Ways you can Improve Productivity in Your Business

It’s simple really, the more productive your company is, the more money it will make. However, you do not need to push your staff to their limits to improve productivity. There are many other strategies. Most businesses can be improved by a simple rejigging and reshaping of their overall structure and the way it handles individual tasks. No business ruins at 100% efficiency, which means there is scope for every business to improve, no matter how large or small. The first thing that is required is the ability to change. If you can be proactive in your approach to dealing with new technology and incorporating things at the right time. This means you need receptive staff who are willing to change along with you. To help you discover ways you can be more productive, take a look at the list below:

Business Plan 

Perhaps one of the first things you should do when considering changing your business in any way is to create a new business plan. This will give you a deeper insight into how your company is working at present. It may even highlight blazing issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. It is possible that communication between teams is not good enough or that there is a lack of cohesion. An investigation into your business will help you discover this. You may even find business areas that are simple not economically viable, and need to be shut down or merged with other business areas asap. A new business plan will focus your mind, and this will help you focus your business. It could be that you are taking on to much and need to scale back before going forward again. Whatever the outcome, creating a business plan and looking at the business holistically and in detail will help you find weak areas and help you to discover ways to improve them. It is also your chance to create feasible business objectives and goals and theorize how they will work.

 

Motivate Your Staff 

If you want to improve productivity, then you need to look at how you motivate your staff. Are you reality doing enough to ensure that they are engaged and happy? Running a business can be very stressful, but if you can keep your staff onside will find it a lot easier to manage. If you can give your staff something to believe in, that is a great motivator. To do that, you need to work on your branding. A brand is much more than a logo. It is an entire philosophy of business. It incorporates core values, ethics, ethos, and your company culture. It is having a company goal and vision that everyone can believe in. it helps people see that they have a purpose. Your company culture needs to embrace open and honest communication. That means everyone has a voice, everyone is listened to, and everyone is valued. One way to demonstrate this is by having regular meetings where you ask your staff to contribute with their option of your ideas on how to progress. Try and learn all your teams names, along with some personal details about them, such as their children’s names. You also need to reward hard work. So, having a reward ceremony where anyone who has gone above and beyond gets celebrated and given some sort of gift.   

 

Outsourcing

Outsourcing can be a highly efficient and productive business strategy. If you are a small or even medium-sized business, it is not always viable to hire a professional to do a certain task full-time. There simply is not enough work for them. It would be expensive and inappropriate. However, trying to get a member of your in-house team to conduct the task is not a sound choice either. There are many reasons why this won’t work. First, there is the risk they will do the task incorrectly. They are being taken away from their day job, meaning tasks may fall behind, they will probably not have access to the best tools and equipment to do the job effectively. You and the staff member will also feel stressed by trying to do this task, especially if it is important and very tricky to do properly. In this case, the best solution is to outsource. For example, not securing your I.T systems effectively can land you in a lot of trouble. You are more vulnerable to cyberattacks for one thing. You are far better off hiring a managed service provider to take care of this business task rather than struggling to do it yourself.

 

How To Respond To Negative Online Reviews

There is something of a crisis of confidence happening in the world of online reviews recently. While research has shown that online reviews are vital to the success of many businesses, there has also been a lot of controversy surrounding fake reviews. 

If you run a business, either online or physically, you should be actively seeking positive reviews on sites like Google, Trip Advisor, and Facebook. But what happens when you get a negative review? How should you react and more importantly, how should you not react? 
Read on for some tips on dealing with the situation. 

Consider the merits of the complaint

Before you do anything else, ask yourself if the bad review is justified. Building your company’s social proof is very important for your online presence. Try and look at it objectively rather than with hurt feelings. Depending on what conclusion you come to, there are different ways to deal with a negative review. 

