Starting a small-to-medium sized business, may it be in Australia or anywhere else across the globe, has many challenges. Raising sufficient funds for the same, finding quality manpower, branding, setting up processes as per global standards and to comply with quality assurance requirements – is nothing short of a gigantic task in itself. When there are so many factors to consider, it is worthwhile to resort to simplifying business processes for increased efficiency and time saving.
Example:
- Setup online meetings and conferences whenever possible, instead of rushing outdoors to attend an in-person meeting at every stage/ phase of the project
- Employ CRM tools for better management of leads and existing customers
- Do away with traditional faxing method and send fax online for important business documents. Similarly, receive fax online as attachments with email, using third party service providers
- Setup small pantry in the office itself, encouraging staff to get refreshments without leaving the office premises
- Use time-management and task-management tools for employees to plan their required output
- Employ quality Human-resource management tools taking care of talent acquisition, employee retention, as well as employee development.
These systems are just use of various applications that are readily available in the market, or can be custom developed based on business requirements. These may require one-time investment in its purchase, or might have a recurrent cost associated with it depending on the type of subscription and its validity period. However, they enable businesses to up-scale or down-scale the extent of the processes as they grow or streamline with increasing experience in the market. This flexibility offered to an SMB is highly valuable.
Alongwith, it also offers other benefits as: savings on time and cost, improved efficiency, increased motivation among the employees, and most importantly, increased customer satisfaction as an end result.