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If you are already running an efficient business; you will be using business processes day to day as well as a plethora of technologies that are running well to work for you. Maybe you are a start up and you are wanting to look at expanding your small business. In addition to this you may have staff and clients that are happy and you achieving your monthly goals. There are however, always ways to improve the operations of your work within your office environment, and so hitting bigger goals and breaking your business records could mean a great future. You may have efficient systems to get the work done, such as applications that help you analyze and generate reports, resolve customer complaints, and databases with all your new and pre-existing contacts, but are these working to their greatest potential.
Confidentiality is vital nowadays and without keeping all your files private, then you could be at risk for a data breach. That is why The Cloud is a great way to keep things in one place as well as keep them confidential. Over time, all your processes become inefficient and this can lead to unhappy customers, anxious colleagues, and deadlines that are not being met at the desired date and time. With this being said, it is vital that you continue to strive to improve processes when they are not achieving well and how you can do this at any chapter of your business. If you currently think your business is only lacking in certain areas; it needs to be a well oiled machine and may need some deep analytics if it is to succeed and continue to blossom. The satisfaction of this will incentify your workers and have them work more efficiently. Some of the problems that business owners have to identify may be:
- Poor management may be a very damaging thing to happen and if you do not encourage and promote impeccable customer service, then you may find that more and more people are complaining. Customer satisfaction is vital and you must keep this in the forefront of your mind when you are thinking about what your customers need and want. You do not want to lose any existing customers.
- Employees become stressed or anxious because of their workload. If this happens, they will immediately underperform and struggle with the simple tasks that they used to find easy. Your employees can easily have their own issues outside of work, which is why it’s vital to ensure they have good wellbeing.
- Work may be missed or replicated from poor systems. If databases aren’t updated to modern standards, or the staff do not communicate properly through interwebs and portals, then you will probably see that the work has not been done or has been done twice.
- You’re wasting your precious resources by not upgrading. Any resources that you already have must be used well and developed accordingly. Make the most of your resources and ensure there’s no money being lost.
- You are chasing invoices constantly. This is a common issue among businesses, a lot of businesses are struggling and losing time due to chasing businesses for money. It is believed that ten hours a week is spent chasing old invoices from months prev
- A poor website that isn’t working or reaching its marketing potential and not hitting the SEO targets you set at the beginning of your financial year.
All of the above issues can cost time and money which is why investing into the areas that matter could save time. When you analyze your databases and quarterly reports, you may start to notice some losses, in this case the damage could already be beginning. If you have a team that you believe isn’t fully committed, then you will find you will fail in all of the above, which is what makes design team structures important. If you have a team of designers working on your website and marketing materials, then you need to work out what is going to be best for your team and this starts with a great design team.
Turn things around
Ensure the communication is stellar. Be sure to conduct weekly or monthly staff meetings where you analyze the performance of your systems and your management. By using diagrams and charts you can make it easy for everyone to understand and to give you a clear direction of what needs to be done. Visual is best as most people can learn and understand it that way. Flowcharts especially are great for processes that involve large teams and explore each issue in strong detail. S.W.O.T analysis and mind mapping problems to see when they started and if there are any patterns can be initiated.
Update the systems – old systems must be upgraded. You can look into field service scheduling to ensure that your business is running like clockwork as well as:
- Software – what is going to aid your business and keep it running efficiently and that you can utilize all areas of technology.
- Networking upgrades including looking at a service provider than can aid you with all business areas.
- Telephone Communication – Calling people up on the phone and having a reliable telephone system is vital because it is often how you connect to people. If you work with any type of helpline or call center, it’s important that you have excellent quality service providers.
- Accounting System – Look at a system that cuts down on the amount of time spent working out your finances. Maybe you can train someone up without having to outsource which saves money; using a great accounting system is going to be a huge benefit.
- Inventory Control System -This system encompasses all aspects of managing a company’s inventories; purchasing, shipping, receiving, tracking, warehousing and storage, turnover, and reordering. So if you run a commerce or e-commerce website or company then this would be vital.
- Hire a local hosted VoIP – A VoIP system uses a way to connect and bypass regular landlines and mobile networks, which is a useful and interesting way to communicate with clients, other businesses and it can prove beneficial for business. It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and it allows communication anywhere in the world, easily through audio bites. This is great if you have a lot of people overseas that you do business with.
Protect yourself from cyber threats
With poor systems, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to a cyber attack. New systems often use better password protected methods of accessing files. Without this, you could be vulnerable to hackers which could be a devastating blow to your business. By looking into different methods to keep you safe, you can help eliminate these risks and this can be looked into by a service provider.
- Data Security: With growing cybersecurity vulnerabilities increasing in all industries, it is vital to have the support of your network and devices against malicious phishing emails, and other attacks. You do not want any client data and financial information to fall into the hands of hackers.
- IT Risk Assessments: it is important to look at cost effective solutions for your IT systems. If you want to upgrade your emailing system or have a business intranet, then this can be done.
- 24/7 Maintenance & Support: when your device stops working or your phone systems go down, you want to know that there is someone there for you 24/7 to assist. More reliable technology means less risk of downtime when you’re on the job, which means that you avoid delays and not lose any profits in the long run.
- Data Backup & Disaster Recovery: if you lose any files, then you could lose time in trying to recover them. Never get lost with a reliable restore point just in case a disaster occurs. Most companies can’t afford to lose the data on projects they’re currently working on otherwise it could delay payment.
Cyber threats are very dangerous to business. Any breach of data will most likely cause a loss of trust from your clients, which will result in a loss of business. It is believed that the cost of a data breach is on average, around $7 million. Once you have eliminated these risks and upgraded your systems, then your business should begin to flow better. Your team will know what they’re doing and when they’re doing it and this may change their job remit a little. If they are unhappy with this, then perhaps offer them another suitable role or wage change. Any of your team that have stuck with you and have remained dedicated and loyal, deserve the best support from management. As the business thrives, you should be sure to pay your staff back as much as possible. Ensure that you have a willingness to put things right and to make changes. Although they may seem nerve wracking at first, they serve a purpose. Improving the problems should not be a quick fix, it should be something that you implement over time and that you continue with as time passes. Your business is not beyond repair, but you need that extra help to pick up where you left off.
