Over Half of SME Back-Office Staff Cite 'Personalization' as a Challenge, Highlighting Business Continuity Risks

kubell Partner Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Ryoichi Okada), provider of the business outsourcing service 'Taxita,' conducted a survey on the efficiency of back-office operations among 86 employees at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Background: Securing back-office talent has become a critical management issue for SMEs. Amidst a shrinking labor force and intense competition for specialized talent, issues such as 'personalization' (reliance on specific individuals), turnover risk, and excessive workloads are becoming urgent threats to business continuity.

Summary of Findings: 1. Status of Personalization: 55.8% cite 'personalization/black-boxing' of back-office tasks as a challenge. 2. Continuity Risk: 82.6% report that the resignation or leave of a staff member would have 'some impact' on operations. 3. Business Impact: 44.2% state that such departures could cause 'significant disruption or major confusion.' 4. Productivity: 48.8% identify 'lack of knowledge sharing' as the root cause of low productivity. 5. Core Business Stagnation: 65.1% feel they cannot focus on core tasks due to non-core duties.

The survey also found that the biggest hurdle to outsourcing is 'unclear ROI.' Through 'Taxita,' kubell Partner addresses these issues by providing visualization reports and dedicated director support.