When running a business, time is money. So you don’t want to waste time on inefficient processes or glitchy platforms. You need things to run smoothly every time you log in. This is why many business owners are constantly looking for ways to make their back office more efficient. When you save time, you can focus on scaling your business and maximizing your profits.
In this article, we’ll look at a handful of ways you can adjust your administration and operations to better support your growth goals and make your business more efficient.
Identify What Doesn’t Work
The very first step in finding what works is finding what doesn’t. Before you start overhauling your systems and canceling subscriptions, you need to do an audit of your business. Document all of the processes and procedures you have in place and see if they still make sense and match your goals.
A good practice in this step is to get your team’s input. They likely work with certain processes more regularly than you do and can offer better insight into what could be changed and what’s working well. The more information you can gather, the better decision you can make about what adjustments need to be made in your business.
Go Digital
If you’re still running an office on pen and paper, no wonder you’re overwhelmed. It’s time to go digital. There are countless online solutions to common business problems that can help you streamline your business and, yes, operate more efficiently.
Things like revenue operations implementation, CRMs, automation and customer tracking are a just a few of the gems you can find in online platforms. The more you partner with digital solutions, the easier it will be to keep track of your revenue, set realistic business goals and manage your existing and potential customer base.
Automation
Speaking of automation, it’s one of the top ways you can make your business more efficient. Automating repetitive or time-sensitive tasks such as importing data and sending marketing emails frees up your team to focus on more lucrative sales tasks. Think of how many more sales you could have if your team can follow up with leads instead of managing an email series.
There are tons of different types of automation offered through platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot. You can automate everything from your deals pipeline to your content publication with just a few clicks.
Eliminate Unnecessary Meetings
It’s easy to get sucked into feeling like everything should be discussed with the whole team. The only problem with this level of inclusion is that it can lead to “death by meetings.” When you’re frequently calling meetings and taking people away from their work, it makes it difficult for your office to be productive.
Take stock of all the meetings you hold during a week and try to find places where you can eliminate them. Can one meeting be a weekly email instead? Can you break up a meeting into smaller touchbases for individual departments? The more time you can give back to your staff, the more efficiently your business will operate.
Carefully Choose Your Software
Too many business are hampered by the wrong software. You might have found something online that looks amazing and powerful and shiny, but if it’s not right for your business, it won’t help you succeed. Be picky about what software you implement in to your business.
Take the time to look at multiple options when you’re ready to introduce a new platform to your business. Be sure you meet with sales reps, request demos and ask every question you can think of before subscribing or making a purchase. This will help you ensure the product is right for your business and can actually help you reach your goals.
Building an efficient business takes time and energy. Use these few tips to ensure your business is running smoothly so you can focus on growth.
