The aim of any new business should be to save time and money when it comes to processes. Finding helpful practices that cut down on costs and time will help save you money, but also alleviate the workload on your employees, making for a much more happy office atmosphere. As we progress through the years, old technologies and methods are constantly being swapped out for modern, more efficient methods.
Parcel lockers
If you’re a small business, having somewhere where you can efficiently pick up any deliveries, could spare your company a lot of hassle. Companies such as Parcel Pending provide secure lockers for a wide variety of packages. This prevents couriers from taking the parcel back to their depot as a result of no-one being available to pick them up at reception. Using a delivered parcel locker could help your business effectively retrieve important deliveries without experiencing significant delays as a result of failed deliveries.
Update all network software
If there’s one major factor that eats away at time and finances, it’s a security threat. Having your information hacked, or having to stop business for a day due to a network fault can be hugely frustrating. If you want to save both money and time in the long run, ensure that all of your software and network security are completely up-to-date. The simple cost of hiring an engineer could outweigh the future cost of having to retrieve all your data.
Show an active interest in customers
In a world where start-ups are becoming increasingly popular, you may need to go that extra mile for your customers. Any emails, newsletters, electronic receipts, or media that leaves your business should feature a call-to-action. Invite customers to sign-up for deals, join special events, or take advantage of new offers. Even if you are strictly B2B, you should talk to other businesses and clients with the same enthusiasm and generosity as you would with a new customer. Calls-to-action requires little time to implement: it just takes someone to tweak your marketing material in a way that actively reaches out to your customers.
Use data for marketing
Flashy marketing techniques are of little use if you don’t have the data to support using them. Doing some extensive market research to discover who your core audience is will help you secure an active interest from a real group of people who are more inclined to use your business. Before your marketing team begins a long-term strategy, ensure that they have done some research beforehand. Holding meetings to decide what your average customer looks like, what their values are, and what they would respond to will help you curate marketing material that really works. This will save you plenty of time in the future: there will be no need to completely overhaul your strategy if it’s researched thoroughly.
Implementing new business practices are brilliant for regenerating your business’ brand and approach to trading. They can save you time and money in the future, by helping to create smoother processes and more effective means of communication.
