A great entrepreneur is continuously looking for new methods to better their company. Efficiency is a goal that everyone organization advocates for since it implies less effort and more money. Here are five ways you and/or your employees can improve your company’s efficiency.
- Get software-savvy.
Do you use the same software apps day in and day out? If you do, ask yourself how well you really know them? Are you able to just get by or are you a whiz with deep knowledge? If you’re just getting by and spending a lot of time wandering around or undoing things, you may want to take a course in that software.
The deeper our knowledge is in the apps we use every day, the more proficient we can be. This is true of all of your staff as well.
- Reward new suggestions.
Your employees will be the first to notice any bottlenecks or hiccups in your processes. Encourage them to speak up if they notice something that needs to be improved. Pay attention to their ideas and suggestions and reward the best ones. The integration of ideas from the “front line” of your company will improve the overall efficiency significantly.
- Watch your time.
How do you spend the majority of your time? Working on new strategic projects, putting out fires, or a combination of the two? An accurate evaluation of how you spend your time can provide many insights into what is working well and what needs improvement in your business.
Set aside at least one hour per day to work “on” your business rather than “in” it. That is the only time you will be able to take your company to greater heights. If you are the CEO, your focus should be on the outside rather than the inside, on being proactive instead of reactive, and on being strategic than just operational.
- Avoid “bright shiny object syndrome.”
Are you easily distracted by an email (that you didn’t realize had sidetracked you for an hour), a web link, or a conversation? These days, it’s all too easy to get distracted right in the middle of a task. It’s also simple to buy something that looks great without doing your research.
Acquiring three bids from potential vendors on all major purchases for your business is one way to avoid unnecessary purchases. Make it a procedure to avoid being enticed by flashy marketing and items you may never use once you read the fine print.
- One person’s trash is another’s treasure.
When you begin to look around the office, you may very well notice that there are a lot of things that haven’t been used in a long period of time. Old computers and laptops, posters and brochures from previous marketing campaigns, and even extra office furniture that are no longer in use, this can all be recycled to free up space while also earning you money.
Which concept appeals to you the most? Try it next week to significantly boost the efficiency of your business.