With the future uncertain and the economy struggling, one way to keep your business afloat is to take a look at what you can do more efficiently.
Many robust companies like Boeing and Coca-Cola place an emphasis on running efficiently. But even if you aren’t running a Fortune 500, there are still simple strategies you can adopt to lower your expenses and raise your profits. Here’s how.
1) Automate Whatever Tasks you Can
Many workers fear that automation will take their jobs. But in the small business world, that’s highly unlikely. Instead, automation helps your workers save time on menial tasks while allowing them to focus on jobs that require human input.
Automation doesn’t have to be complex. For example, you might invest in a phone tree that automatically routes customers to the correct department, freeing your secretary up for other tasks. Or, you might have your data analyst automate their daily reports, so they can focus on fixing problems and improving data collection.
Interested to see what you can automate? You could ask the most tech-savvy person in your office for ideas — or you could reach out to a managed IT service. You might be surprised at how many tasks can be automated in your business.
2) Cut the Meetings
According to research by Clarizen, 35% of people hate meetings. 65% multi-task during them. Why is that?
For many employees, meetings interrupt their “flow” state. Instead of being able to settle down and complete valuable tasks, they find that their workflow is constantly interrupted. They often find themselves roped into meetings that are non-essential, non-productive, and boring.
Obviously, you still need to communicate with your team — so how can you strike the balance? Experts recommend blocking out one day a week for all necessary meetings instead of scattering them throughout the week. Alternatively, you can invest in a team-communication tool like Trello or Asana.
3) Explore Outsourcing
A business has many moving parts. But if you focus on what you’re doing well, without worrying about managing the other parts, you can get more done and increase business efficiency.
In the internet era, it’s possible to outsource almost everything. For example, there are managed services for HR, digital personal assistants, and IT services. Because each of these services specialize in their respective areas, they’re experts in their fields — so instead of trying to manage all of these departments yourself, you can pay someone else to manage them for you.
Some of the advantages of outsourcing include higher efficiency, lower cost, and not having to hire as many employees under your own business. For small businesses, outsourcing necessary tasks that aren’t value-added is an easy way to cut expenditures.
Ready to explore outsourcing your IT department? Contact Vodigy today! We specialize in helping small and medium-sized businesses focus on what drives their business. Leave IT to us.
