Running a small or medium-sized business often means balancing multiple roles, stretching resources, and finding ways to increase productivity without adding complexity.
We will be talking about how to build and efficiency plan for your business which can help you develop and grow.
Step 1: Define Your Objectives
The first step to improving efficiency is setting clear, measurable goals.
Tip: Ask yourself: Which tasks or processes are taking up the most time?
- Identify Problems: Look at common pain points in your workflow. This might include repetitive tasks, poor communication channels, or manual data entry.
- Set SMART Goals: For each problem, set a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goal to improve it.
Examples could be “Reduce document search time by 50%” or “Automate 80% of customer follow-ups by year-end.”
- Prioritise Goals: Rank these goals by impact and urgency to ensure you tackle the most pressing issues first.Tip: Provide a general timeline for each job and a ideal completion date
Step 2: Choose the Right Tools for the Job
With efficiency goals in place, the next step is selecting tools that can help you achieve them. Microsoft offers a range of productivity tools, many of which are perfect for SMEs looking to streamline tasks and improve collaboration.
Tool Suggestions:
Microsoft To-Do and Planner:
Tip: Use it to break down big goals into manageable tasks.
Purpose: Task and project management.
Benefit: Helps teams stay organised and on top of deadlines.
Example: Set up Planner to outline tasks for a client project, assigning deadlines and responsibilities to team members for greater accountability.
Microsoft OneDrive:
Purpose: Document storage and sharing.
Benefit: Organises documents in a secure, centralised location, making it easy to access and share files from anywhere.
Example: Use OneDrive to store frequently used templates and documents, so team members always have access to the latest versions.
Power BI:
Purpose: Data analysis and visualisation.
Benefit: Allows you to track business metrics, giving you insight into performance and identifying areas for improvement.
Example: Set up Power BI to monitor key metrics like monthly sales, customer acquisition rates, and project timelines.
Step 3: Create Workflow Automation with Power Automate
A great efficiency booster is automation, reducing repetitive workflows and the need for manual intervention, freeing up time for more strategy based work.
Identify Tasks for Automation: Focus on repetitive tasks like customer follow-ups, invoice creation, or data entry.
Set Up a Basic Flow in Power Automate: Create a trigger
Example:
A new lead enters your email list,
Add an action
Send a welcome email
Monitor and Refine: Test each automation and refine it as needed. Look for additional automation opportunities as your team becomes more comfortable with using it.
Example Workflow: Set up an automation to notify the sales team in Microsoft Teams whenever a new lead is added, along with a follow-up task in Planner.
Step 4: Empower Your Team with Efficient Communication
Efficient communication can impact overall productivity. Clear and streamlined communication means fewer delays, misunderstandings, and unneeded work.
Tips for Improving Communication:
- Use Microsoft Teams: Encourage the team to use channels for specific projects, avoiding long email threads. Teams keeps conversations organised and easily searchable.
Tip: Make sure to back up any important chats and create threads for important links, Teams newest update deletes chat history older than 30 days. - Regular Check-ins: Schedule weekly check-ins using Teams or Planner to discuss project updates, challenges, and milestones.
Tip: Add dates to the tasks that may not be high priority but would improve any other areas of business such as admin, this avoids them getting lost and helps your team keep track. - Shared Resources: Store essential resources, guidelines, and frequently asked questions in a shared location, like SharePoint, for easy access.
Example: Create a dedicated channel in Teams for each project where documents, discussions, and tasks are centralised. This makes it easy for team members to collaborate and stay up-to-date.
Step 5: Regularly Review and Optimise Your Efficiency Plan
As your business grows, new challenges and issues may arise. Regularly reviewing and optimising your efficiency plan keeps it relevant and effective.
Steps:
- Monthly Efficiency Check: Schedule a monthly or quarterly review to assess what’s working well and what needs adjustment.
- Collect Team Feedback: Encourage team members to share feedback on the tools and processes in place. They might have insights into what could be improved.
- Update Goals and Tools: As your business develops, revisit your goals and consider introducing new tools or workflows to address changing needs.
Conclusion
Creating a Business Efficiency Plan tailored to your business needs can transform the way you work, helping you do more with fewer resources. By setting clear goals, using the right tools, and regularly reviewing your processes, you can build an agile and efficient business ready to grow.
Ready to put your efficiency plan into action or want some more support? Why not contact us for more information on how ATL can help you.