Streamlining your business for success

Streamlining is a concept that seems to make sense in theory, but requires a lot of commitment in practice. Many businesses perceive the task of streamlining their everyday processes, communications and operations to be a huge and complex undertaking in itself. 

However difficult streamlining may seem to be, it is well worth the trouble.  A more streamlined business is capable of functioning more effectively and efficiently, and even the smallest of changes you make today can help your business turn into a powerhouse in the long term.

So what is the key to streamlining business processes? It all comes down to three key principles: cutting waste, stopping losses and increasing profits.

Find the waste and cut it

When you are streamlining your business, it is important to take a long and hard look at existing processes and find where the waste lies. What processes have become redundant, inefficient or ineffective over time? Which ones can your business do without? After you have identified the problematic processes, it is important to find the root cause of the problem and takes steps to fix it.

Tracking your changes 

When you implement a new process to replace the old, keep track of the results from start to finish. This will help you better understand and measure the effect of the changes you have introduced and tweak them if necessary. The lessons you have learned from streamlining one area of your business can also be used to streamline other areas and processes.

The time for streamlining is now

Technology has changed the way businesses operate in recent years and caused many processes to become obsolete or redundant. This means that the need to streamline is more pressing now than ever if you want to stay ahead of the pack. Make the evaluation and improvement of business processes a matter of routine, so that any problems arising out of the operation of your business can be fixed quickly and at the first instance.

More importantly, once you have worked out which areas of your business could be streamlined, analyse the root of the problem before implementing any solutions to it. Avoid creating more problems and waste with “quick fixes” that seem convenient at the time, but in fact only hide the deeper issues in the short term.

Your software solution

inspHire can offer you powerful and user-friendly tools to help you streamline your business. Our software solutions come with easily integrated reporting, billing and tracking features so that your business can run smoothly while you implement changes to improve existing processes.

Our real-time software solutions provide you with access to data and communications on-the-go through mobile platforms such as inspHire iX. Click here for more info

Don’t just stay ahead of the pack, be the leader of the pack. Contact us today and take the first step towards streamlining your business!

Gaining business momentum and keeping it

In high school physics, we learned that momentum is a simple “mass x velocity” formula. Out in the ‘business world’ however, momentum takes on a new meaning. Knowing how to gain business momentum and keep it can score you some easy wins. At the end of the day, if you can apply and stick to a set of key principles to build momentum for your business, long term success can be just around the corner.

Momentum = productivity x motivation

Don’t be fooled by the appearance of “motion” in your business. Activity does not equate with productivity. Employees may appear to be “busy”, but when it comes to evaluating the success of the work environment, what counts is measurable results, not the sheer volume of activity.  Achieving measurable results will keep your business moving forward and gaining momentum.

So what principles should you employ to ensure that your business environment is conducive to creating and maintaining business momentum?

1. Set measurable targets and commit to them: many businesses find that creating a mission statement can be a useful way of keeping individuals accountable for their work efficiency. These do not have to be lofty goals. Start with small, incremental changes that build up overtime and can be integrated into your business’ bigger, more long-term plans.
2. Communicate with influence: to build business momentum, it is not enough that you simply set goals and commit to them, being able to communicate your results to clients and to the industry is equally important. Your communication should be clear and unambiguous. Be wary of leaving too much room for interpretation and creating confusion.
3. Prioritise your day: so many of us find ourselves with more to do in a day than we have time for. With a clear set of goals in mind, it is important that your employees understand what to prioritise in line with business objectives to keep your business in a forward-moving, as opposed to reactionary state.
4. Celebrate your wins: at the end of the day, building business momentum is about scoring wins and achieving results. It is important to take some time to show your appreciation for the efforts and achievements of the team. Recognition of key milestones passed and key results achieved can you build a positive work environment for your business and keep your employees motivated.

A software solution for ongoing success

Building business momentum is not only about kicking start team goals. It is also a good opportunity to evaluate what tools and platforms can help your business improve its processes and hit its targets.

Do your employees have the right tools at their disposal for building business momentum? Is your company’s software set up mobile ready? Can you access critical information on user-friendly dashboards from anywhere, at any time? Can your customers get access to real-time data?

At inspHire, we offer rental software solutions that make critical business information available in an easy-to-navigate format to customers and employees. Kick-start your business momentum today by contacting us!

Untie yourself from the work desk and create a virtual office

In the age of information technology, the ability to communicate instantaneously across multiple channels has completely changed the way we do business. It is now possible for businesses to operate on-the-go, from anywhere at any time. Over the past few years, we have seen the rise of partially or completely virtual offices, which allow business to take advantage of new communication tools.

Why go virtual?

The biggest advantage of a virtual office is that is creates a professional work environment while saving overhead costs. A virtual office takes advantage of the latest communication technologies to connect employees and clients in real time, regardless of where they might be located physically. Some studies estimate that telecommunication technologies save companies $277 million annually, including the cost of travel, rent for a physical office space, equipment and productivity losses associated with the above.

A virtual office can also increase efficiency and quality of work. By reducing commuting times for your employees, you free up valuable time for them to focus on important tasks and take on challenges in a comfortable environment without the stress of peak hour travel. This is a particular effective option for employees whose job requires frequent travels.

Even more importantly, less time on the road means less risk of an accident or injury, so virtual offices also heavily promote safety – and a healthier environment. Opting for the virtual office prevents an up to 47,320 metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere any given year. For companies whose brands proudly embrace green initiatives, this is an ideal motion to help reinforce their commitment to the cause.

How to go virtual?

A virtual office relies heavily on technology, and where technology is key to the success of your business, you need a backup plan. In the event of an IT malfunction, it is absolutely necessary for you to have cloud storage, flash drives or external hard drives at your disposal to preserve important business information. Never rely solely on one form of storage to save your work. Where your backup is an external device, ensure that it is portable.

A downside of a virtual office is that employees lose motivation outside a formal office environment. For employees whose jobs require travel or field trips, keeping them focused and free from distraction is critical to the success of your virtual office. An effective way of doing this could be creating short term and long term goals and key performance indicators to measure performance. Where appropriate, setting up a personal rewards system may also provide your employees with incentives to reach certain professional milestones.

The right technology choices

Given the benefits of a virtual office, it is essential that your business uses the right technology and platforms to make things work. Investing in high-quality and highly customisable rental software can make all the difference for your virtual office. 

Contact us today to find out how you can manage equipment and get access to important information in real time.