marketplaces make BPOs accessible to all businesses.
In today’s hyper-competitive market, companies need every advantage they can get. A big part of this is the ability to scale their workforce to meet demands. There are some great options available today beyond just hiring full time employees. There’s an option for every business, depending on size and stage.
