Despite Covid-19 and as we begin to settle into a new decade, a modern business is required to keep up with an almost 24/7 demand. 2020 saw a huge increase in online business and retail as many traditional establishments were forced to close or suspend activities as the pandemic took hold.
Slowly but surely in 2021, as vaccination programs get underway, businesses of all types are set to reopen and resume in the months ahead so whether you are totally based online or in the real world, you are going to need to get back to normal operations as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Streamlining a business is an ongoing process that changes all the time depending on external factors such as economy, demand, and technological advancements or constraints but there are some techniques that you can implement right now for a more efficient business:
- Answering service
- Managed IT
- Software automation
- Paper reduction
- Website and Social media
You might be lucky enough to be so busy that you can’t answer the phone all the time so an outsourced receptionist service might become necessary while a Managed IT service can secure your digital assets and software automation can provide a huge boost to your production by letting a computer take care of menial and repetitive tasks. The paperless office concept is nothing new but using more electronic programs is quicker, easier, and will reduce your carbon footprint while establishing a website and a social media presence are an absolute must in the information age.
Just a Moment
Using a receptionist goes back almost as long as the use of the telephone and a receptionist is usually the first point of contact between a customer and your business, therefore they are an integral part of any modern company. Depending on your business scale an extra full-time salary could be a huge expense that your business might not be able to afford.
Additionally, you may be performing jobs where answering the phone just isn’t viable for a large part of the day. If this is the case then you might want to get an answering service. Outsourcing to a professional answering service like this can save time and money since they charge a small fee for each answered call rather than paying somebody to sit at a phone in your office at a full salary.
For a nominal fee, a trained receptionist will answer calls to your unique number with the information provided by you. They can also forward calls directly to you over a cell or landline number or as a message via SMS or email. Additionally, they offer Virtual Assistant services that can perform administrative duties that normally cost a business manager on average 25% of their professional time, therefore freeing you up to get on with more pressing tasks.
Do you know that having a calendar template is one of the best strategies for improving productivity?
Everyone’s a Target
Protecting your business against unwanted intrusion is a vital and necessary tool for any company in the modern world, whether you operate as an online business or not. Any type of digital data is at risk of being stolen and sold on the dark web, which has become a very lucrative business over the past few years.
Malicious hackers steal personal data that includes names, addresses, and bank account details which is then auctioned to the highest bidder, sometimes for a lot of money. Just recently, the Polish developer of the video games Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, CD Projekt Red, had some of their source code stolen as well as employee’s personal information, all of which was reportedly sold for millions on the black market.
While large corporations do indeed suffer cyber-attacks, the vast majority of cyber-attacks are inflicted upon small and medium-sized businesses. Small businesses are the main target of hackers and over 60% of small businesses don’t implement security measures since they don’t believe that they will be targeted, which is exactly why they are. Because of this, using a Managed IT Service should be considered if you use any type of online service, which in the 21st century is highly likely.
A Managed IT Service can help with all aspects of online security for a relatively small fee which includes anti-malware and intrusion techniques, internet security, cloud-based services, data backup, software updates, and hardware as a service.
Let the Computer Do It
While process automation is usually thought of as an initially large expense, which it can be, depending on the circumstances, using programmed technology to perform repetitive tasks pays off in the long term. However, not all process automation involves complex and expensive robots or machines and also refers to automation software that can increase the efficiency and productivity of your business model as well as the shop floor.
The most basic example would be an email automatic reply. By setting this up via an email client, whenever your email address receives a message, an automatic reply message will be sent back with previously written details such as “Thank you for your inquiry, we will get back to you soon”.
Imagine if you had to write that message every time you got an email; it would be boring and time-consuming, and these can be customized with logos and details with information gathered from forms that can make it seem like a manual reply, which is great for customer service. In addition to this, a personalized welcome message can also be programmed, further compounding the customer service relationship between your company and a new client.
Other examples of software automation include reminders of appointments and jobs, social media posting and blog scheduling, or reminding customers of shopping cart abandonment for e-commerce sites.
Email, E-Signatures, Easy
Bill Gates is probably the most famous proponent of the paperless office which was the driving force behind the development of Microsoft Office which has been a huge advantage in the digital office since 1990. Office applications such as MS Office, Open Office, and G Suite provide digital solutions and tools for all manner of office activities that would normally require paper and other materials.
Internal memos, important procedure documents, classified material, presentations, schedulers, and financial reports can all be created in office software and sent as electronic files to necessary staff. Because of the global pandemic, 2020 also saw a significant increase to double the number of users signing up for e-signature software which allows for the secure and legally binding signing of digital contracts and documents through various software such as DocuSign, Zapier, and AdobeSign.
Not only are these tools extremely useful and quick to use but they can reduce the costs of an office when you consider the amount of paper a modern-day office requires, whiteboards for meetings, pens, and even paperclips. In addition, using digital tools over paper will contribute to reducing your carbon footprint and all digital data can be encrypted and secured in ways that are impossible with physical media.
Online and Ready for Business
The proliferation of the world wide web and social media over the past 20 years means that a web presence is no longer optional but rather a necessary and key component of any business. Apart from physically calling your company, the majority of people will interact with your website or social media profile as the first point of contact, if only to gather information.
Because of this, it is highly recommended that you develop a professional website with all of the necessary information required by a prospective client such as contact details, a mission statement, what you offer, and why you are the best choice over others in your industry. Some businesses even write blog posts based on their industry which not only provides users with educational information but establishes and certifies your authority in a given industry.
A good accompaniment to a website is a social media presence and since almost 80% of small businesses now use social media as a promotional tool you will have to do so as well if you are to beat any competition. While a website is accessible by almost anyone in the world, a social media account is a great tool for promoting your business on a local level.
Platforms like Facebook provide tools for local advertising based on your company location and can be set to expose your ads to Facebook users based in and around your physically provided location. This type of advertising can also be focused even more based on user interaction and it costs a relatively small amount for what it can potentially provide.