Business owners are always looking for ways to increase productivity, but they also don’t want to stray too far from their typical routine. Fortunately, you don’t have to make drastic changes to your service business to become more productive. With some small changes, you and your employees can save time and work efficiently. Here are four ways service businesses can increase their productivity:
1. Eliminate motivation killers
Every business has a variety of motivation killers that slow productivity and affect the office’s atmosphere. Common motivation killers include disorganization, toxic people, poor communication, and a lack of opportunities for professional development.
The first step in getting rid of these problems is identifying them. Take a close look at your business to see where time is being wasted and ask your trusted employees for their honest input.
2. Use gamification
Motivating your employees is an essential step in increasing your productivity and getting rid of the motivation killers is only the first step. You should also actively try to motivate your workers, and gamification is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Gamification is the application of game elements like badges, points, and rankings to increase engagement. A healthy sense of competition between your employees can dramatically increase productivity, and everyone enjoys the sense of accomplishment that comes with winning a game or a challenge.
There are several enterprise gamification platforms that can integrate with your ERP or CMR platforms. If you incorporate gamification into your existing platforms, your employees will quickly get used to the system.
3. Update your technology
Technology is one of the best ways to enhance workplace productivity. Collaborative applications can help with organization, which will make your projects such as a sales proposal more streamlined. Mobile devices and cloud computing can make telecommuting a possibility for some of your employees, and many people work more efficiently from home.
If you send employees out into the field, current technology can help you communicate with them quickly and easily. For example, home service companies like plumbing, HVAC and electricians use tools like ServiceTitan to schedule service technicians, track marketing ROI and even communicate directly with customers in real time. These types of tools streamline business processes allowing for faster responses and an overall better customer experience.
4. Set clear goals and standards
Your personnel will be much more motivated to work efficiently if they know exactly what they’re expected to accomplish. You should set clear goals for your business as a whole and for each of your employees. Short-term goals are particularly effective for encouraging your employees to manage their time and speed.
You also should establish standards for all of your employees, so they know what their specific roles are within the business. When employees don’t have a clear understanding of their expectations or responsibilities, they may find excuses if they don’t reach their goals in an appropriate time frame.
There are only so many hours in the work day, so making good use of your time is essential. Increasing productivity in your workplace doesn’t have to be an enormous undertaking, though. With just a few changes to your business practice, you can motivate your employees and get more work done, which will allow your business to expand and reach its full potential.
