#3 Get Rid of Distractions and Interruptions
Let’s revisit some productivity stats as the two are interconnected. According to reports, the average employee is productive for less than 3 hours per day. This happens due to a variety of reasons including distractions.
Reports suggest that employees get interrupted around 7 times, resulting in a wastage of 35 minutes in total with each interruption lasting about 5 minutes. If this is shocking, you will be surprised to know that on average, there is an interruption at the workplace every 8 minutes, which causes the overall productivity or efficiency to suffer.
This can cause each employee to lose around 4 hours of working time per day. You must take steps to reduce this by identifying and reducing distractions.
Interruptions can be of many times including personal. Employees might be interrupted due to their thoughts; however, the most common culprit is a mobile phone that keeps people occupied both mentally and physically.
If you want to know how to improve efficiency in business then you must know how to stop distractions.
#4 Improve Communication
Communication is key, yet 80 percent of employees in the US feel stressed or anxious due to a lack of good company communication.
If you wish to know how to increase your business efficiency then you must be able to differentiate between different methods of communication, identify the best communication system, and work on both internal and external communication.
Email is one of the most common and effective business communication tools for this purpose. Consider automating this process to increase efficiency. Those who get in touch with you can get an automated response, which may help solve some of the problems and allow your workers to concentrate on other tasks.
The benefits of automation are obvious but it can often be hard to implement. People are not always excited about using new technology and some are against the use of SaaS automation tools.
#5 Reduce Meetings and Go Online When You Can
There are two rules to follow:
- Reduce the number of meetings
- Make sure your meetings go well
As highlighted in this Harvard Business Review article, meetings can lead to business inefficiency. The average meeting lasts between 31 to 60 minutes. This is a lot of time considering we only spend around 7 hours working on an average day.
Back in the day, companies used to hold meetings to discuss everything. It was the norm to call people from every department to be a part of meetings but things are changing now. Therefore, to rapidly save important information, you may convert your Zoom and Skype recordings of meetings from mp4 to text.
Physical meetings are not necessary and decisions can be taken by going online thanks to tools like Zoom and Skype. This saves time because you do not have to prepare the meeting room and wait for everyone to arrive. However, in cases where physical meetings are important, make sure to take care of these points to ensure your business and meeting remain efficient:
- Make sure to schedule at the right time so you do not have to reschedule. You can use different tools to ensure everyone’s available.
- Have a clear goal or agenda and ensure it is clearly communicated to everyone involved. Also, determine how to send auto text and which communication tactics to implement to ensure effective collaboration.
- A lack of accountability is another reason for meetings to be inefficient. Make sure to communicate with everyone after the meeting to ensure they understood things well.
- Having too many people or not having everyone needed can cause meetings to fail.
- Meetings that go too long end up being less productive and inefficient. It is best to divide a meeting into segments and ensure it runs according to the plan.
Holding meetings in an efficient manner can be tricky but once you follow these rules, you will find it easier to manage them.
#6 Establish and Follow Processes
Having established processes for routine tasks eliminates confusion and streamlines operations. By clearly defining workflows and responsibilities, employees know exactly what to do. This reduces the need for supervision and increases task completion rates. This structure also allows businesses to identify areas for improvement, making it easier to optimize workflows.
To ensure that everyone stays on track and that the processes remain relevant to the business needs, regular training and process audits are essential. A well-documented and followed process promotes consistency, helping the business run more efficiently day-to-day.
#7 Outsource When You Can
Outsourcing is now more popular than ever. About 300,000 jobs in the country are outsourced annually and most are performed in countries with cheaper labor. In fact, about 70 percent of businesses choose to outsource due to cost advantages; however, it isn’t the only benefit.
While it is more common among large businesses, small companies are now also outsourcing. The IT department is one of the most commonly outsourced departments; however, there are several other options including marketing and Human Resource Management (HRM).
Consider outsourcing departments that are too difficult to manage. But, make sure to choose a company that is reliable as working with an unreliable or unprofessional outsourcing firm will only lead to more difficulties. For example, if you need a website redesign, the best way to outsource this is through a website rfp guide.
#8 Reduce Red Tape As Much as You Can
Red tape isn’t just a government issue—many businesses struggle with it too. Complex processes and too much paperwork slow things down and frustrate clients.
To improve efficiency, cut unnecessary steps and simplify tasks. Use technology like mobile apps and online tools to save time. Forms and applications can be filled and verified online, streamlining your workflow.
Some companies invest in mobile apps for both employees and customers, making processes faster and more efficient. While it’s an investment, it can greatly enhance your business operations.
#9 Give Breaks to Your Employees
Your business is only as efficient as your employees are. According to the web, most employees are overworked and unhappy, hence it doesn’t come as a surprise that efficiency rates are constantly decreasing.
Science has proven that taking breaks is healthy not only for humans but for machines as well. Taking a break for a few seconds to stretch, move around, and relax your eyes can rejuvenate both your brain and body.
Most people take smoking, lunch, and loo breaks. You should allow your employees to take a stroll but ensure that they complete all their work on time and these breaks do not impact work in a negative manner.
Employees shouldn’t go to each other to chatter as that may cause disturbance to others.
#10 Get an Invoicing Tool
A great way to increase efficiency is to get an invoicing software. Almost all kinds of businesses issue invoices and most now use computers to generate them; however, tools like Excel may not be the best option as they’re not only complicated to use but they also lack specific features.
Invoicing can be a lengthy process as it involves adding names, prices, calculating taxes, taking care of discounts, etc. Manually doing all this work can take a lot of time. Plus, there’s always a risk of mistakes.
By using an invoicing tool like Billdu, you can automate the process and take the burden off you. Billdu can import data, help you work offline, calculate amounts for you, and even send reminders to ensure you get paid on time and your cash flow does not suffer.
Conclusion: How to Improve Efficiency in Business with the Right Tools?
We hope these tips on how to improve efficiency in business will help you achieve your desired result. Remember that there’s a time lag and you may have to wait a while for results to show.
One area where the right tools are especially important is in managing mobile devices. Investing in the right unified endpoint management software can help streamline security, device usage and compliance across your team. By centralizing these processes, you’ll save time, reduce headaches and empower your employees to work more effectively. This leads to a more efficient business overall.
Do not give up and continue to follow these business efficiency tips so that you can make your company more efficient.
