Looking to shave off some of your expenditure? Streamlining business processes can claw back profits. – If you are lucky enough to own still and operate an SME business after Covid-19 did its best to destroy you, then you are one of the elites. Many companies didn’t make it. More than 100k in the restaurant industry alone. Those of us still operating deserve a hearty pat on the back.
Pat on the back or not, we all took some severe knocks in the last six quarters. Several of us are not out of the woods yet. Though many small business owners have cut back after cut back, we are still barely skimming the surface. We are faced with a choice: downsize and cut back or lose our livelihoods.
Unless, of course, you had some streamlining help.
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All Business Processes Can Be Streamlined
That’s right – every business process you control can be streamlined, from the front to the back. So your business, regardless of what industry or sector it is in, can be simplified to make savings.
Say you are one of the few surviving restaurants or hotels. You should be in close control of your stock and ordering policies. Small changes here and there could mean your ordering comes more into line with what you are selling. Likewise, running out of the odd ingredient will add exclusivity to your unique dishes, although admittedly, nobody should be running out of main dishes for every service.
The way we do customer service in any given business is another area ripe to be streamlined. Some field service management software might help those businesses that have employees out in the field today. You could give each of your electrician’s access to your entire product catalogue to help them make on-site sales, for example. Another excellent catalog suggestion is to eliminate the middleman on your shop floor by ditching bricks and mortar sales establishments and shipping from the warehouse straight to your client.
The point is that all aspects of your business can be streamlined, so here is how you break it down.
Streamline Your Business In Three Separate Sections
To effectively streamline your electrician’s cost-effective business operations, cut it down into three chunks.
The first stage is when and how your customers approach you. How do they find you? How do you get them in the door? Look at market research to find out where you attract your most clients and then concentrate your advertising in this area. If your shopfront brings them in, invest in other signage. If your online presence brings them in, invest in a blog writer to keep your material current. You get the idea.
The second stage is in the provision of goods and services. This will change per industry and sector of the market but always comes back to the same questions. Ask yourself if you are as cost effective as possible. Ask yourself if you can save staff time or if the economic materials you are using are helping or hindering your processes. Consider the machinery you use. Would an update increase production? Ask your staff. What do they think?
The third and final stage is in the shipping and delivery processes. Would a packaging audit help save on deliveries and exports? Are you shipping as cheaply as you can? Do you regularly have EU goods turned back, and if so, what can you do about it?
Streamlining Could Save Your Business
It’s a lot to take in, but you should see positive returns before the month is out if you have followed our advice.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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