How to Improve Efficency in Your Business

All companies want to run as efficiently as possible and this is particularly important in order to keep up in the fast-paced world of business. It is also important to improve the efficiency of your business in order to increase the mentality and therefore productivity of your workers. Smiling employees are far more likely to hit targets providing overall benefits back to the business.

So, here are a few tips to help you start making your business more efficient:

Clear the Clutter

A messy, unorganized desk is not the key to a productive worker! Likewise, an overfilled and cluttered office will not make for a happy workforce – employees who are searching through piles of unused office supplies to find what they need is hardly an efficient use of time. Organize what you do need into easy to find drawers and cabinets, and clear out what you don’t need right now. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing everything away as places such as mobile self storage can store items for you until you need them.

Simple Communication…

Communication is key to an efficient business, which may seem obvious, but are your means for communicating easy and straightforward? If departments are spread across multiple floors it’s not simple for colleagues to be able to communicate at the same time. If this is the case, make it easier for them.

This could be something as simple as using Skype to allow workers to speak with each other quickly and easily. As well as this could be an online resource – such as an Intranet – that incorporates all employees is a simple way to pass any information to everyone, allowing you to react quickly to any changes and therefore stay ahead of competitors.

…with a Streamlined System

Remember, the key is to keep things simple. A complicated maze of receiving, and passing on, information not only takes time away from workers that could be better spent elsewhere, it will also be demotivating – especially if your employees feel that half their working day is spent on needless tasks.

A streamlined system will mean that less time is spent on internal admin and more time focused on external tasks.

Work On-The-Go

Providing your workforce (where required) with devices such as tablets or smartphones will seem like a huge expense at first. However, the benefits from this will ensure you reap the rewards. They will allow workers who are out of the office to keep the on-site staff updated at all times, whilst being able to access information from anywhere. Plus, missed calls and e-mails could result in wasted time and perhaps missed opportunities!

Update Technology

Another initial expense, but with huge benefits, is updating the technology in your office. Slow computers and old fashioned phone systems will not only frustrate workers but ultimately take them a lot longer to do a task than is necessary. A basic factor for efficiency is speed, so the fastest and most up-to-date software and hardware are a must!

Listen to Your Workforce

Your employees are the key to keeping your business running, so listen to them. They are the ones with an extensive knowledge of their area of the company and how it works on a day-to-day basis, so they may have more of an insight into how things can be done better and therefore more efficiently.