To grow your business, you must be productive, and this includes your employees. In addition, the market is continually changing, and business owners need to know how to adapt to stay competitive quickly.
A non-productive business won’t be profitable, or at least as profitable as it could have been.
So how do you stay productive?
The top two factors for productivity are efficiency and communication. But they are the two most commonly overlooked or undervalued processes in the workplace. Finding ways to implement new solutions to improve communication and efficiency will result in higher productivity, profits, and better customer service.
What is Productivity?
Business productivity refers to the amount of work or resources you or your employees put into the business compared to the output you receive. The output can be the number of goods or services you produce, your profits, or your level of customer satisfaction.
Poor productivity results when you put in a lot of work but don’t see the desired results. But good productivity is when you maximize your resources and get the desired results. In other words, poor productivity wastes your time and money, but good productivity earns higher profits.
Think about it. Would you rather put in numerous hours to receive mediocre profits or average hours and have amazing profits?
We know the answer, so now, let’s look at how you can improve your business’s productivity for maximum business growth.
5 Ways to Increase Productivity
There are hundreds of ways to increase productivity, but we’ve narrowed down the top strategies to help you make the most of your business. Of course, every business is different, so take these tips and customize them to meet the needs of your business.
It can be hard for a business owner to give up control, but it’s necessary to run an efficient business.
It can be scary, but when you delegate tasks to the right person or outsource certain services, the result is well worth it.
Think about the tasks that take up most of your time and see what you can do about delegating them.
Common tasks business owners delegate include:
Here’s the thing. It’s okay if you’re not good at everything. That’s not why you started your business. You started it because you were passionate about the product or service you sell. The problem is many tasks go along with running a business, some that most business owners aren’t fit to handle.
For example, bookkeeping isn’t something most people can do. So why waste time trying to figure it out or risk doing it wrong when you can let professionals do it for you?
Find tasks you can delegate and see how it goes. If it goes well, consider delegating more tasks and see how much your profits improve. Of course, you’ll spend a little money and give up some control, but in the end, it can be well worth it.
Time management is the key to your bottom line. You might not think that it matters, but time is money. Every minute you trade for a task in your business is an opportunity cost of another task you could be doing.
It’s easy to get lost in the tasks your business requires, going from one task to another without completing anything. But, if you don’t return to those tasks, you could hurt your business.
As a business owner, it’s easy to feel like you have to do EVERYTHING. But you don’t and shouldn’t. So instead, hire employees, consider outsourcing, and asking for help.
When you use your time wisely, your profits will increase; it’s that simple.
Here are a few simple ideas to keep your use of time in control:
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Send DMs instead of emails. DMs get right to the person you want in real-time, and it eliminates all the back-and-forth emails create. You could even pick up the phone and make sure your message gets through. Emails waste time because you have to weed through them, decide how to respond, and then wait for an answer. It’s wasted time.
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Stay organized. Don’t let your office get so unorganized that you don’t know where anything is or what you need to do. The more organized and streamlined your office is, the easier it is to get things done.
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Stay off social media. Even if social media is important for your business, stay off it. Hire someone to handle it for you, so you can stay off. Here’s why. It’s easy to get sucked into the social media world; before you know it, you’ve wasted 2 – 3 hours of your day!
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Outsource Tasks you can’t Do
There is nothing wrong with outsourcing tasks you can’t handle. However, hiring companies that are good at what they do takes a big load off your shoulders.
You can outsource many tasks but think of those that take up most of your time and keep you from doing other important tasks.
One of the largest tasks outsourced is answering the phone. Virtual receptionists are the key to running a productive business because you don’t have to stop what you’re doing every couple of minutes to answer the phone. You also don’t have to worry about losing customers because you don’t answer the phone.
Did you know that most people who get voicemails don’t leave one? If they are new customers, they will move on to the next business on their list until they get someone to answer the phone
When you outsource, you don’t hire employees. Instead, you pay a flat fee for a service that handles a specific task, such as answering phones, for you. As a result, there aren’t employees to manage, benefits to pay, or taxes to consider.
When you hire virtual receptionists, they are available to answer your phones 24/7. This probably isn’t something you can offer, so it’s a value-added benefit that ensures you never miss a call and have a chance of increasing your customer base.
You get the best of everything when you outsource, especially when you choose a reputable company that’s known in the industry to help businesses succeed.
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Know What your Employees Need
Don’t just run a tight ship – get to know your employees. Learn what they might need to be more productive and/or feel happy in the workplace.
Did you know happy employees are more likely to be productive because they’ll care about your business? Treating your employees like people with needs and feelings makes them more likely to do whatever it takes to ensure your business succeeds.
So how do you do this?
Keep an open-door policy. Let your employees come to you anytime and talk about their feelings. Listen to their ideas and reward them for a job well done. Don’t make it, so your employees are afraid to talk to you or worry about their jobs. Instead, make it a friendly environment where you care as much about your employees as you do your profits.
Have meetings and times when employees ‘have the floor’ and can pitch their ideas. Let them feel like a part of your business, and not just a means to an end.
Celebrate your employees’ accomplishments, listen when they have needs, and ask them what they want to make them more productive. You might be surprised to learn how many amazing ideas your employees have that you never considered.
Multitasking seems like it’s necessary when you run a business, but it makes you less productive. When your brain is in a million places, you can’t make decisions or do the tasks necessary to make your business profitable.
Instead, learn to focus. If you have to shut your notifications off or silence your emails for a while, do it. This way, you won’t be tempted to jump each time you hear a new alert that might need your attention.
Do this when you know you aren’t needed as much so you can be productive without your mind wandering and wondering who needs you right now.
It might feel like you do more when you multitask, but if you look at the outcome, it is usually much worse than if you hyper-focused on one task at a time.
Final Thoughts
If you want to increase your company’s productivity for business growth, you must delegate, don’t multitask, manage your time, and outsource some of your needs.
Every business is different and has different needs. Figure out what you can and can’t do, and don’t hesitate to delegate or outsource the rest. For example, letting a virtual receptionist, like Easybee, handle your calls ensures you never miss a call and your calls are handled professionally. This leaves you more time to handle your other tasks so you can grow your business. Contact us today.
