Six Strategies to Increase Your Business Efficiency

Running a wholesale business is no easy feat. Keeping up with the demands of your booming enterprise can take its toll which is why focussing on increased efficiency is important if you want to create a sustainable and successful business. 

1.BUILD AN EFFECTIVE TEAM

Your people can help you achieve maximum production efficiency. The key here is to encourage teamwork amongst your staff, enhance their performance, and reinforce team roles. You need to make sure they know their set responsibilities and that they are held accountable for any tasks given to them. It’s also important that you recognise their good performance and reward them for a job well done. 

2. STREAMLINE YOUR WORK PROCESS

How efficient your business can actually become really depends on your workflow. So it’s a good idea to assess your current processes and see if there are any stages or steps that are stopping you from reaching optimal efficiency.

By identifying the road blocks you can either find ways to remove them or at the very least lessen their impact. Some cumbersome work processes that can be improved include managing your orders via spreadsheets, sending paper invoices, and manually tracking your inventory. When your work processes are seamless it will not only save you an enormous amount of time but the flow on affect is that your staff will become far more productive as well. 

3. AUTOMATE YOUR ADMIN TASKS

If you can’t completely eliminate the time-consuming and repetitive tasks that you've identified as problematic, you could look at automating them. This strategy will make your life easier and will help you get more work done.

Within the market today, there are many tools that can automate your most complicated admin tasks. There are inventory systems, attendance and payroll systems, accounting software, and even order management apps that are capable of making these important admin tasks easier so you can have more time to do what you love.

4. LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY

In this golden age of technology solutions you no longer have to rely solely on people to keep your business ticking along. By incorporating technology into your business you can reduce the amount of work that you need to do each day.

Ordermentum is a great example of how technology can help you create impactful business efficiencies. This tech-platform provides a one-click ordering solution that helps your customers get all their orders and payments in on time. It eliminates the paperwork you hate which means you can focus more on customer experience and on the other things that also matter to your business.

5. MAKE YOUR RESOURCES AVAILABLE ALL THE TIME

No matter how great and highly productive your staff are, if you don’t give them the tools and equipment they need to be able to work properly, you can’t achieve optimal production efficiency. Make sure that you have reliable kitchen appliances in place; and if you’re leveraging technology, like POS systems, accounting software, and payment apps, make sure that they’re also working seamlessly to prevent unnecessary complications in your business processes.

6. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR INVENTORY

Not being able to fulfil your customers’ orders because you've run out of supplies can lead to a lot of stress and pressure not to mention a loss of customers! To avoid this, it's important to  pay close attention to your inventory either with the help of a professional or through the use of a dedicated inventory system. Inventory systems let you track your stock levels in real-time so you’ll know when you’re running out of products and when you need to replenish your stores.

The strategies that we've shared are some of the most effective ones that we've come across but improving efficiencies within your business doesn't need to be overwhelming. You can start with simple changes that can have a big impact and ensuring that you are constantly on the look out for ways to improve your operations will keep you in good stead.