However, the need to be productive rings a lot differently for small businesses. This is because a productive and efficient small business translates into a profitable business. And which business owner wouldn’t want just that?
But being productive can be challenging especially when you have to pull a lot of other people to be productive with you so that the business can actually thrive. The good news is that there are ways you can make your efforts to run a productive business a lot easier, and this doesn't have to be just for your remote workers.
Here are 3 tips you can use to drastically improve the productivity of your small business without breaking so much sweat.
1. Prevent time-wasting meetingsDo you see meetings as a complete waste of your precious time? In fact, a study revealed that poorly organized meetings didn’t only waste people’s time and reduce their productivity, it also led to a waste of financial resources. But, hate them or not, meetings are important when it comes to running a business. It’s the time where you can
* Brainstorm with your team,
* Keep each other up-to-date with the progress of the business and its projects, and
* Refocus the team on the business’ goals and objectives.
To prevent your meetings from wasting your time (and that of your employees) and still get to enjoy the benefits meetings have to offer, you can either employ the use of Artificial Intelligence or make the smart changes below:
* Determine from the very beginning that your meetings are going to be short. Give yourself a timeframe and stick with it.
* Only set meetings because you really need them and not because it’s the usual practice.
* Have a clear agenda of what will be discussed at the meeting. Don’t digress. I know it’s hard but just stick with the agenda.
* Set meetings on a less productive time of the day. Mornings are usually the most productive so make sure meetings stay clear from the mornings. Schedule them later in the afternoon instead.
2. Invest in applications that will boost the efficiency of your workersGone are the days when you have to do things manually. But if you are still doing things manually in your business then it’s not a surprise that you’re not as productive as you’re meant to be.
However, here are some hints pointing to aspects of your business that may need to retire from being attended to manually:
* Communication and file-sharing: Applications like Slack helps teams easily communicate with each other as well as share files without having to leave their cubicle.
* Timekeeping: For example, using a tool like Time Clock Wizard is perfect for tracking the time your employee spends working for a client. When it’s running it makes your employees conscious of the time and makes them work a lot more efficiently than before.
* Project and task management: With task and project management software, team members no longer have to go far to check of their team member’s progress. Plus, you can easily manage your team right from your device.
* Customer Relationship Management (CRM): A CRM application helps your teams to stay on top of all the sales and marketing activities and automate a lot of the sales processes.
3. Make your employees happyYou’ve probably heard that happy employees equal a productive business. A study revealed that when workers are happy they become 12 percent more productive. Remember: just because you want to make your employees happy doesn’t mean that you should condone their excesses. But here are some ways you can keep your employees' morale boosted and consequently productive:
* Provide a conducive working environment.
* Acknowledge, appreciate and reward your employees for the effort they put into their work.
* Treat your employees with respect and hear them out when they give feedback or they want to make a suggestion or an observation.
* Pay your employees fairly and on time.
Summing it up
Improving your employees' morale and productivity doesn’t have to be so difficult. There are simple ways to make the switch and get everyone on board the productivity wagon. That’s why we put together this list of easy to apply tips to help boost the productivity of your business without increasing your stress level or giving your employees much of a headache. Instead, they’ll feel more proud of themselves for their newfound potential to be productive.
But just like working a muscle you’ll only get the full benefit when you stick with these tips and apply them daily. Productivity has long term business benefits. If you want to reap those benefits then you’ve to apply these tips, adopt or modify them as your own.