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Is your business in shape for a successful 2021? As the new year kicks into gear, make sure you and your staff are set up for success.
Start the year strong: 5 ways to get your business in shape for 2021
18 January 2021
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4 minute read
A new year is a time of renewal, resolutions and positive change – it’s the ideal time to take a look at your business practices and transform the way you work.
After a decidedly rocky 2020, it’s essential to run your business as smoothly as possible, so you’re ready to make the most of whatever the new year has to offer. That could mean switching to digital solutions, bringing in a new business management system to maximise efficiency, streamlining day-to-day processes, putting a new strategic plan in place or making a point of keeping staff up to speed with business technology. It’s about getting into gear early so you’re prepared for anything in 2021.
Here’s how to start your year on the right foot:
1: Do more with digital
If you’ve been dragging your feet on switching to digital solutions because of price, time constraints or lack of knowledge, let this be the year you make a change. Digitising your filing systems, time-tracking, invoicing or other key functions can make a huge difference to the time spent on admin tasks – freeing you and your staff up for business-building work.
2: Gain insight with a business management system
Implementing a business management system – or upgrading your outdated software – is a big step, but the long-term benefits are worth some short-term inconvenience.
An effective business management system can connect different areas of your business, streamlining workflow and eliminating bottlenecks. It can give you real-time insight into your financial performance, staff activity, inventory and more, making it easier to make the right business decisions. Because all your data is stored in one place, it also functions as a central source of truth for your business. When everyone is using the same numbers, errors are reduced and double-handling is eliminated, saving time and energy better spent elsewhere.
3: Save time with smoother processes
Inefficient day-to-day processes – like sending invoices, tracking staff hours and responding to customer queries – can waste a surprising amount of time. But if you’ve done things in a set way for a long time, it can be hard to see where and how to change.
That’s why spending time looking through core processes can help you find inefficiencies and do more with what you have – making the most of your current systems and staff numbers.
4: Prepare for the worst with an emergency plan
Much as we would like it to, COVID isn’t going away any time soon. We’ve been relatively lucky in Australia, but the chance of sudden lockdowns – whether localised or nationwide – is still very real.
Although it might never happen, it’s essential to be prepared for the worst. Consider how you access your software, how you communicate with clients and how your staff connect – if you had to close your doors tomorrow, could you keep operations going?
5: Keeping staff up to speed
Making the most of your systems starts with effective implementation and thorough staff training – but it doesn’t end there. An often-forgotten step is keeping up with software updates and new features, and making sure your staff stay up to date as well.
The good news? If you’re an MYOB user, educating your staff about software changes is straightforward. Rather than rolling out product updates and hoping for the best, enhancements and new features are introduced in regular MYOB Showcase events. These online seminars provide step-by-step instructions for new tools, making it easy for you and your staff to learn. If you need to update your knowledge, just register your business for the next event.
A smooth run in 2021
Along with updating systems, refining processes, digitising data and putting emergency plans in place, keeping your staff up to date with software changes is one way to help your business run smoothly in 2021.
Want to make a successful start this year? Sign up for the next MYOB Showcase now.
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