Having efficient systems is CRUCIAL to success!
Business organization and the use of efficient systems is crucial to the long term success of your business. Don’t believe it? Here are just a few statistics on the direct correlation between organization, efficiency, productivity and your bottom line.
- Time spent mishandling paperwork detracts from a company’s ability to service customers, increase sales, and improve the bottom line. – Small Business Administration
- According to Mobile Technology, using the correct organizational tools can improve time management by 38%. What could you do with 38% more time? Over a 40-hour work week, that’s the equivalent of freeing up an extra 15 hours!
- And it’s not just about you, the business owner or executive. Accountemps states that 280 hours per year are lost by workers seeking clarification due to poor communication and 96% of office workers are frustrated by their companies’ information management.
What is a system?
The business dictionary defines the word system as “a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty or solve a problem”. Do you have efficient systems in place for your business processes?
Do You Have Efficient Systems In Place?
If you are uncertain, take a quick mental inventory and make a list of all of the activities for which you are responsible. How many of these activities take time away from other areas of your business? Are these activities directly or indirectly affecting your revenue? For instance, if you provide a service to your customers, the service is what generates the revenue for your business. However, if you do not have a good process in place to manage invoices and accounts receivable, then you are likely not collecting your earned revenue in a timely fashion (or at all). This is a good example of how a poor process related to an indirect activity, in this case bookkeeping, can be costing you money.
Are you trying to juggle too much?
If you are like most small business owners, you are juggling many hats. It can be challenging to determine where and when to start outsourcing activities. An article on the Small Business BC website by Jessica Oman entitled “The Importance of Systems for Tiny Business Owners” provides some great advice.
Ms. Oman suggests making a list of 10 tasks related to your business that you either dislike, do not do well or could easily delegate. Rank the tasks according to how much time each task takes. Give the task that requires the least time the number one position and the task that takes the most time the number 10 position.
She then advises that you rank these same tasks again according to which of them have the greatest impact on your customers or business. The task that most adversely affects your business is given the number ten.
By adding up the two scores for each given task, you will have a more concrete idea of which tasks are the most urgent to address in the form of outsourcing or developing a streamlined process for enhanced efficiency.
We Can Help!
To that end, The Streamlined Office provides process solutions for small businesses. We take the time to understand your business and create custom solutions for your unique business needs. This is accomplished through critical thinking, problem-solving expertise and process analysis. Based on the results, we then deliver on-site or virtual services to help you implement practical, system-oriented organizational strategies using PC based solutions as needed.
The Snowball Effect
The great news is that once you begin to put efficient systems into place, you are freeing up time to work in other areas. The enhanced productivity that results will be exponential. Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation.