Have you ever come into the office in the morning, scoured your crammed inbox, and found yourself wishing you could hand most of the tasks over to someone else?
When considering outside help, did you know you don’t need to have a discrete project for them to work on? Many agencies are willing to take on work on an ad hoc basis, just supporting you where you need it.
You can have someone take on that proofreading task you’ve been putting off. You can have someone undertake research for an upcoming project. Handing over these smaller tasks will free up your time, allowing you to focus on bigger things.
But how do you know which agency to work with and how to get the most out of them? Here are a few questions to ask to help you identify the right support for you:
How do they communicate internally?
For outsourcing to work smoothly, you need an agency which works smoothly. Ideally, they will work as one unit, with no piece of work entirely reliant on one person. Ask about how their company is run. How do all the employees and freelancers work together and communicate? How do they know what they’re doing?
Here at Sorted, we use an online task management system, where everyone posts regular updates about all their work. We also have a central shared folder system, so if ever anyone is suddenly unavailable, the work can be picked up by someone else quickly and easily.
How do they communicate with you?
A good agency will have one point of contact – usually called an account or operations manager – who will keep you updated on progress. Having one person to liaise with, rather than several people, will make your life much easier.
How quickly can they pick up tasks?
Ever had an occasion when something’s cropped up at short notice and you just don’t have capacity for it? That’s where a good agency will step in and take it off your hands. Ask about your agency’s response times and the systems they have in place to facilitate this.
Have they worked with an organisation like yours before?
Make sure your agency ‘speaks your language’ and has at least some experience in your particular field. This will save you all time and remove the need for lengthy briefing sessions; ideally, you’ll assign tasks and your agency will be able to hit the ground running.
Our team at Sorted has over a century’s worth of combined experience working with busy NHS comms teams all over the country. We’ve conducted interviews for case studies, edited CVs for clinicians and academics, and undertaken research into a wide variety of areas. Our experience in this sector means we’re able to pick up tasks quickly, without our clients needing to explain terminology and background information.
Are they used to working remotely?
Since the pandemic, remote working has become commonplace, but some companies have adapted better than others. If you’re planning to work remotely with your agency, ask them about the systems and processes they have in place to support this. Good communication is even more crucial when an agency isn’t in the office with you.
Sorted Communications has always been entirely remote, since we first started in 2013. If remote working is still new to you, have a look at our guide for some tips.
Can they help with…?
It doesn’t matter if you just need someone to proofread a newsletter once a month, format a CV or update contact details; a good agency will pick up the slack on anything you need.
If you aren’t exactly sure what tasks you’ll need help with, you probably won’t be sure how long you’ll need your agency for. That shouldn’t be a problem either; look for an agency which offers support on an ad hoc basis or in blocks of hours. This flexible payment structure means your extra resource can be there when you need it, however you need it.
Your chosen agency’s main aim should be to make your life as easy as possible. We’ve taken on all kinds of tasks for our clients which lie outside our core services, including researching recruitment, transcribing audio, sourcing translation and updating databases.
Whether you just need an extra pair of hands for a week, or you’re looking for more long-term help, talk to your agency and watch your perpetually long to-do list finally start to shrink.
We’ve been acting as a flexible pair of hands for busy in-house comms teams clients since 2013. In that time, we’ve taken on a huge variety of tasks, both big and small. If you have something you’d like a hand with, whether it’s a simple proofreading task or grappling with a spreadsheet, drop us a line today.