The age-old question … What is the streamlining process and how can you do it successfully?
With so much to do in business, it can get very busy and stressful – and that’s before you add clients into the mix.
Streamlining can help you solve your operational efficiency problems.
And in this blog, you’ll learn how!
What is the streamlining process?
Simply, streamlining is used by businesses to improve the efficiency of a process.
This can help your business adapt to change more efficiently, save time, increase productivity and improve your bottom line and profitability.
I’ve written a blog about it in more depth here.
The importance of a streamlined process
When a process is clunky, doesn’t work properly or is hard to use, it can break your business.
And you may not even know it’s happening!
Just say you have an online business with a shop where people can buy your products and services, and all of a sudden the shipping plug-in stops working – but you don’t know that it’s happened.
Ultimately, it can mean you lose sales and profits in your business.
A streamlined process can help make sure it doesn’t happen or, if it does, it is fixed quickly.
For example, you may engage a website manager that checks your plugins, site and shop every day to make sure they are working. Part of that process might be to test the shop and orchestrate a sale every day to make sure they go through.
The process your website developer follows may include several steps and multiple checks each day to make sure your online shop continues to be successful, and so they can mitigate any foreseeable issues.
The process is streamlined because it is documented and followed accordingly. Each time the process is followed, it is updated so the next website manager that completes the tasks can follow it easily.
That’s the beauty of a streamlined process and operational efficiency!
Operational efficiency: How to streamline a process successfully
In case you hadn’t guessed, there is a process to streamlining a process! Here’s how to successfully streamline a process in your business:
- Identify any unnecessary steps or tasks that do not add value in the process.
- Use automation and technology to improve efficiency, reduce manual handling and human errors.
- Standardise your processes
- Improve your workflows to eliminate bottlenecks.
- Train your team members to perform tasks in the most efficient way.
- Review your processes periodically to identify and eliminate steps that aren’t needed any more or don’t work.
I have written a blog on the difference between a workflow and process here.
Ready to overcome the overwhelm in your business this year?
With 20+ years’ experience as an Online Business Manager (OBM) and VA across all sectors of business, I’m on hand to help you overcome the operational efficiency challenges you face as a business owner.
Contact me now and let’s work out how we take your business to the next level in 2023, so you can spend more time on the really important tasks and get some time back for yourself and your family.
Book an initial chat to see if we are the right fit and how I can help you streamline your business processes.
Meanwhile, if you’re not at that stage yet, pop me in your back pocket and subscribe to my monthly newsletter where I share the latest news and workshops. You can sign up here.
