The number one reason that small businesses fail is because of low productivity. Most business owners only focus on the top priority needs of their business and neglect all other areas. However, to stay on top of your game, you need to be able to keep an eye on every single aspect of your business, and that means finding ways to increase office productivity.
Here are nine tips that you can use to increase your small business productivity :
- Choose the Right Business Structure
One of the most time-consuming aspects of running a small business is complying with all the legal requirements that come with forming, operating, and closing down your business. For example, you will need to create bylaws for your corporation, apply for licenses and permits, fill out tax forms, pay payroll taxes, generate invoices, etc. Choosing the right type of business structure can save you significant amounts of time down the road.
- Automate As Many Functions As Possible
Automating functions such as bookkeeping or customer service via email is one of the easiest ways to increase your office productivity. It will free up your time to work on more important tasks and increase communication with customers. Technology is the best way to save time and improve communication in any business environment. For example, you can use online bookkeeping software instead of manually generating invoices, tax reports, etc.,
- Set Up Your Systems and Tasks
All the systems in place in your office should serve one purpose: to increase your productivity. It’s not simply enough for a system to meet minimum requirements-it needs to be designed so that it is easy for you to complete tasks more quickly than before using it. For example, you may want to create a checklist template to save time when packing orders, hire an employee if the volume of carryout deliveries becomes too much for you to handle alone, etc.
- Outsource Unnecessary Work
If there are any low-value tasks that you are spending too much time on, you should consider outsourcing them to someone who is willing to do it for less. For example, if your time would be better spent researching new advertising campaigns instead of manually copying and pasting hundreds of URLs into an Excel spreadsheet, then hire a virtual assistant to update all the URLs on your website every month.
- Maintain Office Equipment
Maintaining your office equipment so that it always runs smoothly is another great way to increase productivity. For example, you should do routine maintenance on your copy machine so that it doesn’t break down during tax season. It’s also important to choose the right type of equipment-a laptop, for example, will allow you to complete many tasks anywhere, which will free up more of your time. If any equipment needs repair, contact a reliable business computer repair service in your area.
- Improve Communication With your Employees
Communication with your employees should be a top priority. You may want to consider organizing company-wide meetings, or you can create a Slack channel so that everyone is on the same page and always knows what’s going on. It’s also important to maintain open lines of communication so that work doesn’t pile up and people don’t feel overwhelmed.
- Be Smart with Your Time
One of the most common mistakes that small business owners make is spending too much time on low-value tasks. If you are able to automate or outsource these tasks, you should do so immediately. Spend your time working on more important high-value tasks instead! For example, if standing in line at the bank is taking up too much of your time, automatic bill pay may be a good idea.
- Collaborate Efficiently
Creating an efficient work environment is one of the best ways to increase productivity. For example, if your employees are frequently stuck waiting for you, you may want to consider organizing workstations into separate collaborative areas with desks or cubicles. You can also create a designated “meeting room” that employees can use when collaborating with clients.
- Use Software to Track Productivity
There are so many time tracking software tools available that it’s important to use one that you like. You may want to consider something integrated with your email, or maybe something that offers GPS-tracking for employees who do out-of-office work, such as salespeople and delivery drivers.
Small business owners have a lot on their plate, and that’s why productivity is so important. By following the tips in this article, you can increase your productivity in many areas of your business and make the most out of each day!
Productivity and innovation suffer when you create a toxic work environment. For help diagnosing and fixing a toxic work environment, please see the tips below.
Provided by CTG Tech – managed it services Texas