Can you imagine how much more profitable your company would be if the business ran like a breeze? Tasks would be completed on time, stress levels would be reduced, and you might even leave the office on time every day. Well, it is actually possible to make the day to day running of your business like this. All it requires is that you seriously consider implementing these tips…

Plan ahead

Firstly, your business needs to remember the phrase “fail to plan and you plan to fail”. Planning ahead is absolutely critical if you want the working week to run smoothly, so every evening, before 5.30pm, make sure everyone writes to-do lists to be worked on throughout the following day. This way, you’ll all hit the ground running and find that your work day is peppered with less surprises.

Automate whatever you can

Secondly, if you want your business to run smoothly, automate whatever you can.
For example, employees need their paycheques, so invest in accounting software that automatically pays wages every month. Similarly, you might need to pay your suppliers, your landlord and your business insurers, so arrange for all of this to be paid via direct debit so that it doesn’t divert attention from what’s really important: running your business.

Invest in technology such as apps, software and plug ins

As well as automating whatever you can, you should consider investing in the right kind of technology to enable your business to run smoothly. For example, project management software will ensure that you and your team know what you need to do every day, what the status of a task is and what’s coming up in the future. There are lots of project management tools on the market, so you’ll need to do some research to figure out which one is the right choice for your business.

Then, consider getting an add-on for your software such as Upraise. Add-ons like this will allow for real-time continuous feedback so employees know exactly how they’re getting on and how their performance is being evaluated – saving lots of time and discontent when it comes to carrying out performance reviews. The add on will also ensure that everyone can keep track of their accomplishments and objectives, as well as saving time and energy for the HR department.

Google Calendar is another handy app your team should be using as things will run much more smoothly if you know where your staff are, which meetings are taking place, and even which rooms have been booked out. Also, Skype is a great piece of software for facilitating communication between colleagues and clients: you can use the video conferencing technology to talk to anyone in the world, which makes it perfect for talking to prospective clients as well keeping things running smoothly with colleagues who are working from home.

Have a team you can rely on

You should also be developing a culture where people don’t mind making a decision for themselves – even if they fail. Doing this lots of times is the only way to eventually build confidence, and confident employees are the ones who will execute decisions and keep your business running smoothly. Part of this will involve hiring people with the right attitude, recruiting people with a can-do approach to work and who are hungry to learn more. However, it’s also a good idea to write a manual so that everyone knows what to do in your absence as this will ensure that your team aren’t struggling to figure things out if you’re away for a period of time!

Encourage people to get out of their email inboxes

Finally, one of the smartest things you can do to ensure your business runs smoothly is getting people out of their inboxes. Employees waste a lot of time reading, replying to and writing emails, so encourage a culture whereby people move from behind their screens to talk to one another. Things actually happen when people talk face to faces, so monitor how many internal emails people are sending and receiving, and see if you can spot any parts of your business’s working processes where hold-ups are common.