Everyone’s after more hours in their day, right?
While we’re all gifted with the same 24hrs, improving your business productivity can certainly help you feel like you’ve found more time in a day! It can also save you thousands of dollars.
Here are five ‘productivity-killing mistakes’ that we see businesses make all the time. By fixing them, not only can you make your team more productive, but you might even find time to log off early on a Friday arvo.
1# Double-entry of data
While it may not seem like a big deal, if you have to double-dip on your business data then you are wasting a huge amount of your admin time (and that’s just when adding data to your systems – maintaining it is a whole different story).
When you have to enter info twice (or more) to keep your records updated, you also run the risk of different systems telling different stories. Like politicians, the truth can be subjective. This means that you and your team might need to spend more time double-checking your work across multiple platforms, while running the risk of making mistakes from outdated info.
Having systems that “speak” to each other helps you boost your productivity by spending less time on admin and more on the things that really matter.
2# Running more programs than you need
Picking the best software for your business can be a challenge, especially when there are so many options available with all of them playing to their own strengths. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need to get an entire suite of programs (referred to as a ‘stack’) just to access the best features in each.
In reality, the more programs you run, the higher the costs for your business and the more time it takes to maintain useful records. When you consolidate your software into 2 or 3 solutions that cover your businesses core needs, it makes it much easier to access the info you require to run your operation and reduces the time it takes to get tasks done.
3# Poor team training
You can have the most effective tools in the world to save your team hours of admin, but they won’t be of any use if your team doesn’t know how to fully utilise them. It’s often a forgotten step when switching to new software or processes, or even when new team members join.
When your team is unable to see the big picture, they may make mistakes or take longer than necessary to complete tasks. If they aren’t trained properly, even doing the right processes may take them longer to complete.
By taking the time to train your staff early you can easily increase the productivity of your team. It also means you can make sure you get the most value from any software you invest in.
4# Failing to review workflow processes
Processes aren’t ‘set and forget’ (though wouldn’t that be nice!). Even when you set up the perfect system, things will change over time. You may have updated your internal workflow, or the needs of your business have grown to meet new challenges.
On the flip side, the usual way of doing things can also change as your team finds shortcuts and new paths for reaching the same outcome. Reviewing your processes on a regular basis, like quarterly or every six months, gives you the chance to review any changes that have been made. That way you have the chance to decide whether you want to make it part of the official process or not.
If you don’t perform these reviews regularly, you might be missing out on things that could substantially improve your productivity.
5# Running your entire business on spreadsheets
While spreadsheets might seem like an effective free tool, they can majorly impact your profitability. Because spreadsheets aren’t designed to hold complex, intertwined data, they force you to either collect less information than you need to run your business effectively or spend hours trying to store and find the information you need.
Because spreadsheets don’t let you change data in real-time, your records will always lag behind the entry. It means you never get up-to-date information that can help you make informed decisions quickly.
How Rype Can Help
Rype can help you get more from your existing systems, train your team, or help you find and implement a better-automated system to meet your goals. Wherever your business is at, we can help you improve and measure your business productivity.
Have a chat with the team about what your business needs, shoot an enquiry through on the contact us page.
