5 Productivity tips for small business

Productivity is essential for business operations to run smoothly and efficiently. Increasing productivity will stimulate employee drive and enthusiasm which will benefit a number of other areas of the business. It is normal for small business owners to take on most of the tasks themselves. This can sometimes become a little overwhelming. You may find that you have to do too many mundane chores, instead of spending time building up your small business. By making a few changes to streamline your small business, you will soon notice an increase in productivity.

MSP

A Managed Service Provider is something every small business should consider. If you are not tech savvy, a MSP will take care of all aspects of IT. MSPs provide business owners with consultation, support and maintenance of all issues relating to IT. They, in fact, act as your company’s own personal IT department.

Motivation

Employees all work at different levels of skill and a good employer will know which ones to group together. By putting together a team of motivated, observant and diligent employees, this can increase small business productivity levels which can lead to increased sales. Be sure to reward employees who are dedicated and hardworking. This could encourage a greater level of productivity from all employees. Keep employees happy and they will stay motivated and alert.

Streamline

Try to downsize or even eliminate the use of paper. Use electronic media for as many emails, newsletters or announcements as possible. Utilise technology to its full extent and you will notice an increase in productivity. There are many software packages available that can assist you with this. Take advantage of tools and software to automate anything you can.

Virtual Assistant

Rather than employing an admin assistant to come into the office, it is often more productive for a small business to hire Virtual staff. This way you can outsource office work for short or longer periods of time. They have all the skills of a professional office assistant; they will answer the telephone, do data entry, write content and arrange printing.

Keep in touch with your customers

It is important to know your customer. As a small business owner, you should take time to get to know your customers. It also important to hold on to existing customers. Make sure you connect with them by holding the occasional after work get together or speaking to them face to face. Ask them if there is anything you could do to improve the business. Work with your customers and they will reward you by referring your business to friends and colleagues through social media sites or word of mouth.

Another time saver is to organise custom printing services online. You can personalise and customise high impact brochures, professional good quality business cards, coupons and promotional items. You can coordinate colours and fonts and choose a design and upload photos. The great advantage with online printing services is that it can be done at a time convenient to you.

John is an entrepreneur and has 2 businesses currently running in Brisbane. In his past time he writes blogs about all the things he’s learn about running a business.