In today’s always-on competitive environment, improving business productivity through efficient, streamlined processes is essential for success. You can optimise the use of resources, reduce operational expenses, and deliver the optimal customer services. Studies have shown that you can also increase profit by 21% if you follow tips like the ones below:
Top 10 tips on how to increase productivity in business
At OneAdvanced, we have years of sector expertise in the sectors we serve. We understand how to leverage technology to boost your business productivity and ensure you remain competitive. Here are our top ten tips to help you with.
Recognise the importance and set your goals
- Understand the value of productivity: Before directly jumping into the process of productivity enhancement, you need to first understand the benefits that high productivity brings to your business. This includes efficient resource utilisation, speedy service delivery, and optimal customer satisfaction. Additionally, increased productivity can lead to lower expenses, enhanced employee engagement, better competitive positioning, and greater innovation. It also offers societal advantages, such as paperless tasks, reduced carbon footprint, and overall societal betterment.
- Set clear goals and objectives: Often, goal setting is neglected in business, resulting in a disconnect between departments and teams. Once you understand the importance of productivity, establish clear and achievable goals that align with your business objectives. Using SMART framework – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely – is a prudent approach. You can effectively set objectives, clarify your ideas with your team, focus your efforts, and utilise your time and resources productively.
Audit your workflows and systems to simplify them
- Analyse your existing workflows and digital tools: Inefficient workflows, outdated tools, and manual mundane tasks are the root causes of poor productivity in the workplace. Therefore, begin with analysing all your existing workflows and digital systems to uncover gaps in efficiency and areas for improvement. Then, identify all the elements involved in the workflow, including people, documents, data, systems, applications, and time. You can gain a holistic visibility into the work and how work is accomplished. If you want to explore the three simple steps on how to analyse your workflows and system, download our eBook today!
- Simplify them effectively: Based on the evaluation of workflows, identify the areas where you can automate redundant processes to streamline operations. OneAdvanced’s sector-specific software can assist you in simplifying tasks, reducing errors, and improving overall work efficiency. Our portfolios encompass Financial Management, Spend Management, Workforce Management, People Management, and Governance & Risk, all underpinned by a resilient cloud platform providing common services for data & analytics, security and AI to simplify your complex work processes, transform the way you work, and build a productive culture in your company.
Work smart, not harder
- Cut down time on duplication: According to Asana’s report, The Anatomy of Work Index, employees waste more than 10% of their weekly time on duplicating efforts, which is an average of 4 hours 38 minutes each week. These duplicative efforts include tasks like copying and pasting data, preparing paperwork, storing and/or searching for files, sending emails, and entering data into online systems. Implementing workflow management solutions with automation capabilities can help your workforce spend less time on duplication and focus more on strategic activities. Also, by automatically assigning tasks to relevant teammates and syncing calendars with deadlines, a simple automation tool can simplify your day and boost productivity
- Organise your data: According to a McKinsey report, employees spend 1.8 hours daily – approximately 9.3 hours in a week – searching for and gathering information. Cloud-based workflow management tools can help you centralise your data on one dashboard. This means, you can access the data from anywhere, at any time. Also, you can spend less time passing on information and more time for in-depth analysis, which drives high productivity and move the business forward.
Automation is key
- Automate your workflows: Another report from Mckinsey & Company reveals that about 60% of all occupations have at least 30% of activities that could be automated. This highlights that automation is the key to workflow efficiency. Automation within end-to-end work processes eliminates repetitive and mundane tasks, boosting productivity by freeing up employee time for more strategic activities. At OneAdvanced, we assist customers in saving an average of 3,300 hours annually by automating their repetitive administrative tasks through our comprehensive suite of workflow automation tools.
- Choose the right workflow automation tool: Workflow automation is not just a fashion; it’s a necessity for increasing productivity in the workplace. However, with numerous options available in the market, getting confused about choosing the right workflow automation tool is obvious. Therefore, look for a solution that allows you to automate your specific workflows and integrates seamlessly with your existing in-house systems. Additionally, ensure it is tailored to fit your unique requirements backed by excellent customer support.
Focus on employee training and development program
- Train your employees: Embracing the right digital tools to streamline your work and enhance productivity is only worthwhile if your workforce knows how to use them efficiently. Train your employees on how to use cutting-edge digital tools to gain maximum benefits. At OneAdvanced, we believe in continuous learning and help our customers achieve the same. We not only assist you in implementing digital work management software but also provide the necessary resources, guides, tutorial videos, and other essential materials to train and make your employees efficient on how to fully utilise the new digital tools.Want to explore how we help our customers in implementing digital transformation tools? Download our eBook today!
- Initiate other skill development programs: Improving productivity is not only about equipping workforce with digital training; there are other necessary skills required to enhance productivity within your company. Initiate a skill development program that encompasses courses on core workplace skills such as time management, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. This will not only benefit individual employees but also improve overall business productivity. Our suite of interconnected digital transformation tools empowers customers, and their workforce to automate their daily and repetitive tasks, freeing up their time to focus on training and development opportunities. We support them in developing a qualified and skilled talent pool within the broader context of organisational progress and innovation.
In conclusion, streamlining workflows through digital transformation tools, automation, and employee training are the essential for improving business productivity. Adopting the top 10 tips mentioned above can help you overcome workflow challenges, drive efficiency, boost employee engagement, and ultimately deliver optimal customer satisfaction.
What else? For a deeper dive into these essential practices, download our comprehensive eBook, “Power your productivity” today and take first step toward a more productive and profitable future!