Outsourcing word processing to an onshore WP team may not at first glance seem a cost-effective proposition for law firms but it is something that SBA’s law firm clients and barristers are increasingly discovering as a cost effective long-term resourcing solution.

Employing an entry level admin assistant would be the cheaper option, if an hourly rate was the only metric for successful hires. Often what is not considered is the in-house training investment, attrition and loss of knowledge from an in-house resignation.

Traditional workplace thinking dictates that the convenience of having an in-house team should be the most beneficial solution to staffing long term, allowing trainees to be nurtured into the role & embedded into their workplace culture. While this is a vital part of any new employee’s workplace experience, unfortunately the work cannot stop for them…. Today we will look at an alternative option.

The Numbers

Let’s look at a typical award for an administration worker in the legal field (Clerks Private Sector Award 2010), the award includes;

1. Base Salary = $45,994 (level 3)

2. Superannuation Contribution = $4,369

Add to the above;

1. Workers Compensation Insurance

2. Annual Leave

3. Sick Leave

4. Training

5. Office rent and other indirect costs

When looking simply at the dollar amount, yes, it could be possible to hire an admin assistant to complete these typing tasks for this price. Will they be skilled enough to handle jargon filled legal dictations? What about formatting complex client proposals? Onshoring these tasks to an WP expert can unlock potential value from a financial, time and quality standpoint.

The Hiring Process

And what of the hiring process itself? You or one of your staff will have to allocate a significant chunk of their time to properly complete the hiring & training processes. To calculate the total cost of any recruitment time & resources, the result would be much higher than the award rate would dictate.

Onshoring these generally internal tasks can not only create a financial benefit, it provides flexibility when integrating these new “away team” members. As the staff member is employed through SBA, alongside guaranteed expertise the firm can;

1. Avoid administration requirements for new staff e.g. tax declarations, super contributions etc.

2. Gain access a pool of employees rather than one, allowing you to request new team members should there not be a fit.

3. Acquire a staff member who has experience integrating into unique workflows & operations

All the while consider the two attributes of an effective word processor, they must be timely & accurate. For many new staff, one of these factors must be sacrificed to improve the other, this is a key area that is overlooked when considering outsourcing.

Differences Between Permanent Employees and Onshoring WP

Onshoring does not have to be a direct replacement for permanent employees, the aim is to provide organisations with the added resource benefits of outsourcing, while still having their “away team” based in Australia. This allows work to be completed during the same hours you work, this gives the feeling of SBA being a remote employee rather than a separate entity.

While the process of establishing an Onshoring pipeline may seem daunting, SBA assists you in making this as seamless as possible. Outsourcing gives your organisation access to experienced word processing staff, ready to assist on a permanent or ad-hoc basis. In many situations we also have capacity to complete work from within any required software the firm’s operational requirements may dictate.

Onshoring this WP work allows the firm to tackle any spikes in work volume as they arise. How much time would the in-house team spend picking up tasks that are outside their regular responsibilities? Why not consider this more flexible options next time you are paying for a resource you may not have demand for permanently?

Outsourcing WP to the SBA onshore team of experienced onshore WP operators can provide a sustainable resourcing solution to complement your in-house WP team.