Saying that 2024 was challenging is an understatement, and this is especially true for small companies. People had to make many changes and adapt to new circumstances, but things are slowly going back to normal now.
However, business owners now face a new difficulty. That’s right. We are talking about employee efficiency. The transition of going back to this office and returning to usual ways of conducting the business has proven to be pretty stressful. Due to this reason, we have created this guide where you will find some innovative tips for getting your business on the right track.
1. Task automation
Regardless of the industry you are in, surely there is an abundance of boring and time-consuming tasks that need to be completed regularly. Well, the absolute first thing you need to do to take your company to the next level is to automate as many of these as you possibly can.
Yes, these are crucial for your business, but the thing is that they can be completed quickly with the correct software. There are numerous benefits of doing this, but we will mention only a couple. First of all, your employees won’t have to waste time every day or week doing these but instead will have an opportunity to focus on other aspects of the business that requires their full attention.
They can design new products, upgrade the existing ones, or improve the relationship with your clients. There are so many things that require the human touch, so don’t waste time on tasks that can be automated. In addition, this software ensures that everything will be completed accurately.
Unfortunately, errors occur regardless of how careful one is, especially when it comes to monotonous tasks. As expected, this latest top-notch technology will eliminate the chances of mistakes happening, meaning that it will provide you with a piece of mind.
2. Implement a task manager tool
This tool is another piece of technology that will greatly boost your business efficiency. Most of the time, numerous people are working on the same task, or in some cases, several departments need to collaborate on a big project.
Well, the best way to make their jobs a little bit easier is to provide them with a tool they can all use. This is when task manager software comes in handy. The main benefit of this tool is that it enables your employees to store all the important data in one place. Besides, they can access it whenever they need to and easily find a document they are looking for.
As you can assume, this will save them a lot of time since every piece of information is only a few clicks away. Next, they can prioritize any tasks, keep a close eye on everything that is going on, and most importantly, easily communicate with other departments involved in the project. This way, their job will be easier, and they will be able to focus on specifics, delegate the work that needs to be done, and, lastly, boost the overall efficiency.
3. Improve accountancy efficiencies
Being more efficient in the accountancy department is paramount to long term business success. This applies whether you’re running a small one-person business, right the way up to a large corporate entity. Getting your accountancy right can stop you making mistakes and save you a ton of time.
For a start, practice good bookkeeping. If you’ve got the data to hand, you can more easily process it when doing your accounts. Remember to follow generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). A lot of business owners will pay an accountant to save time and gain peace of mind.
Certain elements of accountancy can be a little trickier than others, so even if you’re feeling confident, you might need to reach out to an expert or take a bit more time on the calculation. Some people find calculating interest expense to be quite complex while others will struggle with taxation deductions, foreign exchange translation, hybrid securities, or deferred income to name a few. If you can improve efficiencies across the board, you and your business will be in a much better place.
4. Reduce interruptions
Constant interruptions are the number one enemy of your workers’ efficiency. Naturally, you cannot completely eliminate these, especially when it comes to people who communicate with the customers or partner companies. It is their job to be at their disposal, resolve their issues, and answer all the questions they have.
Nevertheless, there is something you can do. If you people have to attend multiple meetings throughout the week besides answering calls and emails, the chances are that their productivity won’t be very high. Due to this reason, many companies try to schedule several meetings on one day of the week and leave the other ones free so that their employees can completely focus on their work.
Obviously, this technique will mainly depend on the type of business you are running, so you should first consider how everything would work to decide whether it is the right fit for your company.
5. Promote collaboration
Without a doubt, one of the best ways to boost their productivity is to encourage your workers to collaborate with their colleagues. However, this is another thing you should do. Sure, people use multiple apps to chat with others, and these are perfectly okay when it comes to short questions and answers.
Nevertheless, they are not the best tools when someone needs a detailed explanation. It is why you should encourage people to chat face-to-face. As you can assume, this will save them a lot of time that they would otherwise waste time exchanging messages trying to explain something or obtain certain information.
6. ‘One task at a time’ method
We all believe that we are great at multitasking. It is why most of us work on several things simultaneously, and sometimes we get lost and overwhelmed. It is the main reason why one’s productivity decreases. Delegating the work and assigning everyone with a single will do wonders for your company.
It will enable them to focus solely on one task, which means that they will do it in less time than usual. What’s more, they will probably do it successfully without making any mistakes since they won’t be distracted by other things.
