5 Simple Tech Tips to Increase Business Efficiency

When leveraged properly, technology is an engine for growth and innovation across an organisation. This is true no matter the type of business you're talking about or the industry it's operating in. The right technology strategy at the heart of your company can help guarantee that your employees are in sync with the assets they have available to them every day. That in turn generates the most important benefit of all: a workforce that is properly aligned with your own long-term vision for success too.

Because the truth is that technology is just a tool, the same as anything else. Having access to the tool doesn't matter if you don't know how to utilise it properly.

With that in mind, here are five incredibly simple (but very important) tech tips that you can use to create a more engaged workforce, a more productive workforce, and an environment where business efficiency is as high as it can possibly be, all at  the exact same time. 

1. Empower Communication Through Technology Strategy

Strengthening communication has always been one of the key elements on your path to increase efficiency, but what you may not realise is that technological advancements now allow you to take that idea even further. Never forget that according to one recent study, organisations with 100+ employees tend to waste an average of about $420,000 per year because of problems stemming form miscommunication. The right type of technology can help make sure that doesn't happen to you.

Microsoft Teams is a comprehensive chat and online meeting solution, allowing you to better collaborate with team members in your organisation. With it, you can integrate apps and third-party services and connect with all your devices so you can customise your process and experience in a way that fits the needs of your organisation. It brings you the benefit of real-time messaging, business calling, and enterprise security and manageability which boosts productivity and increases teamwork. It goes a long way in helping you work smarter, not harder.

2. Time Tracking & Better Visibility

Speaking of staff efficiency, one of the core elements of your business's success is keeping people on track and on the same page at all times. Thankfully, there are also tech-based solutions to help make that happen, particularly when it comes to time tracking and general organisational skills.

Investing in an online productivity tracking and collaboration solution, such as Microsoft Teams, Yammer, or other softwares, will give you an incredible amount of visibility over your entire workforce. If someone has fallen behind on a project, you don't have to wait to discover it, you'll know immediately — and have the chance to correct it. You'll also be able to use this actionable information to find out more about goal tracking, project management, and more.

3. Working Smarter through Digitisation

Digitisation is all about taking as many manual tasks as you possibly can and automating them at every opportunity.

To get an idea of just how beneficial this can be, consider it within the context of a CRM system and your relationship between your sales team and your clients and/or customers. The right CRM solution can automate the communications side of things, guaranteeing that you always reach out to new clients (or follow-up with existing ones) at exactly the right moment, allowing your salesforce to better manage their workflow at the exact same time.

Those human employees can then focus less of their attention on routine administration and more on those situations where an actual, live person is actively needed. It lets them work "smarter, not harder" and frees up countless hours in a day so they can pursue the situations that actually require them too.

Research indicates that about 56% of the tasks that HR professionals complete every day could be automated, meaning there are gains to be enjoyed across nearly every aspect of your business with the right outlook. 

4. Going Paperless for Better Efficiency

With the right type of software, it's now possible to generate digital versions of nearly every document you and your team members are working with daily, from policy and procedure administration to employee file management to employee onboarding and more. You can even embrace the idea of digital signatures and platforms like Secure Signing to handle tasks like employee registration and onboarding, contracts distribution, letter offers, and beyond. 

When you consider that experts agree that a paperless office could save the average organisation about $32,000 per year apart from all of the efficiency gains they also experience, it's easy to see why this is very much one of those tech tricks you'll want to keep your eye on. 

5. Embracing the Cloud

The concept of a mobile workforce today relies on the use of cloud technology. Access files from anywhere without having to worry about forgetting where you saved it. Save time and never have to worry about having to email files to yourself so you can work on it at home or in the office. Everything you need is available anywhere you need it, significantly improving business performance along the way.

One study even estimates that companies can run 79% of their workload or more totally in the cloud, making this once again another one of those critical tech tips that you should be paying more attention to.

Powernet: Helping You Embrace the Future of Technology at Work

At Powernet, we've always believed that tech tips like these are simply the first chapter to increasing business efficiency. Over the last few decades we've seen incredible gains in information access, speed and more, and those trends show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

One of the many reasons why the future of the digital workplace is such a bright one is because it carries these ideas one step further. People want to work on the go. They already prefer communicating via instant messaging more than email. They're actively looking for assistance with regards to collaboration, communication and connection. Embracing these types of technological advancements is ultimately how you give them what they want, so that they can in turn give back to you by way of a better, stronger and more engaged group of people who are all focused on bringing your vision to life. 

Truly, what could be more important than that?

To find out more about how you can increase business efficiency and discover what an MSP might be able to do for your organisation, contact Powernet today.