The concept is a simple one. Few would argue with the idea that a business that is optimized to run as efficiently as possible will be more profitable. That’s evident in years of business data. What is not so obvious is the best way to maximize efficiency in your business. There is no shortage of software, apps, and tools. But there is no universal, one-size-fits-all solution, and the wrong combination of tools can easily cause more problems than they solve..
Still, business owners who manage to solve the problem of inefficiency and create a system that runs like a well-oiled machine are usually heavily rewarded with much lower stress, much higher profits, and happier employees.
So, what is their secret? More importantly, how can you build an efficient business system in your organization?
We’ve got you covered. Let’s start with how we define an efficient business system.
What Makes a Business System Efficient?
Take a look at an average business in any industry and you will find dozens of business systems running behind the scenes to engage and inform customers, showcase products or services, collect customer data, manage orders, oversee employees, and more. Each one of these systems plays a vital role in the day-to-day operations of the business, and removing any one of them would bring productivity and revenue grinding to a halt.
An efficient business system ties all these systems together to produce a seamlessly integrated whole. In an efficient model, every component is optimized and works synergistically with all associated components, resulting in reliable business operations that run smoothly without causing unnecessary bottlenecks. Bonus points if the system can run with minimal human interaction as well.
Do Efficient Business Systems Make a Difference?
A good business efficiency solution will smooth out a lot of wrinkles in your organizational process. Each wrinkle might have been a mere annoyance. But, when your staff is working around four wrinkles to complete one project and then waiting on a lagging system bogged down by several other small wrinkles, the cost is often much higher than you realize.
If you have had the same core team for years, you aren’t even noticing half the bottlenecks or lagging load times anymore. They have become the baseline norm. This is a common scenario. Most offices underestimate the number of problems they are currently dealing with, and they are astounded by how fast they can complete tasks once the new business efficiency system is in place.
The specific benefits an individual company will see from switching to an efficient business system will vary, but most organizations can expect to experience several of these common improvements.
Productivity Boost
Most modern business efficiency systems include the ability to automate redundant, formulaic tasks. Recent advances in generative AI have opened the door to the ability to put more advanced tasks on auto-pilot. When you can delegate lower-level functions to your business systems, your staff will have more time and mental bandwidth to devote to the high-value work that requires human intelligence. This not only reduces costs and boosts productivity, it also results in a more fulfilled staff.
Fewer Misunderstandings
Efficient business systems are designed with an emphasis on usability. This means that every user-facing component has been studied to provide the exact information the user will need at the specific time they need it. These systems are often described as having an “intuitive” user interface because the best ones seem to know what you need before you do. These user-centric designs eliminate the superfluous chatter, resulting in more transparent communications and greater transparency. Your staff can locate any tidbit of information they need in seconds, so they can always access the task parameters, expected results, and core due dates.
Less Redundancy
Efficient business systems immediately identify redundancies in your business processes and remove these tasks, streamlining operations and optimizing resource utilization. By eliminating these double-dipping events, you boost productivity, speed up task completion, and ultimately save the company money.
Consistent Results
Delivering consistent, high-quality results for every task on every project is one of the best ways to build trust and develop a loyal customer base. When customers know that they will get the same quality on the first project and the 60th project, they feel confident to entirely focus on other tasks, knowing that you will deliver as promised. Business efficiency systems establish a systemized approach to task completion, increasing the likelihood of consistent results for every task.
Deeper Insights
Efficient business systems let you monitor, log, record, analyze, and create reports using just about any data point you can find to measure. You can track every detail of every department, or you can determine a core set of KPIs to provide a snapshot of your business health. Monitor inventory stock levels, sales, employee performance, customer preferences, etc. Specialization platforms like UPC finders and SKU generators can fine-tune the process even further.
Business Growth
Implementing the proper business systems is pivotal in driving business growth. These systems enable you to proactively address growth-related challenges by automating tasks. optimizing business processes, and improving efficiency to pave the way for expansion.
