Efficiency in the work place

well, I don't consider my business a "money making machine" by any means, but I do find that certain things - like working by natural light whenever possible and minimizing commute times by working from home - cut costs significantly. I also do a large amount of online networking with a good balance of in-person events (both are important to making sure the "marketing machine" works efficiently), and I've become more strategic about setting aside time for development, marketing strategy, etc.

I like Dani's ideas!

To add to that, I'd say that there a lot of things that are good for the bottom line that area also touted as good for the environment.

For example, things like CF lightbulbs, energy audits, and combining trips all conserve resources and cash.

Personally, keeping in regular contact with clients and potential clients is a really effective way that I increase my revenue without spending a lot on fancy gifts or expensive lunch meetings.

Is that helpful?

Rich: Something that most people overlook is keeping Accounts Receivables under control. You can have a very positive effect on cash flow if you are able to reduce AR consistently.

Another item is taking advantage of discounts for paying bills early.

Hope this helps.

Hi Rich. I am very interested in the idea of working 'smarter'. I find that in my field, which involves a tremendous amount of networking and developing contacts, a HUGE amount of time can be wasted, which in the end means money gets wasted (or I dont generate the amount of money I need to live on!). The things that I have decided to be mindful of are the networking tools I use, the quality and structure of information I put out into the world, and the type of information I spend time reading, asking questions about, and investigating in general. I try to weave a fairly tight net so that I get back info that is usefull. I use Google all the time to minimize my travel time. I also use my phone time wisely, calling and setting up phone meets instead of going outside my office. I have adopted strategies of talking with people on the phone and face to face in a way that gets me the information I need quickly and also lets my people know that I am present and attentive. Working 'smarter' is a challenge, especially when networking is key and a lot of time can be wasted, but I have found that communication skills are the key, not necessarily anything else. Hope that is helpful. els

Time is my most valuable commodity so keeping track of when I'm doing what tasks for which client is super-important. I use MyHours.com to track my time and it even helps me break things down by task for my clients, if needed. "Clocking in and out" seems to help me be more efficient than simply writing my time down on paper.

My husband actually found a free time tracking program for Mac. I'm going to try it out starting this week.

Other than that, I don't drive to work, so I have little to no fuel expense. We have a lot of windows in our home, so natural light is almost always my only light source. I only buy what I need to keep myself organized and efficient - I try to not to spend too much on coffee! :)

Great question, and many angles of approach. Here's one under the catagory of how to act in a group.

From “Can We Talk? Conversation Cafes Show Us How” in the Winter 2008 issue of Yes! Magazine. (http://www.YesMagazine.org)

Openmindedness: Listen to and respect all points of view.

Acceptance: Suspend judgement as best you can.

Curiosity: Seek to understand rather than pursuade.

Discovery: Question assumptions, look for new insights.

Sincerity: Speak what has personal heart and meaning.

Brevity: Go for honesty and depth, but don’t go on and on.

Another approach I would highly recommend given your line of work (not that it would matter much), is that you become familiar with The Natural Step and aware of their framework for addressing sustainability issues, short and long term.

One reason for recommending The Natural Step is that one of the drivers of productivity is employee job satisfaction. From what I can tell people employed in companies where there is a vision and a strategy for being sustainable are happier. All the more so when each employee makes a direct and measurable contribution to that vision and strategy.

Lastly, since "Work stress costs $300 billion" are the kinds of headlines we're seeing lately (those kinds of headlines are always around), it would be wise to incentivize and facilitate healthy behavior where ever and when ever you can. Some employees now work for companies that have a 20-30 minute before work exercise session - on the clock. There are many possibilities, but people are stressed, and stressed people are sicker oftener and have more time loss and less productivity. I recommend they all have increased massage therapy and chiropractic benefits!

DD

In the old days it was nothing to order as many as 10 cases (yes 50,000+ sheets of paper) in any given month. With a virtual business and by utilizing virtual assistants for 100% of the company’s work, we’re pushing a lot of paper if we use more than 2 reams (1,000) sheets a month. So again, working virtually wins: save on trees, save on carbon emissions caused by the processing and shipping of all those trees, which make all that paper. If we’re using less paper; we’re using fewer ink toners and cartridges. What about the carbon footprint we leave when we eat all of that fast food when we eat out while working at a bricks-and-mortar office? One article:

