(Image source: pixabay.com)
Let’s start with an obvious question … what is ‘Business Efficiency’ and how does it impact your overall strategy.
Well in simple terms, it’s a measure of how much an organisation can produce or deliver and producing ‘more’ from ‘less’ will always have a higher level of business efficiency. It’s the reason why so many companies strive for it as part of their strategic thinking.
Standard measures of business efficiency include metrics such as Return on Investment (ROI), operational efficiency, labour productivity, and process efficiency. In the current age of environmental consciousness and sustainability, many of our clients here at Oriri are also focusing on more specialised benchmarks such as energy efficiency and eco-efficiency.
In terms of business processes and financial efficiency, we’ve observed that “doing more with less” often equates to working smarter, rather than harder.
In this blog piece, we offer six measures can you implement, to improve the efficiency of your business as part of your overall plan, but remember it’s about strategy and not just tactics.
1. Establish Clear Goals
To have any chance of boosting business efficiency, you’ll need to think SMART:
Specific: What are your business efficiency goals?
Measurable: Define your KPIs.
Achievable: Goals should be attainable and realistic.
Relevant: Goals should be in line with the overall objectives of the enterprise.
Time-bound: You should establish clear timelines.
At Oriri, we always recommend that these goals are reviewed consistently as this enables you to evaluate your progress, identify any issues and implement any necessary changes to your plan.
2. Automate Your Processes
Minimising human error and eliminating repetitive tasks is another way to boost efficiency. You can achieve this by automating processes and workflows. Business automation software and tools can reduce your dependence on error-prone activities and increase operational efficiency by speeding up tasks.
At Oriri, we recommend that before committing resources to automation platforms and software, you should first make an assessment of which repetitive tasks and business processes will gain the most from being automated. Yes, this may involve some initial outlay of capital, but the cost of automation will be offset quickly by increased productivity.
3. Review your costs
Most businesses review their costs on an annual basis, it seems to be best practice, but part of any business strategy should be a more consistent and on-going review process. Why wait a year to find out that you’re spending too much money on needless travel expenses, vehicle leasing or overtime because by that point, the damage has been done.
Ongoing reviews enable businesses to spot the red flags and react in the most effective way possible. Not waiting to review costs will have a much greater impact on your overall plan and will create efficiencies now, not in months to come.
4. Review organisation design
Again, many businesses don’t always stop and take a good hard look at what they already have. Doing so will always highlight where efficiencies can be achieved. At Oriri we always recommend that organisational designs are reviewed as part of the ongoing process.
Aligning roles properly, creating better workflows, achieving stronger chains of command are all part of that process and done properly will invariably secure business efficiencies.
5. Staying focused
While technology has made multi-tasking more viable, it doesn’t always improve business efficiency and many businesses find that multi-tasking leaves work uncompleted.
At Oriri, we recommend creating focus by having strategic review meetings. Far too many businesses spend time and money creating an overall strategy just to file it away. It has to be a living, breathing plan of action that is checked and reviewed constantly, that way businesses owners know when they’re on track and more importantly when they’re not because adjustments can then be made
6. Partner with Specialists
Consider partnering with a specialist organisation that offers expertise in strategic planning, process implementation, and business optimisation.
Oriri works with customers to effectively manage the people, processes, and strategic factors that determine and maximise business efficiency and success. We partner with our customers to ensure that Oriri solutions become investments and not merely costs.
We provide expertise on people, their operations, and the environments that surround them. We help businesses adapt, transform, and develop by working alongside them to bring about a better, more improved way of working. That improvement creates more profitability, efficiency, and sustainability.
To find out more about how Oriri can help to improve business efficiency at your organisation in 2023, get in touch with us.