Common Business Systems
The core systems used to run a business will differ from industry to industry. You may need a point-of-sale order entry system capable of communicating orders to the kitchen and bar, calculating gratuities, tracking inventory for a busy restaurant, and an e-commerce solution with a payment portal for an online retailer. While there will be different specialized components, there are four core systems that you will find in nearly every business
Marketing System
A well-designed marketing system keeps the traffic flowing to your business. These are the various tools and services that you will use to make sure that potential customers are aware of your brand and the value you can offer them. Your marketing system might include social media accounts, content management systems, SEO tools or services, sales funnels, lead generators, email campaigns, and more.
Sales System
The sales system is the next step. This is where new and returning visitors will learn more about your business and the products or services that you offer. The sales system will nurture leads, moving them along the funnel or nudging them toward making a purchase. An effective sales system will keep new visitors engaged with your business and follow up with past visitors and customers to encourage a repeat visit, improving the customer experience, increasing conversions, and driving business growth.
Fulfillment System
The fulfillment system is the nuts and bolts of the business operation. The fulfillment system will include your payment processing portal and service schedule if applicable. This is where shipping and returns will be handled as well.
Administration System
The administration system is the catch-all workhorse of the business system crowd. Your admin system will do everything from managing staff schedules and clocking employee hours to tracking KPIs and generating reports. This system is the backbone of the business, ensuring smooth day-to-day operation and effective management of administrative tasks.
Choosing the Best Business Efficiency Solutions
We have examined what business efficiency systems are and how they can be used to benefit your business. So now we are at the million-dollar question: How do you build the best business efficiency system for your business?
This is one of the trickiest aspects of transitioning to an efficient business system. There is no universally effective all-in-one business efficiency system. That means you must build your perfect system using a la carte-style of components. You are almost guaranteed to encounter unforeseen complications whenever you start mixing and matching technology and software.
Let’s take a minute to walk through the primary planning stages and then we’ll talk about the secret to getting the best efficient business system for you without accidentally handicapping your business.
Identify Your Core Problems
The first step to designing your custom business efficiency system is identifying precisely what you need the system to do. This means spending some time talking to the most knowledgeable team members from each department to get a complete picture of where the pain points are in your business. Sit down with your team and prioritize the resulting list of problem areas, starting with the must-resolve issues and ending with the issues that you would like to optimize if possible
Create a Software Shortlist
Once you have your prioritized list of problems, research the best possible solutions. Don’t worry about integrations or compatibility at this stage. Currently, the sole task is to create the best possible options for each unique pain point. This should be a brainstorming session where you list every possibility.
For example, let’s start with a common need: internal communication. You have quite a few options here. You can opt for a low-tech, low-budget choice like a paid email subscription. You could go the opposite direction and get all the bells and whistles with a communication/project management solution like Trello, Asana, or Click-up. You can also use a free real-time messenger-style tool like Slack.
Once you have all your options listed for the first problem, repeat with the next in line. This time, we can look at something more specialized, like a CRM for managing customer accounts and customer service. There will be far fewer possibilities in these categories, and that’s fine, too. Just list as many as you can. HubSpot Starter is a solid CRM category option. You can also include All-in-One solutions like Keap Pro; just make sure that the functionality of each feature is robust enough to accomplish everything you need to do.
Compatibility Configuration
After you have a list of options for every problem, go back through and look for any tools that appear in more than one category. The more categories they appear in, the better that option might be. The idea is to try to get all the utility you need from as few tools as possible. You need to make sure the solutions you choose can integrate seamlessly and that they are not introducing new inefficiencies.
The Secret to Success
This last bit can be tricky. Don’t be surprised if what starts as a fun experience quickly becomes a frustrating chore as you discover that every perfect fit has one or two details that knock it out of the running. This is common.
Here is the secret to success. First, don’t lock yourself into the big-name brands with the glossy advertising. You can often find generic versions that integrate better for a lower cost. The real secret to success is a timely call to the experts. This is one of those times when recognizing that it is probably better to delegate will get you the biggest (and easiest) win.
Give Market Rising a call. We’d be happy to work with you to design the exact system you need. Our experts have the know-how to blend the perfect ratios of internal marketing creativity enhancers, robust sales and admin tools, and flexible customer support programs. Getting it right, right from the start, is going to save you the most time, money, and frustration. We are always happy to help!
