Streamlining simplifies business processes for improved efficiency, results, and cost-effectiveness. It could be using technology-based solutions instead of manual approaches or eliminating redundant and sophisticated steps. Running a service business efficiently doesn’t come by chance. A typical one has many intertwined processes, including product development, sales, purchasing supplies, client acquisition, customer support, team member recruitment, marketing, financial planning, process improvement, and bookkeeping. It takes conscious effort to manage all these business activities efficiently. On the other hand, customer satisfaction is critical. Statistically, 90% of people in the US consider customer service when purchasing or ordering services from a company. Luckily, streamlining the processes in your service business contributes significantly to customer satisfaction. Below is how you can streamline your service business:
Evaluate existing processes
It’s best to first get an accurate picture of your typical business processes’ efficiency. Start by outlining all significant activities you handle daily. Order them from the most to least significant. Once you start the streamlining mission, you’ll know which tasks to prioritize. It’ll also help to outline the persons and resources involved in each process. As mentioned, streamlining involves cost-cutting. The fewer resources invested in an activity, the fewer expenses you incur, and your business becomes more profitable. Next, assess the processes in terms of time consumption. Compare them with industry standards and determine whether you’re slower or faster. For instance, if the average commute time over a 15 km distance is 10 minutes, and you’re spending 20 minutes, seek ways to reduce the time spent traveling. Lastly, check if there are unnecessary processes in your company’s operations. For example, it may not be necessary to print and append signatures on documents and re-scan them before sending them to the recipient. E-signing them is much easier and time-saving.
Upgrade your business technology
The very essence of business technology is to streamline processes. If you’re still relying too much on manual approaches, it’s time to embark on digital transformation. Consider that 80% of companies intend to use at least one latest technology for finance and operations. Don’t be left behind because customers may not understand your reluctance. On that note, one of the first ports of call is job management software. Every service business has specially designed software to manage most of the typical processes in that industry. For instance, the plumbers business software comes in handy if you’re a plumbing contractor. It helps you prepare job estimates, draft quotes and send them electronically to potential clients, schedule and dispatch workers to various job sites, prepare invoices for prompt payment, and organize client information. Using software instead of manual methods for these recurring processes saves time significantly, reduces costs, and minimizes errors.
Automate
Automation is where technological solutions perform business activities without human intervention. About 2,000 work activities across 800 professions could be automated. These include social media posting, blogging, website traffic tracking, event registration, customer support, responding to emails, sending invoice reminders, paying bills, backing up files, job recruitment, and lead generation. Identify some processes in your business you can automate. This means you’ll have fewer employees, reducing your operating costs. Moreover, automation eliminates the errors typical of manual methods. Improving accuracy in your business processes goes a long way to impressing customers and inducing loyalty.
Outsource
Like automation, you can delegate some business processes to third-party contractors instead of maintaining a whole in-house department. For instance, employing full-time information technology (IT) specialists is quite expensive, given their average annual salary of USD$51,679 to USD$65,313 in the US as of 2022. Furthermore, you must provide office space for the entire team, offer benefits, and pay taxes. And still, you may never have all the desired skills because of how wide IT is. A better option, in this case, is outsourcing IT support services. At a fixed monthly fee, your IT systems will be kept in check by a team of experts with vast professional experience. Other tasks you can outsource include accounting, customer service, shipping, marketing, lead generation, and blogging.
Train your team members
Investing in the professional development of your team members is important. They’re the ones who manage most of the business processes. Thus, imparting the requisite skills in them leads to faster execution of tasks and fewer errors. This, in turn, dazzles clients, influencing them to do business with you. So, roll out regular training programs for your staff to refine their skills. Besides training, you may want to motivate your crew to put in the effort required to achieve your business’s mission. A highly motivated team member radiates positive energy, captivating customers’ imaginations and convincing them they’re working with the right company. You can give rewards or word-of-mouth compliments whenever your workers achieve a milestone.
Minimize paperwork
An essential aspect of streamlining your service business is minimizing paperwork and adopting digital solutions. Paperwork is typically bulky, error-prone, and costly. At the current stage of technological advancement, you don’t have to depend on physical paper documents. You can operate digitally and achieve the same goals. Some ways to reduce paperwork are as follows:
- Never print emails, as anyone can read them from mobile devices or computers. You don’t have to print schedules and meeting notes too.
- Print on both sides of a paper instead of one.
- Back up files electronically instead of printing, filing, and keeping them in cabinets.
- Adopt e-signatures.
- Take notes electronically.
- Use workplace platforms for collaboration.
- Send soft-copy invoices.
Ditching paperwork for digital documents enhances collaboration and reduces the time it takes to approve and share documents.
Reduce location dependence
It may not be absolutely necessary to handle all tasks from the business premises. If some errands can be done remotely, allow your crew to work from wherever is appropriate. This kind of arrangement is especially ideal for computer-based tasks, like tech support, writing, project management, web designing, content marketing, bookkeeping, and customer support. Remote working helps cut travel times, a significant time waster for service businesses.
Conclusion
Streamlining your service business requires a thorough understanding of what processes consume more-than-enough time or are unnecessary. Once you figure this out, work towards reducing the time to perform such tasks. In most cases, replacing manual processes with technology-based solutions works like magic. Ultimately, your customers are impressed by your efficiency, fast response times, and premium quality products.