How outsourcing to a virtual services desk like SteadyDesk transforms your bottom line

In today's competitive business landscape, every pound and every rand counts. Businesses in both the UK and South Africa are constantly looking for ways to streamline operations, boost efficiency, and, most importantly, save money without sacrificing quality. For many, the answer lies in a strategy that is becoming increasingly popular: outsourcing business elements to a virtual services desk like SteadyDesk.

This isn't just a trend; it's a strategic move that can fundamentally change how you manage your finances. By partnering with a virtual services desk business, you can unlock significant cost savings and redirect your resources toward what truly matters: growing your business.

Here’s a breakdown of the key ways a virtual services desk like SteadyDesk helps you save money, complete with real-world examples of potential savings.

1. Eliminating the High Costs of On-Site Employees

Hiring an in-house team is a major financial commitment. When you bring on a full-time employee, you're not just paying their salary. You're also responsible for a long list of associated costs, including:

• Salaries and benefits: Health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other benefits add up quickly.

• Recruitment and training: The process of finding, interviewing, and onboarding new staff is time-consuming and expensive.

• Taxes and contributions: In the UK, this includes National Insurance contributions. In South Africa, it involves contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Skills Development Levy (SDL), and others.

• Office space and equipment: From rent and utilities to desks, computers, and software licences, the physical infrastructure for each employee costs a considerable amount.

With a virtual services desk like SteadyDesk, you bypass these costs entirely. You pay for the services you need on a flexible, as-needed basis. This model transforms fixed costs into variable costs, giving you greater control over your budget. You gain access to a skilled team without the financial burden of a full-time staff.

Cost Savings in Action:

Consider a small business that needs to hire a full-time administrative assistant.

Hiring an office administrator could easily cost £30,000 to £45,000 per year in the UK, or R140,000 to R190,000 in South Africa. This is a conservative estimate, as it includes salary, employer National Insurance/UIF contributions, and pension/benefits. The real cost is often far higher when you factor in recruitment fees and the cost of office space, which can range from £200 to £1,400 per person per month in the UK, or R1,000 to R2,500 in South Africa.

With a virtual assistant from SteadyDesk, you only pay for the hours you need. A typical business might require 20 hours of administrative support per month. At a competitive rate, this would cost approximately £600 per month, or £7,200 per year in the UK, or R5,000 per month, or R60,000 per year in South Africa.

By opting for SteadyDesk, the business could see a direct annual saving of over £20,000 or over R80,000 for a single role.

2. Accessing Specialized Skills Without a Hefty Price Tag

What if you need a specialised skill for a short-term project, but can't justify the cost of a full-time expert? A virtual services desk is the perfect solution. SteadyDesk provides a wide range of services, from administrative support and customer service to digital marketing and bookkeeping.

Instead of hiring a specialist for each of these areas, you can simply delegate tasks to a SteadyDesk professional who already has the expertise you need. This gives you the competitive advantage of having a diverse, highly-skilled team at your fingertips, all at a fraction of the cost of hiring individual experts.

Cost Savings in Action:

Let’s say you need a social media marketing expert to help with a three-month campaign.

Hiring a freelance social media manager for a three-month project could cost anywhere from £3,000 to £5,000 in the UK, or R25,000 to R40,000 in South Africa. This is a one-off project fee.

With SteadyDesk, you could utilise a retainer package and allocate 10 hours a month to a marketing specialist. Over three months, this would total 30 hours. At an average rate, the total cost would be just £900 in the UK, or R7,500 in South Africa.

This provides a direct saving of £2,100 to £4,100 or R17,500 to R32,500, and gives you the flexibility to use those hours for other tasks once the campaign is complete.

3. Boosting Productivity and Efficiency

Time is money, and a virtual services desk is a master of saving both. By delegating routine, time-consuming tasks to SteadyDesk, you free up your internal team to focus on core business functions that generate revenue.

4. Scalability and Flexibility

Business needs can fluctuate. A virtual services desk offers unparalleled scalability. With SteadyDesk, you can easily increase or decrease your service usage to match your current demand. This flexibility ensures you're never paying for resources you don't need, making your operations agile and cost-effective.

Cost Savings in Action:

Imagine a retail business that needs an extra 100 hours of customer service support during the busy holiday season.

Hiring temporary staff for 100 hours at the UK's living wage of £12.21 per hour would cost £1,221 in wages alone, not including recruitment fees, training, or employer taxes. In South Africa, hiring temporary staff for 100 hours at the minimum wage of R28.79 per hour would cost R2,879 in wages, again before any hidden costs.

By simply increasing your SteadyDesk retainer for a month, you could get the same 100 hours of skilled customer service support for a comparable or lower cost, with zero hiring headaches.

5. No Investment in Technology and Infrastructure

Setting up a robust business operation requires a significant investment in technology. When you partner with SteadyDesk, they provide the necessary technology and tools. Their team is already equipped with the latest software and platforms, ensuring your business operations are seamless and secure. This saves you from the upfront and ongoing costs of purchasing, maintaining, and updating your own technological infrastructure.

The SteadyDesk Advantage

SteadyDesk's virtual services desk model is built to help businesses in both the UK and South Africa save money without compromising on quality or expertise. By outsourcing non-core business elements, you can reduce overhead, access a diverse skill set, boost productivity, and enjoy the flexibility to scale your support as your business grows. It’s a smart, strategic decision that puts your business on a path to greater financial health and long-term success.