When trying to run a business of any kind, much of your time is spent on day-to-day operations. You are kept bogged down in phone calls, emails, problems in production, clients who need to speak to you and only to you, and the list goes on. Have you thought of ways in which you could streamlining operations to save both time and money?
If you are going to grow your business to any great degree, then it’s time you started looking into streamlining operations. Here are a few suggestions.
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1. Scan and Deposit
One of the biggest time hogs your business encounters would be those daily trips to the bank. Not only are you almost always caught in a queue at the bank but also caught in traffic to and from, no matter how close your bank is to your place of business unless it is right next door! Many banks now have a Scan and Deposit service offered to business accounts where all they have to do is scan checks as they come in and connect to the bank via a computer and that is it! No need to ever bring the hard copy to the bank because if there is a problem, the bank will call and ask you to re-scan or bring that one check at your earliest convenience. Even so, this doesn’t happen often so the time saved on trips to the bank is huge.
2. Streamline HR and ACH Payroll
Working in the Cloud is perhaps one of the biggest leaps forward in technology in the 21st Century and one of the most time-saving ways to operate a business. You can put everything on the cloud, except your machinery of course, and anyone can access that data from any remote location imaginable. Now then, imagine HR working in the Cloud where remote workers can pick up their schedules, log in to see what their work orders are for the day, and even submit timesheets on a Cloud-based server.
For remote workers, this is the next best thing to having a day off! For HR? All that is needed is a bank like Columbia Bank NJ that offers an ACH service to business customers which enables you to direct deposit your employees’ payroll checks into their accounts and you will soon be floating on a Cloud. Just look at home for much time you’ve saved yourself and your employees who no longer need to go to the bank to cash their checks. They’re already in the bank come payday!
3. Automate – Automate – Automate
If you look around you, there are probably a dozen things in your place of business that you could automate. Not only does that coffee machine in the break room has an automatic brew and shutoff control but so do the lights and fans and every piece of equipment in your facility has the ability to be automated. Production lines are now being automated ensuring precise measurements and operations and even climate control can be set to your exact time and temperature preferences. What about automated windows? These have sensors so that when the rain begins they automatically close and when the rain stops, open they go again!
4. Video Conferencing to the Rescue
How many meetings do you need to chair or attend each week? How much time do you lose traveling to and from, setting up conference rooms, ordering refreshments and coffee, or simply printing and copying the agenda for each meeting to hand out to participants? Web conferencing is one of the most time-saving and cost-effective ways to streamline certain operations, such as meetings, and one of the most money-saving streamlined procedures you can use. No more paying transportation for your staff (or yourself!) to go to meetings in another branch and no more need to pay for key staff at another location to come to you.
Business growth is all about cutting costs in order to build your bottom line. Yes, you want to sell more products and offer more services, but even that isn’t enough to keep your bottom line growing unless you can find more affordable ways to operate your company. Streamlining operations is one of the most cost-effective money-saving ways to grow your bottom line so take the time to truly think about ways you can cut back on time and effort and you will have found a way to grow your business. It’s the way forward in the 21st Century.…