We could all do with an extra hour in our days. There just never enough time. It’s a continual struggle and one which only seems to get harder. Sadly, always feeling pushed for time can have a detrimental impact on both our personal and working lives. And, it’s the working side we’re going to look at today. As a manager, you likely know the continual pressure of time. Most managers have to-do lists which never seem to end. And, there are a few different ways you could make matters easier in that respect. But, your staff likely feel pushed for time too. As such, taking small steps to save them at least an hour each day is sure to help. Some days, you could let them clock off an hour earlier and attend to personal issues. Or, they could simply use that extra time to tackle tasks they would have rolled over for the next day. Either way; it’s hard to sniff at extra time. As such, we’re going to look at simple steps you can take to turn back the march of time. Or at least hold it back a little.
Even if you operate in a small office, you’d be amazed at how much time your employees waste walking from one desk to another to ask simple questions. Shouting across the workplace is hardly the done thing. So, each query comes complete with an excursion away from their desks. What’s more, stepping away like this can make it difficult for them to get back into the flow. That can lead to an hour wasted right there. And, this issue gets worse the more extensive your workspace. Those working on construction sites, for instance, could have a fair distance from one place to another. If their equipment breaks or they need to verify something, that could be another hour.
To tackle time-wasting in your office, set everyone up on a program like Google Hangouts. That way, staff won’t have to leave their desks. In construction sites, hand out walkie-talkies for communication. You might also want to invest in a crane truck like those found at Service Trucks International. Simply visit their website to see what’s on offer. With one of these on site, you can replace and repair broken equipment without ever dragging staff away from their posts.
Get sharper with delegation
You can also up productivity tenfold by getting sharper with delegation. That means setting one person to one job. This then frees everyone to focus on their tasks. And, that stands to save more than an hour if you get it right. Setting one person to take care of admin, for instance, ensures your marketing team don’t spend half their day responding to emails. Equally, entrusting one person to answer phones guarantees that doesn’t drag other team members away. To keep this fair, rotate delegation on a daily basis. Just like that, your team will start to defy those time restraints altogether.
There is no surprise that when your customers have a better experience of an improved customer journey, that it translates into revenue. If they like what they see and how they are treated, they are likely to spend their money. A negative experience is not going to help that at all. But there are many factors that play into how well a customer’s journey goes. Depending on what industry your business is in, it could be anything from the people who deal with orders on the phone, to lighting and atmosphere in a store.
So here are a few ways to create a better customer journey in your business, so that ultimately you are able to expand your business and create a loyal customer base that will keep coming back.
In order to know how to improve their experience with you, you need to think about who your customers are and what they will want. If your target customers are millennials, then something tech based, or a well designed website with social media interaction can be what they’re prefer. If you are a dentist office, for example, and you can have a whole host of people come in each day. So you have to think about what ties them all together; time and nerves. Some people can be nervous and want to get in an out as quickly as possible. So making sure you have things like a Piezo transducer buzzer on the desk to call for a receptionist, for example, can be a little thing that can make a difference to a customer that is rushed or nervous.
Decide What You Want To Deliver
What does a good customer journey look like to you? In many cases, working backwards and starting with the end result can be a good way to go. If you want your product to be in people’s homes within 48 hours of it being ordered, then what do you have to do to get it there? Look at the delivery channels, supply channels, and the ordering process; could this be possible? Then you can go through that process like a customer would, to see if it is up to scratch.
Unified Team
If you hire employees to work for you, then they need to be on board with what you are wanting to do, as well as what the business code of conduct is. Educate them, speak to them, and set an example from the top. Often when employees can see the bigger picture (for example, loyal customers from good deliveries means business growth), they can be more likely to get involved as they see how important their role is in the business.
Be Flexible
You have to be prepared to change things up in business. Your original plan or idea may not be executed as well as it once was and need to be changed. But be open to that and to trying new things. It could be just what your business needs.
Anyone considering a career in agriculture needs to learn about potential problems. With climate issues and green living on all our minds, many are fighting for change here. And, if you don’t do your research, you could struggle to make a go of things. People just aren’t willing to pay for unsustainable practices anymore, and rightly so. The sad fact is, farming is one of the most harmful environmental practices out there. Over 37% of the world’s methane emissions come from farmed animals. Agriculture also uses 70% of the world’s freshwater resources. Add to that the fact farming in America alone has led to 260 million acres of deforestation, and you should start to see a theme. Often, agriculture just isn’t sustainable.
And, consumers are realizing this reality. Diets like veganism have increased by 600% in the last three years. It should come as no surprise, then, that many farmers are feeling the pressure to keep up with the changing tastes of a nation. Add these issues together, and it seems there’s one obvious solution – sustainable farming. It is what it says on the tin, but how exactly can you achieve it?
Stick to crops
While small-scale animal farms cause less environmental damage than factories, all herds contribute to methane emissions. Just one cow will produce 100 kg of methane in a year. Instead of opting for animals, then, you might be best sticking with crop production. This suits the veganism trend we spoke about, while also going some way towards reducing any damage. In fact, many argue that crop production is good for soil. So, this alone could see you getting customer onside from the off.
