Remember when you were younger how exciting spring was? It not only heralded the start of warmer weather but it meant Easter candy and spring break. These days you still get the improved weather but often that can be a bit of a bummer as you’re stuck inside working. Not only that but everyone and their brother is telling you that you need to be doing some serious spring cleaning - Ugh! We have a different suggestion for you. This spring commit to making some big changes for your small business.
We’ve made numerous suggestions regarding technology for your small business. Click here for a recap if you missed that series. We know that most small business owners would like to implement technology to improve their daily operations but it is hard to find the time, and the money, to make that happen. Spring is the perfect time to introduce some new solutions. The holidays have passed. Your employees are experiencing a sunshine induced morale boost. Plus starting now gives you plenty of time to iron out any kinks that you may encounter well before you have to train summer help.
Set aside a week to review your process map so that you can identify the areas within your business that need the most help. Once you have a good idea of which functions you want to focus on you can begin researching and reviewing options. Our guide is a great place to start but you’ll want to gather additional data as well. Narrow down your options to three viable choices and then get employee input. Often what seems like a perfect solution to you may have some quirks that your employees would find extremely annoying. Keep in the mind the goal is to make their lives easier and improve the workflow within your business. Aggravating your employees on a daily basis isn’t going to get you there. Once you’ve listened to their comments you’re ready to choose a solution.
Don’t rush to implement your new solution. Take a good look at the calendar to see what time makes the most sense. You’ll want a time when the majority of affected employees are in the office, and not on deadline with another project. Also avoid any particularly busy times for your business. If you typically experience a surge of business around a certain period wait until things have settled down again before trying anything new. We know that it’s tempting to want to get the new system up and running before the next boom but if your employees have trouble adapting to the new way of doing things you could be a in a real bind and end up losing customers.
Not everyone learns in the same way so be sure that you provide training that works for your employees. You want them to be comfortable with the new system and confident that they can use it on their own. Give them plenty of opportunities to practice using it and to ask questions before they are put in a situation where they have to use it with customers.
Don’t be afraid to contact customer support if you need it. All too often business owners try to figure things out on there because they want to avoid feeling like they aren’t tech savvy. It’s okay to question things. You may be having an issue because something was setup incorrectly or isn’t working properly. Don’t waste time trying to devise a solution. Find out if it simply user error or if there is an issue that the manufacturer needs to address.
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If inventory is the area that you need help with, you’ve come to the right place. Stockpile is the fast free online inventory system you need for your small business. Our fully customizable, mobile compatible solution will have you easily tracking inventory, anytime from anywhere. You can also quickly run the reports that you need as well. Stockpile fast free online inventory system is a big time world class solution designed for your small business. Try Stockpile today!
