When one of the first beauty box startups, Birchbox, started expanding from having only eight employees back in 2010 to having more than 300 only four years later, its founders knew a huge amount of optimization had to be done in every aspect of their business. From standardizing tasks, hiring and specializing employees, to finding better logistics, stock, and shipping solutions. This startup went through iteration upon iteration of optimization in order to achieve efficiency on all levels. This enabled Birchbox to cut overhead costs and remain sustainable, despite the huge and dangerous growth they experienced.
Today, companies have a variety of software solutions to help them with these tasks. Using software to create, organize, and manage employees and their daily tasks, as well as whole projects, strategies, and various types of data saves a lot of time and decreases costs, keeping companies on the safe side while providing further growth and development possibilities. So how exactly do these softwares and apps achieve that godlike level of efficiency?
Make it fast, easy, and accessible
Being efficient means performing a task as quickly as possible, with less resources spent. Well, that’s what Flash does anyway. When it comes to other people, they appreciate all the help they can get in finishing daily tasks. If a mobile modern maintenance system can keep their operations running smoothly, you can be sure that’s their new digital work bestie.
In the overly busy world we live in, software that is clear and easy to use, yet doesn’t leave room for making mistakes, is considered the new standard. A step up in reaching ultimate efficiency is being able to do all of this on the go. Everyone is now well-versed in using mobile devices, so handing them a pocket-sized system that keeps them connected and more efficient isn’t a major systemic change that takes months or years to implement. In fact, most employees welcome the change.
All that tracking
One of the most frustrating things is not having or waiting for feedback about the work that’s been done. One of the best ways to be on top of things is to use enterprise solutions that enable faster communication among technicians and other staff, even reporting straight to C-level executives automatically and regularly. Having oversight and the right information at the right moment has always been and will always be a paramount.
Among other things, business owners are worried about different kinds of costs almost everyday. Various cost and asset-tracking features enable efficient oversight when it comes to fixed and variable costs that a business encounters on daily basis. Complicated but necessary tasks like tracking equipment, distribution vehicles, and invoices can now all be a few easy clicks away. No unnecessary paperwork, phone calls to and from a partner company or the bank, and no more having to worry about an invoice getting lost in the mail. There’s an app for that and businesses small and large are using them.
People matter too
Achieving overhead cuts in any business department depends on human resources as well. Whether you have skilled employees or not, it’s important to educate them about all the standard procedures that take place in your business, be it the software that’s used or communication protocols. Making sure every employee on each level has enough information to do the assigned task properly is the key to reaching business related goals.
Most often, 70% of a job well done comes from being well organized. Employees who are unable to organize their work independently will embrace these apps, while those who are master organizers will find that these tools increase their productivity and overall performance. It’s a win-win for both employers and employees. When cutting overhead costs, companies of all shapes and sizes should try to use the benefits that technology has brought to business. Getting started won’t always be easy or pretty, but it will definitely be worth it.
