How many times have you heard the saying, “time is money”? It’s never been truer for the small business owner who simply can’t afford to waste time. Technology offers countless opportunities to maximize efficiency within your business, therefore, saving you time. When your business is operating efficiency, it gives you more time to market your business and increase your profits.
Technology allows for faster data processing, easier retrieval of information, and in some cases automation can save your money by reducing your amount of physical employees. When people perform tasks by hand, it can be time consuming and full of human errors. When technology is used for repetitive operations, mistakes are reduced, and the time it takes to complete the task is shortened dramatically.
Remember when an employee would have to take a physical impression of the credit card in order to make a payment using one? That’s a huge step back from how credit card payments are made now. Orders are processed much faster, making it possible to service more customers in the same amount of time.
In addition to making processes quicker, technology also makes it easy to keep information up to date. Instead of searching through a room of file cabinets to update a customer’s address, a few clicks of the mouse and can pull up a customer file from a database.
If you want a business that is running efficiently, the use of technology is imperative. Here are some ideas to get you started…
Automate Tasks to Save Time
Are there tasks that you do repeatedly, that you could automate with technology? Let’s think about newsletters: Why write a new email to welcome each person as they subscribe to your mailing list when you can use a newsletter service to automatically send newsletters out to multiple people? If you accept payments through your site, look for options that allows invoices to be sent out automatically. Utilize services that allows you to automate tasks so that you can spend time doing other things for your business.
Learn your Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are available to help make work easier and smoother. These shortcuts allow you to input data faster and easier. Shortcut keys refers to giving instructions to the computer through the keyboard. Certain number of keys are available to pass info to the computer instead of mouse. These shortcut keys option are more suitable because it is easier than dragging a mouse.
Many users may find it difficult to operate the keys shortcuts because they are doing it first time or they are not master in performing. Once you are able to master, you can do any big data entry work in quick minutes. Some operation systems, such as Mac, allows users to create their own keyboard shortcuts.
Don’t Be Afraid of The Cloud
Utilizing the Cloud allows work to be done anytime, anywhere. The ability to share information seamlessly and work on projects together away from the office can completely transform the way things are done.
Before the Cloud was being implemented, workers would have had to call and email each other to collaborate for a project. Now, you can access any updates in real time. Trust me: the savings add up over time! The time saved allows you to be more productive. You can access files from wherever, process transactions on the spot, and so much more!
Is your Calendar Full?
Computers and smartphones now have calendar apps that are pre-programmed into the devices. Use these calendars and set reminders so that you don’t miss anything important. If you don’t like the stock calendar, there are tons of free calendars that you can download and use. Also, you can share your calendar with other employees and clients. Keep in mind that while working in an environment where everyone can view your Outlook or Google calendar can be convenient, it can also set you up for problems. Others may view empty spaces as opportunities to schedule meetings, even if you intended to use the time for other tasks. Instead of leaving your calendar in the hands of others, block out the time you need to handle critical tasks. That way you won’t be thrown off by an unexpected meeting.
Different types of technology can help your business maximize efficiency and productivity, decrease expenses and increase profitability. Consider how your business operates and determine which technologies will benefit your business in terms of saving time and increasing your bottom line.