Time is money. If you run a small business and you feel that everything is moving as slow as molasses, you need to put more efficient systems in place to streamline your operations and speed up your business processes. The faster things move, the more money you make. It’s really that simple. The more you sell, serve and process the more you rake in. Here are a few ways to drive productivity up in your small business so you can see an ROI faster.
Ban Facebook and other time wasters
Facebook, browser based games, YouTube and other forms of time wasting endeavors shouldn’t be allowed in your place of business. Employees waste so much time on cat videos or celebrity fails, your bottom line will suffer as a result. You can ask your IT staff (if you have one) to configure your router to ban these websites outright. Or, you can do it yourself by reading the tutorials on how to do it. Just make sure that your router’s setup page is password protected. When you ban certain websites and domains router-side, there is absolutely no way employees can access them. A good idea is to also ban proxy websites and periodically check the active connections on your router.
Get a POS System
If you’re still stuck in the cash register age, you need to get out of it and get yourself a POS system. These systems can and will streamline your business processes because it takes care of everything for you; inventory management, employee time keeping, sales tracking and so much more. While you’re at it, get one of those online Point of Sale systems that can work on tablets. Not only are these smaller and more lightweight than a traditional legacy POS system, you’ll also need less hardware to get a full functioning point of sale system for your store.
Engage in a little Methods Engineering
Do your guests have apprehensions on sitting in a particular spot of your restaurant? Is your cashier blocking the natural flow of the checkout line? Hire an Industrial Designer or Engineer to check the workflow of your store or restaurant by doing a little Time and Motion study. Imagine a conveyor belt-type factory assembly line: the more efficient ones don’t even need that much supervision because the whole process from start to finish has been already mapped out. All the workers need to do is man their posts for the line to flow smoothly. Backlogs in the workforce occur due to the simple misplacement of office desks, or when the tables and chairs of a restaurant are too far from the buffet table. Iron out the kinks and backlogs in your store by hiring a consultant. You only have to pay a professional fee one time, but the results will be faster workflow and increased sales.
Harness the Power of Technology
Encourage the use of online collaboration among your staff members. Let’s say you run a small events company. The faster you and your staff can communicate and collaborate on ongoing projects can net you even more, because when you finish one, you can work on another. Use online document editing and sharing websites like Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online and Dropbox. Create, save, share and edit documents in real time. While in a meeting, you can ask your staff to edit a presentation for you if there’s something that needs to be added or taken out. No need to re-schedule another meeting. Make use of email, video chat and instant messaging to speed things up. Make sure your office is equipped with high speed internet and that all your phones and tablets are, too.
Final Word
In a fast paced business world, speed and efficiency play a major role in taking you to the next level. By stopping to consider all the factors that are holding you back, like the simple distractions of Facebook or the wrong placement of your checkout station, you can turn things around and run a more efficient ship.