As an efficient business owner or manager, you’ve learned that it’s essential to create a routine in your working day. You know that if you want to get everything done by the time the clock strikes 5, you’ve got to have a game plan.
But are you really making the most of the time available to you? It turns out that most people in business are busy – a good thing – but aren’t necessarily doing their work in as productive a manner as possible. Being busy isn’t the same as being productive.
Smart operators are now looking for ways to streamline their daily activities, helping to get more done and, ultimately, making them more money.
Outsource HR And Payroll Functions
HR can be an administrative nightmare. Not only does the department have to deal with new hires, but it also has to manage payment and tax affairs of employees: not an easy task. What’s more, companies that miss tax deadlines can be fined for filing late. In short, it’s an administrative nightmare.
Does it have to be? Ask any third-party HR services provider, and they’ll tell you not. You can outsource many HR functions (including recruitment), without having to go to the effort (or risk) yourself.
Stop Using Off-The-Shelf Software Solutions
Most companies now rely on software for their core operations, be it customer relations management, inventory, or marketing. But many choose off-the-shelf products designed for vast swathes of the market rather than go down the custom software development. The problem with generic software is that it is rarely a perfect fit with your business operations: you have to make some kind of sacrifice along the way, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs.
Top entrepreneurs realize that for their businesses to succeed, they need effective processes. Custom software helps this happen by fitting a company’s needs precisely, rather than offering something “close.”
Mine Data
Many of today’s top companies, like LinkedIn and News Corp have used data to improve revenues and increase conversion rates. Yet, despite widely available data analysis tools, many smaller businesses still don’t use the information available to them to drive key performance metrics. Why not?
Anybody can mine data with the right tools. You don’t need to be a data scientist. But if you’re not confident, there are plenty of consultants who will happily do the work for you, providing insights about where you could improve your operations, marketing, or management.
Consolidate Your Marketing Time
Science has shown that people don’t work effectively when constantly interrupted. Changing tasks regularly slows everything down and leads to an increase in errors. Many companies feel that they have to market their products throughout the day, but with new software tools, this is no longer necessary. Take Hootsuite, for instance. The software allows marketing managers to create content in advance in a single block of time and it will then take over, posting articles and Tweeting according to a predefined schedule throughout the week.
Setting aside a single block of time also helps people in your team know when you’re available to discuss matters related to advertising.