Every startup has to figure out its own way to get ahead of the curve. We all have our own preferences and procedures that feel right, and we know when something feels a bit off-kilter. Cost is such a precious factor that it can cause a massive problem well before the business has had a chance to take off properly. The concept of streamlining is a regular fixture in larger businesses to try and shave costs off the company, but if you’re penny-pinching in a brand new business, it can be hard to contemplate which areas need shaving. Here are three that are definitely worth considering.
Basic Admin Functions
The amount of little tasks that add up to the equivalent of a few large tasks is something which is seldom thought about. An email response here, a small bit of data entry there, it all adds up! The solution? Automate as many functions as you possibly can. Automated email responses and Customer Retail Management systems that bubble away in the background means that your staff isn’t wasting time on little email responses to the customer to keep them tied over. Undertaking a holistic view of the company and seeing where each process can benefit from automation will increase productivity in other areas, which is exactly what you need to think about.
Your Carbon Footprint
It’s not really thought about as a method to streamline business processes, but if you look at the amount of paper, you could possibly waste during a month on unnecessary printouts for meetings it is a cost you could utilize better elsewhere. Although a startup is a penny-pinching operation for some, investing in tablets for each staff member to use, or integrating PDF management software, which helps with digitizing existing paper files, will help. The process of digitizing your paper files doesn’t have to be a lengthy process and is something that it is worth considering doing as an outsourcing effort to make sure that it is done speedily.
The Staff
The people working in your startup are all vital pieces of the puzzle! Each person is reliant on the next in the chain to make sure that everything is done as quick and efficiently as possible. The whole hiring process can take up a valuable chunk of time, so you need to streamline your hiring process. Many companies feel that they need to take the time to sift through each application form and CV, which sounds like a good idea in theory, but it is more a time-wasting exercise than anything. Keep to strict criteria, and specify this in your job advertisement. It means you can get back to the job at hand much quicker, and by laying everything up front before the whole hiring process begins means that there is less chance for employee complications down the line. It can be easy to place your company as reliant on staff to fill seats at the beginning, but you are doing your business, and yourself, a disservice.