If you could reduce the time and effort that it takes you to accomplish a task, how would you fill that time?
We’ve all struggled through a task and said to ourselves: “There has to be a quicker way to do this!” And generally, the answer is that there is a quicker way to do it, but do you know how to make that happen? Many times, the answer comes in the form of automation.
Automating processes or systems in your business is a powerful way to increase your efficiency. By increasing your efficiency, you can spend the time you saved on tasks that add value to your business or personal life instead of on the repetitive processes and mundane tasks that we so often find ourselves doing.
- Start by making a list of the tasks that take up your time. Do you think there’s an opportunity to automate those tasks?
- Take a closer look at the systems you currently use. They may have features that can help automate tasks. Invest the time to learn the features of your systems that you may not be currently using. A quick call or online chat with the support team may answer your questions or direct you to additional resources.
- Research new ways to handle a task that you want to automate. The internet is full of people with the same problems that you face, and they may have found a solution to your problem. Use their hard work to make your life easier.
- Think about new ways to do the same task. Instead of scrolling through data in your system, use the Find function to locate the information you need or use tools like Microsoft Excel. Most systems can export data into Excel where there are multiple tools to slice and dice that data into a usable format. If you don’t know about sorting, filtering, conditional formatting, pivot tables, and lookup functions, reach out to someone who does. You will be surprised at how quickly you can get a fresh, summarized look at your data simply by using these functions in the software that you probably already own.
- Talk with other people in your industry about the systems they use. You may find that they have a solution to the problem you face. It can be difficult to know if the sales pitch from a software vendor is really as good as it sounds. See what systems your competition uses and ask if they’re happy with those systems. Changing your systems can be a big undertaking, but if it gives you more information and makes your processes run more efficiently, it could be the right move.
- Make sure that your systems can “talk” with each other easily. If there are manual processes to move data from one system to another, you might need to look for a more seamless system.
- Look for systems that can do more than one thing. For example, if your payroll system is completely separate from your human resource management system, you may be entering data more than once. Systems that can take the data from one entry point and automatically direct it to multiple areas of the business bring enormous benefits to running an efficient operation.
- Look for ways to automate the distribution of information to your teams. Use your system’s ability to send automatic emails with daily or weekly information instead of crafting a new email each day.
There are numerous ways to increase your efficiency each day by finding new, automated ways to handle your business. At Rea & Associates, we work with thousands of businesses every year, and we see what works, as well as what doesn’t work. We can recommend systems that work efficiently for you.
We are here to give you the support and advice you need to automate your processes and take your business to the next level. Contact us today.
By Mike Lewis, Senior Manager (Dublin office)