You don’t need to restructure your entire business or spend a fortune on Human Resources to reorganize your staff and operations and see improvements in the workplace. We are fortunate enough to live in a time where you can streamline your business processes relatively easily with technology. Here are five cost-effective examples of how you can do this:
1. Optimize Your Logistics Systems
No matter the size of your company, if you are distributing or shipping physical goods, a lot of time, money and energy will go towards logistics. While it’s critical that your merchandise is handled and transferred safely, using large logistics management companies can be impersonal and expensive. For cost-effective shipping rates and more transparency within your company, switch to using a freight management software system. Most systems run on independent, cloud-based platforms that will do the same or better job as a large logistics company but at a fraction of the cost.
2. Take Advantage of Cloud Collaboration
Cloud technology has drastically advanced the way we work in numerous ways. However, its impact on collaboration is possibly the most notable. Rather than purchasing a different application and storage drive for every process undertaken by your staff, choose a cloud-based suite or unified communications solution that integrates everything instead. This way you can have emails, documents, file sharing, presentation software in the same place so your staff will be able to work together in real-time, no matter where they are. Importantly, you will also save on expensive IT infrastructure purchase and maintenance costs, making the cloud a sound financial decision.
3. Consolidate Your Finances With Accounting Software
Keep all your financial records and databases just a click away by using accounting software. Bookkeeping is something you cannot afford to neglect in business as inaccuracy can lead to severe legal and financial consequences. While many of the more complicated conceptual accounting and tax decisions may require consultation with a small business accountant, with an accounting software system, you can automate everyday transactions, simplify tasks like invoicing, use smart tools that calculate things like annual leave and more. Better yet, it can all be accessible via your phone!
4. Invest in Your Social Media Marketing
Social media has revolutionised marketing, ultimately for the better. Never before have we had advertising tools and audience insights so commonly accessible. If you’re a small company or still in your early days and outsourcing your advertising seems like a bit of a stretch on your finances, you can easily invest in social media. Social media advertising is still relatively cheap, and you can boost your audience reach without breaking the bank.
5. Outsource Efficiently With Gig Economy Apps
It has never been easier to find an expert or freelancer than it is today. With gig economy applications and websites, within a day you can connect with professionals on-demand, on your budget. For some tasks, you will even have access to a worldwide pool of professional candidates! So, whether you’re looking to outsource manual processes, need some manual labour work carried out in the office or are require a design professional for a creative task, have a look at different kinds of gig economy apps – there are options for all forms of work. In today’s competitive market, it is in your best interests to streamline what you can, not only to cut costs but to free up time for you to focus on running your business effectively. How many of the above processes can be improved in your workplace?