Tips to Consider: Bringing it In House or Outsourcing the Work

There are various ways to get work done when you run an enterprise business. But whether the work is done by in-house employees, contractors, or outside freelancers is a continual source of debate.

While there are no right or wrong answers, take into account some considerations that might lead you in one direction or another. Here, we look at two functions that may be addressed either way.

Public Relations

One of the pros of hiring a PR agency outlined in this piece on Prowly.com is that an agency will have better connections to media and a wider reach. After all, the agency's sole purpose is to establish these relationships to leverage better coverage for their clients. Moreover, when an established rep from the agency reaches out, they are more likely to connect.

Additional benefits cited in the post include:

• A fresh perspective on your business, your customers, and your brand.
• State-of-the-art resources and knowledge of trends in the industry.
• Access to high-level talent you might not be able to cultivate on your own.

On the flip side, an in-house PR function has the benefit of being hard-wired into the company culture. If a crisis or opportunity hits, having PR professionals on the roster can mean a quicker, more agile, or more nuanced response. An in-house group has only one client—you- whose mission is to put your organization first.

In addition, there are other benefits the post highlights:

The ability to do more than you think with minimal resources.

• Proximity to virtually anyone and everyone in the organization.
• Potential cost savings depend on the need or scope of the project.

Whether you're leaning in-house or agency, there are several resources you can access to help you decide. This self-explanatory piece, PR Team Structure: How to Build and Grow Your PR Team, outlines the inside approach. To learn more about choosing a PR agency, check out this piece on indeed.com.

Tech Support/IT

Having tech support in-house provides some immediate benefits, according to this piece in Network Depot. For starters, a dedicated internal employee or small IT staff can do a lot, given that they can dive deep into a challenge and solve it. Their inside knowledge and involvement in tech decisions also provide a robust foundation of experience for troubleshooting technical issues.

Additional benefits highlighted in the piece include:

• Proximity to company hardware, employees, and resources.
• Training specific to your tech and industry.
• The ability to create a team that's tooled for your organization.

There are some downsides to choosing an in-house IT option, however. For starters, a small or one-person support staff can quickly become overwhelmed when requests spike or tech issues demanding full-on attention take priority. Moreover, your organization can be left without an IT support net should a staffer leave unexpectedly or require extended time off for illness or the birth of a child.

Conversely, engaging an outside agency means your coverage network is as extensive as its resources. Moreover, you'll benefit from the latest insights and expertise a state-of-the-art agency provides.

Additional benefits to an agency include:

• The commitment a dedicated agency brings to its paying clients.
• Little or no downtime when it comes to support.
• Broad knowledge gained from years of service to other clients and industries.
• Potential cost saving of streamlined or specific services.

If you're still on the fence about IT services, there's no shortage of resources that can help you decide which solution is right for your business. This piece from Cleveroad.com dives deeper into the pros and cons, and this article on 31 West outlines how to navigate an in-house solution.

In or Out Dynamics

You may have noticed a trend in these two examples that generally carries over to most decisions to pursue inside or agency solutions. These can typically be applied to other functions, such as marketing, web development, design, security, and many others.

In-house solutions typically provide:

• A more profound knowledge of your organization.
• Dedicated individuals or teams.
• Accessibility and the ability to respond or react fast.

Agency solutions typically provide:

• Vast, state-of-the-art capabilities.
• Deeper resources and staffing abilities.
• Boutique solutions that can reduce costs.

Ultimately, choosing an in-house or agency solution has as much to do with your organization as the functions you seek to address.