Of course, even crops can do environmental damage. Most of the water waste we spoke about goes towards this cause. And, most deforestation happens for this cause, too. But, there are some ways to reduce that damage. Proper water irrigation systems can ensure you minimize the amount of water you use. It’s also worth ensuring you get the most out of every acre of land you have to hand. That way, there won’t be any need for further deforestation or destruction. If you aren’t sure how to maximize land potential, companies like River Country Cooperative offer agronomy programs to help you. If that appeals, don’t hesitate to visit them and get started. If not, take these matters into your own hands. Do your research, and take time planning systems with the least environmental impact.
Find new uses for spare land
The chances are that you’re going to have additional land on your hands. This is especially true if you aren’t farming animals. Admittedly, there’s a temptation to turn those free fields into crops, too. But, in keeping with sustainability, it’s worth keeping at least a little land aside for conservation. By planting trees and encouraging wildlife here, you can make sure that you’re giving a little back. And, that can go a considerable way towards getting the public onside.
In business there’s nothing more important than your reputation. This is also important in the public sector, for example reputation management for doctors is crucial. Building a reputation for integrity and character can take decades to build and just moments to destroy. At no time in history has this been truer than now, when the age of Twitter and Facebook nameless trolls can ruin a business that has taken years to build. The question, then, is what steps you can take to improve the perception of your business and your reputation for fair and honest dealing.
Don’t Lose Your Cool
The most valuable thing you can do to improve your reputation is to make sure you don’t do anything to hurt it. You never know who’s a citizen journalist looking for their 5 minutes of fame by posting a video that destroys your business. With camera phones today, anyone might be recording and video of you yelling at customers, vendors or employees is a surefire way to gain a poor reputation in business.
Always Give Customers the Benefit of the Doubt
When you interact with customers, the best policy for gaining a good reputation is to give your customers the benefit of the doubt. The cost of accepting a questionable return or comping someone’s meal is far lower than the cost of bad reviews online. You may be in the right, but no one wins an argument with a customer. The number of satisfied customers who write positive reviews is extremely low, but if you give someone an unpleasant experience they’ll tell everyone they know about it – and they’ll never hear your side of the story.
Be a Force for Good in Your Community
If you really want to improve your reputation in business, make sure that your company has an active presence in the community. Be present and engaged with civic and philanthropic functions. Try to be helpful by giving back to your community. Done correctly, whatever you give in support of your community will come back to your business several times over. No one likes to support a scrooge in business, so make sure you’re active and generous enough to avoid that perception.
Be Proactive
Unfortunately, to improve your reputation in business it isn’t enough to be a silent do-gooder. You can help your community by working behind the scenes, but you can’t help your reputation by doing good things that no one knows about. While it’s important not to be seen tooting your own horn, giving in subtle but visible ways can go a long way to improving your reputation. Be generous and do good deeds. You don’t need to brag, but neither should you hide your acts behind a cloak of anonymity. Instead, make people aware of some of the good things you do through social media and other outlets.
Conclusion
Building a good reputation in business is no easy task. The most important thing is not to do anything to hurt your reputation. However, there are other things that you can do to actively improve your reputation in business. It can be a tough balancing act to do good deeds and make sure people are aware without being seen as self-promoting. However, done correctly these small acts of generosity and activism can improve your reputation for being a business that your community wants to support. We hope you liked this article from Capstone Financial Planning.
Steven McMeechan
Steven McMeechan is a strategic marketing and communications specialist with over twenty years’ experience in senior marketing management roles across a range of industries including Information Technology and Financial Services. He works for Capstone Financial Planning and lives in Melbourne Australia.
When choosing a career path, it is important to choose something that interests you, and that you feel passionate about. But, you also need to be able to be a success in whichever career path you choose, and this means a professional approach. Now, real estate is one of the most lucrative career paths on the market and a great way of making money as an entrepreneur.
But, this is not something you can enter into with a half-baked attitude. You have to make sure you are going to be able to get the most amount of success from this that you possibly can. Getting your real estate business up and running is going to take hard work, but if you get it right, you have a very real chance of being hugely successful. These are some of the things you have to think about if you want to be a success in the world of real estate:
It is really important to study and understand the real estate market before you part with any money or work on any kind of project. This is something that is essential for helping you make the right decisions and keeping things on an even keel financially. You need to know the outlook for commercial real estate as well as residential real estate because both can help to inform your decisions moving forward.
Work With Others
Real estate is a vast and intimidating sector to work in, and you may decide it’s not something you want to be a part of on your own. This is why it’s a good idea to partner with companies like Meriton or bring a business partner on board with you. Having other people who know what they are doing working alongside you is so important for helping the business improve and making your more confident in the future.
What Will You Do With Your Properties?
You need to make a decision about what you are going to be doing with your properties once you secure them. Now, a lot of people choose to buy a property, renovate and do it up, and then sell it on for a profit. However, there is also the option of buying a place and then renting it out for the foreseeable future to bring in some regular income. This is really important to decide because you have to make the right choices for you and what you are comfortable with.
Expanding your portfolio is so important when it comes to the world of real estate. You have to make sure you have a diverse pool of properties in different areas because this maximizes your chances of success. Of course, it might take time to secure more than one property, but if you work your way up gradually, this is something that should become more achievable.
As you can see, there is a lot that you need to consider when launching and starting a real estate brand, and this is important to keep in mind. There are so many wonderful things that play a role when it comes to real estate success, and this is important to keep in mind. Follow the pointers on here, and you will find yourself in a much more successful position moving forward.
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