team stood round a desk having a huddle
team stood round a desk having a huddle

8 Ways to Improve Business Efficiency

 

Whether you’re a small business owner, the head of a team or the CEO of a multinational company, efficient business practices improve profitability, benefit team moral and make for a successful business. If you’re frustrated by inefficient processes and looking for ways to improve efficiency in your business, these eight steps will help you make your business more efficient.

 

 

1. Business process automation

busy office with people in a meeting room and others rushing by

1. Business process automation

Tired of menial tasks taking up your team’s valuable time? Business process automation can help! There are so many ways automation software can help improve business efficiency. Here are just a few examples:

  • Accounting software to manage cashflow
  • Time tracking to improve productivity
  • Project management to keep things running smoothly
  • Scheduling social media posts to help with your marketing
  • Email marketing to keep your loyal customers happy
  • Chat bots to respond to online queries.

 With so many companies offering “software as a service”, streamline arduous tasks and give your team more time to focus on the things that matter.

2. Make business travel more efficient

man unlocking a zipcar with his phone, travelling to a meeting in a zipcar

2. Make business travel more efficient

Whether you regularly transport goods for business, or you occasionally need a car for business trips, improve business efficiency with Zipcar for Business. Take the hassle out of hiring a car or van for your business without the expense and commitment of buying or leasing by car sharing instead! Get access to our fleet of vehicles whenever you need it via web and app, and only pay for the time you use. Make regular and bespoke reservations to fit around your business needs, as well as for Exclusive Use for long term business hire.

3. Have a daily huddle

team stood round a desk having a huddle

3. Have a daily huddle

Daily huddles at the start of the working day are a more efficient way to keep everyone focused and on track. They’re also an opportunity for your employees to quickly discuss issues or concerns they might have which the wider team can help to solve before they become a bigger problem.

4. Encourage more “single tasking”

focused woman sat at her desk working

4. Encourage more “single tasking”

In today’s digital-driven working world, many employees find their time is fragmented between meetings, responding to emails, and juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities at the same time. This way of working can be inefficient as it’s difficult to give any single task your undivided attention. That’s where “single-tasking” – focusing on one task at a time - can help to improve efficiency. Encourage your employees to turn off their email notifications and focus on one task for a set time and see how much their efficiency improves!

5. Use project management software to track progress

woman using project management software at a desk

5. Use project management software to track progress

Keeping track of the status of every project in your business can be stressful and time consuming. Project management software like Asana and Trello helps you and your team to better understand, track and manage the miniature of every project and keep things running smoothly to make your business more efficient. Get an overview of where everyone is up to so you can plan time accordingly, or deep dive into the details to figure out what is being held up and why.

6. Set realistic goals and targets

team of people working together to set realistic goals

6. Set realistic goals and targets

Does everyone in your company understand the goals you are working towards? Are they realistic and achievable? Setting goals can improve business efficiency as it helps keep your teams focused and driven towards achieving the same outcome.

7. Use collaboration software

woman having a virtual meeting over zoom

7. Use collaboration software

Collaboration is key, and luckily for your business, collaboration software has never been more in vogue. Since working from home became the norm, many businesses have started using collaboration software to enable their teams to continue working together remotely. Instant messaging software like Google Chat and Slack are a more great for internal communications, while programs like Google Drive and Microsoft Teams allow multiple people to access, work on and amend documents simultaneously.

8. Train everyone to follow processes

Team training session in the office

8. Train everyone to follow processes

From understanding the naming conventions for documents and where to save them, to following the correct procedure for sharing and approving work, processes are key for business efficiency improvement. Ensure that every person in your company, from the most senior to the new hires, understands how to follow your processes and sticks to them.

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