Six Tips on Saving Company Time and Resources
Practically every business has a few holes to patch up where money leaks out, or places where they can save company time. While no two companies suffer from exactly the same wastes of time and resources, there is a list of usual suspects that can be improved. Here are six tips on saving company time and resources to improve your bottom line.
1. Go paperless at work.
Paper-based systems are inefficient, time-consuming, and difficult to back up. Plus, there are benefits to using a paperless system:
- Time saved. Instead of printing documents and filing them (and then searching for them at a later date), your retrieval process becomes as simple as a click of a button. Plus, it eliminates wasted time.
- Improved accessibility. When files are digitally stored, your organization becomes more flexible. If your office were paperless, all you’d have to do is log into your cloud account, search for the file you need, and use it. The convenience of going paperless can save a lot of trouble with logistics if you have employees in different locations.
- Saved space and money. One sheet of paper may not take up much space, but tens of thousands of pages certainly do. Over time, businesses accrue hundreds of files, which aren’t cheap and take hours to reorganize. Digital files take no physical space, so you don’t have to store physical files.
- Stronger security. Many paperless systems are protected with layers of security, and access can be restricted. Plus, digital files won’t get lost due to theft, fires or floods.
2. Avoid overcommunicating with emails.
Email is super convenient and often efficient. However, it can lead to miscommunication due to the lost context. The average worker spends hours a day answering emails.
How can you improve your email communications to save company time? Get in the habit of thinking about your email’s purpose and recipients in order to save your time and everyone else’s. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “Is this message is necessary?”
Maybe the contents of the email is more appropriate in person or over the phone. Also, does everyone on the team need to receive and be CC’d in on the email?
3. Streamline office communication systems.
Slack is an system for tracking vital information about your employees and their productivity. But, it also offers streamlined IM services. This is a great conversational tool that saves time. And we can’t forget about Slack’s ease of file sharing. One can obtain info on files uploaded. They can also upload new files, and managers can control issues like file sharing, file information and install filters when necessary.
8×8 is a cloud-based system that provides communication services. This system collects data from employees through its analytics platform and informs employers about projects and performance. 8×8 compiles that data to improve customer interactions and track strengths and weaknesses.
As your business technology ages, it will be time to incorporate new technologies into your systems—just because you’ve used something in the past doesn’t mean you have to keep using it. Automate some of your processes so computers can do the work and your employees can focus on projects to help your business grow.
One of the biggest challenges is to incorporate these new technologies. According to Chalmers Brown, the CTO and co-founder of Due, it’s better to install a new system rather than wait to decide how to merge the old with the new. He explains it will be faster, more flexible, and more productive to just start with a new platform.
4. Encourage collaboration between your employees.
It sounds like a key practice within businesses, but collaboration is underrated for some. Collaboration is like cooperation. Without collaborating, employees lose the opportunity to work in a diverse environment that energizes teams, boosts creativity and makes working together productive.
Simply put, it’s the process of two or more people—or organizations—working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. On many levels, businesses are teams. Collaborate with this team and you’ll seize the day!
5. Outsource some tasks.
Outsource some work to save time and money. Depending on the projects, you can get parts of your job done at a lower cost and with better results. Also, your outsourcing partner is responsible for these projects, which spares your business headaches and money.
You no longer need to invest in recruiting and training because outsourcing is directed skilled resources. This leads to an increase in productivity and efficiency. Then you can focus on core areas, like building your brand and converting ideas into products.
6. Stay organized in face-to-face meetings.
In-person meetings take time and keep your employees from other projects, so keep them structured. Have a specific goal in mind that everyone knows about going into the meeting. Plan your work and work your plan!
Have a written agenda prepared. Create a one-page agenda showing three to five items or questions you’d like to discuss. An agenda sets a natural guideline for the meeting.
If you follow these basic principles for face-to-face meetings, your employees will engage with one another and develop better ideas.
