The benefits of resource augmentation for SMEs
Having the perfect number of staff members during busy business seasons can make or break an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship can be tricky in that seasons change and trends differ. And so during these times the amount of help you need also changes. It’s important for business leaders to always be in the know of what to expect to be prepared. This is where resource augmentation—also known as staff augmentation—can make a whole lot of a difference.
Resource augmentation is a feasible solution that provides flexibility in meeting evolving resource demands. The whole augmentation concept involves staffing methods that differ from the conventional hiring process. Temporary talents may be taken in from an outsourced agency to accommodate a business’ project or work on a set of tasks for a given season. This kind of work may also be assigned to subcontractors or external groups.
The digital world, for example, is one that calls for tremendous support. Be it the testing of systems, or the watching over and safeguarding of IT infrastructure, it’s always good to know a business has immediate support from a trustworthy IT company that knows what they’re doing.
Resource augmentation can be helpful in multiple ways
Resource augmentation lets you bypass the recruitment process
One of the most stressful things a starting business leader will have to face is forming a pool of potential candidates, screening them, hiring them, and then finally, training them. Providing full-time benefits can be extra costly, too, especially if the work you intend them to complete isn’t long-term. It also even becomes more expensive once a new talent decides to leave after having just been trained. All that said, resource augmentation rids you the usual hiring procedure and lets you cut back on the uncertainty.
Resource augmentation is great at filling special management roles
In many business cases, distinct skill sets are important for certain projects or business needs, but not necessarily for anything else outside of those needs. Resource augmentation offers the possibility of filling specialized roles without demanding in-house commitment. This keeps your business from a scrutinizing recruitment quest, and it makes it a lot more feasible for you to get help in areas that demand special talent. Not only is your business benefiting from an expert, but you’re also maximizing the bang for your buck.
Resource augmentation allows you to tap into foreign markets
Establishing a location abroad or elsewhere can be a daunting task, especially if the promise of potential business in that area isn’t as strong. Resource augmentation can also be resorted to contacting talent who are acquainted with foreign locations. They can also help you with the legal compliance necessary in getting work done; not to mention the bulk of legwork needed to hit targets outside of your business office. What makes this an even better option is that you won’t have to shell out for traveling costs such as airline tickets or hotel reservations. Consistent Skype or Google Hangouts calls will do!
Resource augmentation allows you to retain management over your projects
By resorting to resource augmentation to fulfill staffing concerns, you’re able to have better control over projects compared to outsourcing. You see, outsourcing projects usually scare many beginning entrepreneurs simply because of the nature of these relationships. If you work with a company whose credibility hasn’t been established yet, you put yourself at risk for giving them a little too much of your business secrets. You hand them the control to perform business tasks without being able to supervise them all the time. And while you can always check in, not every business leader is keen on sharing business secrets and trades to an outside company.
On top of that, in-house workers may also interact with contracted staff members to finish certain projects and workload. This can be helpful for when augmented staff members have questions, or when there are issues that need to be resolved. Once their work is done, they can immediately end their shifts and leave. This makes for a healthy relationship between in-house employees and the support team. Knowing these support staff members aren’t out to get their jobs, in-house workers don’t fuel an unnecessary competition.
Resource management lets you scale staff members depending on the need
While it’s true that being understaffed can cause a lot of trouble for businesses, the same trouble also applies to the opposite. Having to let go dedicate employees can be emotionally draining for everyone involved, and can even potentially harm a company’s reputation. Employees who feel that they are disposable usually don’t end up giving their best. Resource augmentation rids that feeling, as expectations will be set early on. Staff augmentation makes it possible to bring the headcount up only when it’s needed for the business. The benefits of staff augmentation are a lot!
Should you need a staff augmentation proposal for anything related to IT, contact Info-Link Technologies! E-mail the leader in IT infrastructure here: info@nfolink.net.
