Efficiency is a hallmark of any well-run business, big or small. Large companies have entire teams dedicated to improving efficiency. Why? It is because being efficient saves money and helps improve sales. An investment you dedicate towards making your small business more efficient is an investment towards profitability. Don’t think that your small business in Australia cannot afford to invest in efficiency. It can and certainly needs to. So, here are several simple efficiency tips that will make your small venture a lot more profitable.
Automate Tasks that can be Automated
Technology has made managing the modern workload far more convenient. Some of the tasks that your employees handle manually can be automated. Everything from Facebook posts to handling customer orders can be automated using the right kind of software. When you automate tasks like this, it takes a load off your employees. They will feel less rushed, less overworked, and more relaxed. Automating tasks will also free up your employees’ schedules so they can focus better on complicated tasks at hand. So, don’t hesitate to invest in software like enterprise resource planning programs to make work life much more manageable at your company.
Ban Quickie Meetings
Those “just a moment” meetings are one of the most prominent time wasters at companies. The 5-minute meetings usually run into 30 minutes or more when employees are unsupervised and have no idea what to do. The real reason for these short and wasteful meetings is lack of hierarchy in teams. If you have assigned a certain workload to a team of employees, you must also appoint a team leader. An authoritative figure is necessary in order to get things done on time. The team leader will be responsible for the team. So, there will be more structure provided for employees to meet deadlines and not waste time arguing. Also encourage your employees to communicate via Skype, IM, or e-mail to stop wasting time on meeting in person.
Use Cloud Storage
If you have employees frantically e-mailing each other work, faxing memos, or running from cubicle to cubicle, all of that wastes precious time and resources. Make it easier for employees to share files and access digital content by switching to cloud storage. Cloud storage is easy to access anytime from anywhere. It’s secure and you can easily control access at the company. More importantly, cloud storage is also cost-efficient in comparison to traditional physical storage. So save time and money at your workplace by switching to cloud storage.
Break Down Large Tasks into Smaller Ones
Don’t burden a handful of employees with a single massive task. Break down the large business tasks into smaller ones, and assign people best qualified to handle that task. Then, appoint a handful of people to bring all these small tasks together to complete the large task. People naturally fumble when they are presented with a massive workload. If the tasks are small and can be accomplished in a short period of time, your employees will be more motivated to get them done quickly.
Above all, don’t overwork your employees. If your employees need to stay at work after hours to get things done, that indicates inefficiency. Do internal evaluations to understand what could be going wrong at the workplace. Be aware of things that can be improved upon.