Don’t overreact

Even if the review is less than pleasant, don’t react with a deluge of abuse of your own. It looks wildly unprofessional. You might be spurred on by those posts you see online which show business owners winning a verbal joust with reviewers, but unless you have an Oscar Wilde style wit, don’t get involved. 

Always acknowledge a negative review

It’s good practice to acknowledge all reviews, whether they are good or bad. If you do receive a negative review, say that you are sorry they had a bad experience, that it isn’t indicative of your usual standards, and ask them to contact you directly to help resolve the situation. 

Own up to mistakes

If the negative review is factually correct, then don’t be tempted to lie your way out of it. Simply state any extenuating circumstances and offer to put the situation right. 

Tackle inaccurate reviews with facts

Occasionally, someone will get things wrong. Sometimes this is accidental and sometimes it is malicious. If you know the information on the review is not correct, be sure to mention the actual facts in your response. Again, keep it professional while still defending yourself. If you believe that the review is false or perhaps a competitor, then you should report it to the relevant review platform to have it removed. 

Don’t get into an argument

The internet is filled with arguments, don’t add to it by being confrontational. 

Try and take the complaint off-platform

While it’s always good to respond to people on the review platforms, you don’t want to be conducting all of your communications on there. Instead, offer the reviewer a way to get in touch with you to discuss the matter. Give them a phone number or email address. 

Final thoughts 

All companies get a bad review from time to time. In fact, if every single one of your reviews is flawless, people will probably assume that they are fake. It’s how you deal with them that is the important thing. If the reviews are pointing to an issue within your business then this is something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. 
When faced with a negative review, respond quickly, professionally, apologize if necessary and take it off-platform if your can. 

3 Essential Office Maintenance Tips

The office is a business’s physical representation. It can be the first and last impression that potential customers have of your company. However, if you maintain an unkempt office, it sends visitors that your business doesn’t care about quality or professionalism. In this blog post, we will give three essential tips for maintaining a clean office environment so that you can improve the first impression of your employees and clients!

1 Adhere to Cleaning Schedules

It is vital to establish cleaning schedules so that you can ensure a clean office. Maintaining this schedule will help reduce the time spent on cleaning, and it makes sure the office looks professional at all times! Whether your company has one person or ten people; everyone should be involved with maintaining their work area and other shared areas of the building. By assigning roles and responsibilities for each employee, there will no longer be any questions about who is responsible for what tasks. Employees feel more engaged in an organization where they are given ownership over certain aspects of the business!

 

2 Implement Continuous Maintenance on Equipment

It is imperative to take care of the equipment and electronics that your business uses every day. Think about how long a computer or phone lasts when it isn’t cared for properly! By taking proper precautions, you can ensure that all office equipment functions at its optimal capabilities, which will help reduce repair costs down the road. For example, air conditioning repair is necessary in some instances, but are occasionally preventable with good upkeep on common issues such as replacing filters, cleaning vents/louvers, and keeping cords free from tangles or other obstructions. These steps may not seem like a big deal, but they really do make an impact on the overall health of your office space, so don’t neglect them!

 

3 Regularly Renovate Small Areas

Minor renovations are a great way to spruce up your office space without having to break the bank. By focusing on only one or two areas at once, you can avoid overwhelming yourself and causing more damage than good! In addition, this method will help prevent significant disruptions in workflow while giving employees new furniture that they enjoy sitting at all day long! Whether rearranging chairs around a conference table or replacing old carpet with new tiles, small changes add instant appeal to any room. In addition, they can keep employees more focused on their work because they are in a comfortable, clean and organized environment!

 

In conclusion, maintaining a clean and organized office is one of the best ways to make sure that your business looks professional at all times. It doesn’t matter if you own an extensive organization or have only a few employees; everyone should be involved in maintaining their work area and other shared areas of the building! By assigning roles and responsibilities for each employee, there will no longer be any questions about who is responsible for what tasks. In addition, employees feel more engaged when they are given ownership over certain aspects of the business, which leads to higher productivity levels!