Outsourcing: Barge right in

Q. What cost savings does a remote work force offer?

A. As we decide how to best handle employees in a post-pandemic world, working from home poses more questions about how to best utilize current staffing. Consider the cost of working from home. Did you supply the PC/scanner/printer? Invest in remote time monitoring or IT infrastructure? Productivity software? What about trust?

When I look at job openings online and find every DME around me is hiring for positions that can be filled by remote personnel, I see a cost savings opportunity. In what appears to be a sign of the times, some of these companies are experiencing continual turnover in the same position (department) throughout the last 12 months. Turnover among medical assistants (customer service, intake) is very high. The Center for American Progress found that it costs businesses approximately 20% of a worker’s annual salary to replace them. With benefits, this would represent a number close to $10,000 to replace a minimum wage employee. Yikes!

I would much prefer to partner with a company that provides remote personnel, trains them on the job and delivers them on the day they are ready to start working. This would eliminate the drain on resources internally and provide an easier and more cost-effective way of managing personnel. I would no longer have the burden of constant turnover, re-training and customer dissatisfaction related to personnel shortages. 

So, while you are thinking about how to best utilize remote personnel and cut costs, think about the cost savings a truly remote workforce can offer.

It’s time to start saving money tomorrow, not next year. What are you waiting for? Do not wait for an invitation. Barge in like you own the place (because you do, right?) and make the right decision.

Todd Usher is founder of Tactical Back Office, Inc. Reach him at todd@thetbo.com or 800.5589.7501.