Running a business is a challenging task for many. You will need to make sure that you are able to increase the efficiency in your organization and make use of the technology available, or you will be left behind by your competitors. There are plenty of things you can now simplify using technology; mobile, cloud, or specific to your industry. Staying competitive in a crowded market is not easy, and that is why you have to dig deeper into different solutions and make your employees’ and clients’ life easier. Below you can find out more about what you can achieve in your business using technology the right way.
Track Your Inventory
Keeping track of your orders and your deliveries individually might be a little bit old school. You want to give your customers instant answers, instead of asking the relevant department and making them wait. There are plenty of great connected inventory management systems that will allow you to get up to date information on what you have coming, when it will arrive, and whether or not your suppliers are going to make the delivery on time. If you connect your own systems with your suppliers’, you will be able to serve your own customers better.
Monitor Your Employees
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It is also crucial that you are able to track the performance of your employees and make sure that they comply with the regulations. As an example, if you are in the construction industry, you will need to ensure that all your workers are doing the job as well as they should and are making progress, without the need to be present on site all the time. While you can appoint supervisors, it is possibly a good idea to allow your workers to report the progress using their mobile systems, so you can monitor the project and identify problems early. Communication is a good way of improving your services and getting rid of bottlenecks in your processes.
Identify Risks
While most companies in the construction or engineering industry are required to regularly carry out risk assessments and update their policies, it might be a good idea to monitor the risks constantly and make sure they are identified on time. As a part of Lean organizational management, you will need to constantly look out for areas of improvement and risks that can cause damage to your business or your clients. From implementing a pressure monitoring system to remotely checking the temperature of different machines, there are several ways you can reduce the risks in your business.
Collaborate Remotely
It is important that you collaborate with your suppliers, but working with a larger team also poses challenges. You will need to make the most out of your technology and ensure that you are able to improve the communication between teams and individual members. Let’s say that some of your staff is working on site, and the client calls the office for an update, or wants to know whether or not they can change the layout of the room you are completing. Instead of spending time and money on traveling, you can share data and even measurements to answer the question immediately.
Improve Productivity
No matter if you run a consultancy firm or a delivery company, you will need to ensure that you are able to improve the productivity of your workers every day. You can implement automatic quality checks and measure every stage of the process to identify bottlenecks. For example, if you have a process map and want to reduce the delivery time, you will have to find out which element is holding you back and improve that area, instead of redesigning your entire supply chain and spending too much time and money
Measure Waste
If you would like to embrace Lean principles in your business, you will also have to focus on waste. You can use an advanced cloud based software that will allow you to measure and reduce waste, so you can save money and make your company more sustainable at the same time. From measuring water usage to monitoring the energy use and the temperature in your premises, there are plenty of ways you can reduce waste; time, resources, and raw materials.
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Deliver Training
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Cloud and internet technology can also be used to deliver staff training and share knowledge. You can sign up for online sites that will allow your employees to learn at their own pace from home or the office, without having to travel to a training venue. Another advantage of delivering training through the cloud is that you will get performance reports, and the systems will highlight your employees’ individual development areas and further training or coaching needs.
Automate Your Social Media
No company can survive the competition without increasing their digital presence. If you don’t currently have a marketing team, and would rather not outsource your content creation, chances are that you will need to find a technology that allows you to automate your updates and distribute your content without having to spend hours trying to brainstorm ideas. Social media automation will help you increase awareness and build a strong brand.
Map New Processes
If you want your employees’ help in delivering better services, you might want to find out more about the it shared services model. It is a great way to encourage collaboration between teams, and can be used when your company is embarking on a journey of mergers and acquisitions. You will be able to create a process map of transitioning different roles and tasks, simplifying processes, and improving the value you are providing for your customers, while reducing your human resource expenses and general waste.
If you would like to make technology work for you, it is important that you first identify the development areas in your business and map the processes to find the bottlenecks that hold your productivity back. Once you have found the problem areas, you can use the above technologies to make your business more efficient.
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