Do The Right Things And Do Them Right

Increasing efficiency with technology

For a small business, or start-up, getting your feet off the ground is your aim. In order to do that you need to have a good sense of business management and strategy of which productivity and time management are key. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘time is money’ and this is no truer than for small businesses who simply can’t afford to waste time. The key is to be efficient.

What is efficiency?

Peter Drucker stated that “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” So what is efficiency and how can you achieve it? Efficiency, or doing things right, says Laura Stack, is the accomplishment of a job with a minimum expenditure of time, effort and cost. Three things that small businesses certainly need to utilise as 55% of small businesses say that one of the biggest challenges they face is getting everything done. Stack explains that efficiency must also include effectiveness, or doing the right things, as without it she believes things could go horribly wrong. Effective efficiency then, is the act of doing the right things and doing them right.

Does technology help?

The simple answer is yes. The development and increasing capabilities of technology and its integration into the workplace opens up a world of time, effort and cost-saving possibilities that are right at your fingertips. But before you get started you need to identify the processes that occur within your company that can be made more efficient. Then you need to do your research on the technology that can help you solve your inefficient ways.

However, whilst it will eventually return a saving in cost and time, implementing new software or technology into your small business is a large initial investment of both time and resources. It is important then, to get this aspect right and really know your stuff about what you’re buying and how this is going to help you.

Trust me though it’s all going to be worthwhile, here are just some of the ways technology will help you do the right things and do them right.

Super speedy

Technology has sped up everything. Remember when the only way that you could communicate was through letters in the post? Now we don’t even think twice about the fact that we can ping off an email and often get an almost instantaneous response. One of the biggest advantages that small businesses have over larger corporations is that they can act quickly and respond to change faster which means keeping up with all the latest technological advances and staying super speedy and efficient.

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It does it automatically

Automation tools are an absolute god send! Manual spreadsheets that have to be completed, holidays that have to go through a manual time consuming process to be approved? No more! There’s a vast market of affordable HR software for that! Do you avoid marketing your business because you have limited time, knowledge and resources? There’s marketing automation tools to help you! Whatever aspect of your business, there is now an automation tool to help you manage it efficiently and effectively.

Information for everybody!

Where do you go to look for information now? Well, seeing as you’re reading this blog post I bet you’re like everyone else these days and scour the internet for the answers to your questions. The internet allows information to be shared more quickly, to a large audience and using fewer resources. It has shaped the way we market our businesses, the way we communicate and the way we store our information. We can now access information instantly from wherever we are using cloud based software which means you’re never far away from everything you need to run your business.

Grows with your business needs

British SMEs are seeing the benefits of cloud based software with 48% of small business in Britain having now moved into ‘the cloud’. One of the most notable bonuses of using cloud software in your business is that you can expand your requirements as your business grows. Most cloud-based software is continually being reviewed and improved upon and will roll out regular software updates to streamline their service, usually at no extra cost. breatheHR is one such system that allows you easily to move your people management online through automating HR tasks and has the ability to grow alongside your small business. This means that you’ll constantly be benefiting from new ways to become more efficient without having to do the work yourself!

Different types of technology will be able to help your business become effectively efficient, maximise productivity and increase profitability in different ways. However, you shouldn’t use technology just for the sake of it. The key is to identify your core processes that would benefit from being streamlined and made more efficient. Take into account how your business works, who your employees are and what technologies are going to work best in making your business effectively efficient.