The faster and more efficiently a task is done, the more smoothly a business will run. This stands true for all types of businesses. Below are some things business owners and managers can do to help the business become as efficient as possible.
Automate Tasks Whenever Possible
Technology has become an important part of the workplace in recent decades. Employees can take advantage of all technology has to offer by using it to automate certain tasks. Social media posts and blog posts can often be scheduled ahead of time.
To do this, a social media or website manager will need to make the posts in advance and use the social media site or a website plugin to schedule the posts to show at a specific time. This way, the social media or website manager can set up all the posts that need to be uploaded in one week at one time, rather than needing to sit down at a computer every time a post needs to go live. While this may not seem like it will save a lot of time, the minutes really do add up.
Reduce Meeting Times and Occurrences
Before you hold a meeting, ask yourself, “Could this have been an email?” While this sounds silly, it can go to save a lot of time. Hold meetings only when necessary. Even when you do hold meetings, try to keep them brief. Avoid tangents. Make an agenda for the meeting and stick to it!
Use Task Management Websites
Keeping everyone on the same page can be difficult at times, especially when there is a lot going on at once. Having a meeting every day isn’t the best way to sort this out. Instead, using a task management website or task management software may be able to help.
With task management websites, managers and employees can create boxes or tabs that show what they are currently working on. These tabs can be moved to different categories as the work process flows. The tabs can also be assigned to certain people, or put under categories for a specific employee if they are the one who needs to be working on it. For example, if a newspaper owner is using a task management website, they might have one tab for articles that need to be written, articles that are currently being written, articles that need to be edited, and articles that are ready to be put in the paper. Alternatively, a certain article title could be moved between “categories” that have the writer’s, editor’s, and paginator’s name attached to it. Either way, everyone who uses the same task management “board” will be able to see who is working on what whenever the board is updated. This can help to keep everything on track and can reduce the number of meetings needed.
Respond to Incident Reports Quickly
Accidents are bound to happen every once in a while. What matters more than anything else is that the problem is dealt with quickly and in a safe manner. Using the correct incident response tactics can help. One of the main things business owners usually need to take care of after an incident is how the media will handle it; this can be an issue for both big and small businesses.
If someone was directly wronged because of the problem, try to make it right to them as soon as possible. If there was an accident where no one was at fault, it is still important that the business take some responsibility, as this will help with public relations. If the customer is wronging the party, then more serious actions (court cases in extreme cases) might need to be taken. Even when this happens, it is important that the measures taken by the business are as polite and humane as possible.
Pick the Best Person for the Job
Picking the right person for the job doesn’t necessarily mean hiring someone new for every little problem, however, that sometimes is the solution. Hiring freelancers (hiring someone on a short contract) may be the best solution if you need an expert to complete a job, but you don’t need the expert as a full-time employee. Hiring a freelance accountant around tax season is a perfect example of this.
Sometimes, picking the right person for the job means knowing which employees are good at certain tasks. For example, if one employee is considerably more computer-savvy than another, have that employee do your online work. This can help to save time, even in the short term. After all, there is little reason to train a new employee to do a task another employee has already mastered.
Whether you love technology or not, there are many ways in which a business owner or manager can make their business more efficient.
