#1 Tip for running your system at 100% efficiency

I’ve been around since long before computers came about. Back in the olden days, boys and girls, I wouldn’t say processes were exactly efficient. There was a lot of waiting around for changes in the weather and guessing and second-guessing flight patterns of birds. Now that we have computers, everything is so much easier and faster! However, there are still ALWAYS ways you can maximize efficiency - methods you never even considered! So today’s tip for running your system at 100% efficiency:

Always do what you do in business in the computer at the same time.

Do you ever find yourself taking a sales order over the phone, jotting all of the information down only to later go to your computer to input everything? Do you keep a paper log of inventory that enters and leaves your warehouse, forgetting to update it in the system later? Do you ever make a handwritten list of potential new customers, then lose it, thus losing the opportunity of connecting with these businesses?

A lot of companies, for the sake of expediency, will keep paper logs of items such as inventory or clients, then attempt to add this data to the system later (when there’s more time, of course). Not only does this DOUBLE the time spent on a process (you handwrite an order, then type it into the system… why not type it into the system when taking the order?), but the risk of errors increases tenfold. What happens if you can’t find that list of parts you need to order ASAP for an order? What will you do if you forget to add a sales order to the system, meaning the customer’s order is delayed or never fulfilled? Save time, minimize risk and increase efficiency by doing what you do in business in the computer at the same time.

For example, one of our clients was processing 50-100 customer orders by fax and e-mail each day before we came into the picture. This required countless hours of human processing of orders alone. We introduced NetLink, a customer self service web portal that completely automated the order processing system. Rather than requiring human intervention, all sales orders are channeled through the NetLink system. Customers were now able to enter their own orders which reduced errors and saved time. As an incentive for the customers NetLink also provided for reprinting invoice, inquiring about order status, viewing sales history and much more. Our client reduced the need to manually process orders and began immediately realizing huge returns. Looking back, they realized just how much time they had wasted by not automating these types of orders sooner and are now on the right track towards strategically growing their business.