In this age of continuous change, we should always be looking for something to give us that edge or step up over our competitors. Our business is always looking for ways to improve our processes and systems – Here are a few areas that we found made a huge difference:
1. Email – when companies such as Google offer great email and productivity management solutions in the cloud – why have a server managing things in the office? Move all your email and document management to their platform and reduce IT costs instantly.
2. Communications – in our team we found that constantly being available to clients was never helpful to a team trying to get work done. So we made a rule that one team member answers the phone each day and always takes messages for the rest. That way we ensure that focus is maintained during the day and people can reply when they deal with their admin. #Slack is a great tool to record the messages.
3. Flexible– why do many of us still have that idea that working 8-5pm is the only way we can operate? A business these days is about delivering value to their clients – for many industries, there could be the option to allow your staff members to work as and when they choose to. Having a flexible working arrangement where team members can start work earlier or later and do personal things before or during the workday is what builds a great team environment and a trusting working space.
4. Feedback – our view of the world around us is defined by us. Often the way we perceive things to be is not an accurate reflection of reality. As your team grows, to have a constant feedback mechanism in place where you can get your team to reflect on how they are performing and you to provide an assessment of that is key to improving. The same is true of client relationships, with the easy process of being able to shift service providers, we need to know how our clients feel about us and fix small things before they become BIG issues. Surveys can resolve this lack of feedback and a tool such as Survey Monkey can make this happen is an easy manner.
5. Cloud Accounting – with amazing tools to manage your small business finances only a few clicks away why are so many of us still running our finances through spreadsheets or handwritten documents? Embrace the cloud and get connected with Xero which allows you instant access to customer invoicing, bank accounts, monthly performances and contact management. Once you get started with your new system you will find the time saved and better decisions that can be made far out-way any perceived cost and time to change.