http://openthefuture.com/cheeseburger_CF.html

suggests that each of us, by eating three fast-food hamburgers per week, contributes to the emission of 1,188 to 2,013 pounds of carbon per year (this includes the energy used in the cooking of the burger as well as the commute to the burger joint). When you’re working virtually, you usually greatly reduce the number of times per week you eat out, thus reducing your carbon footprint once again. And you tend to use reusable containers instead of all those throw-aways. Most of us who work virtually also utilize virtual fax and phone systems, which again reduce our carbon footprint through reduced electrical carbon costs as well as reduced paper usage. If you have kids and you work in a bricks-and-mortar office (or if your assistant is forced to work in a bricks-and-mortar office) you’re contributing to greater emissions with all of those trips to pick up and drop off the kids at daycare. While I couldn’t find any figures on the carbon footprint left from dry cleaning, we can safely assume it’s considerable. Working virtually significantly reduces the need for carbon-costly dry cleaning. Think about the “green” space we save by reducing the number of office buildings being put up. We hear about green building (the use of reclaimed or recycled building materials) often, but what about totally eliminating the need for that new building. This act alone reduces the carbon footprint in materials-savings.

1) Find what is profitable and enjoyable and focus on that, cut services and clients which don't fit

2) Don't have people routing calls - autoattendants do it faster and aren't as evil as people first think: (http://selkowitz.org/2007/11/06/auto-attendants-they’re-not-bad-just-misunderstood/)

3) I heard once that the average person takes 15 minutes to send a fax (print the fax, go to the fax machine, wait for the fax, chat it up, get back to your desk, figure out what you were doing...). Maybe faxing isn't your issue, but find these common inefficiencies and solve them.

4) Make standard processes for services and streamline as much as possible. Sometimes this means pre-printed forms, online forms/databases, sometimes tablet computers, etc.

5) Do the ROI/TCO analysis before undertaking anything - ads, equipment, staff, etc.

6) Avoid having the "one guy" who knows everything or everything runs through them (common issue for small business).

7) I see you're with a service company, there are some fleet management tools which can track field staff to see where they are and even map optimal routes. You wouldn't believe how often delivery and field service staff take unneeded diversions.

8) Bid out services every few years - insurance, telecom, etc to ensure you're still getting a good deal.

9) If you're going to be green, use it as a marketing tool as well. People like green and some will go out of their way to support green companies if you make it clear you're green. That doesn't mean you need a funky new building either - optimize trips, buy recycled office supplies, buy green power, etc.

Recycling is actually the law in seattle:

Administrative Rule SPU-DR-01-04 Commercial: Businesses are prohibited from disposing of significant amounts of paper, cardboard and yard debris in the garbage as of January 1, 2005.

Lately, I've found this to be one of the most effective things I can do: avoid email 90% of the time. Call people or get together for face to face time instead. Otherwise email becomes just a way of avoiding people, bouncing back communication over days that could take minutes, or quite often totally miscommunication (lack of tone of voice, nonverbals, etc.)

The other money saver that I haven't seen hear is keeping your invintory low. This saves on taxes at the end of the year. Art T.

The other money saver that I haven't seen hear is keeping your invintory low. This saves on taxes at the end of the year. Art T.

Leif - That totally depends on your business. I am 99.9% online for my business. I usually use IM and similar for communicating, and also use email, but I really loath to talk on the phone. I try to think of it as "controlled contact" instead of "people-avoiding" <lol>. But it does take a lot of practice to type in a neutral manner, so as to avoid those miscommunications. But using electronic communications are so much less expensive than if I had to use USPS, car or whatever, especially since I live so far away from everything.

Alot of companies are promoting health and wellness to keep down costs and improve efficiency. Healthier employees have been shown to be more productive, incur less health care costs and miss less work.

I think that good business planning with a mastermind type of group is excellent. We humans get comfortable in the way we do things and we keep doing things the same way over and over. Doing a brainstorming session with a supportive group is a way to begin to break out of the mold and see new income streams. I have a seminar that helps people do this. I will post it in the offerings section for your possible interest.

I spend money on smart people. Time and time again, I get tempted by a junior admin who only wants $35/hour to consult on the side, then I slap myself in the face and hire the $175/hour consultant. In my experience, a top-notch tech is at least ten times as productive as an OK tech, and the quality of the work is equally more amazing.

If fuel is a big issue, I think there are a few avenues to explore. Having tracking and mapping tools in place will reduce fuel use.

If you have a diesel fleet doing your own biodiesel looks like it has a good ROI plus you can then promote how green you are - save money and have a marketing edge.

Fuel costs I think are going to lead to many interesting innovations in the coming years, so while we have to tough it out in the meantime I think long term we'll innovate our way out of the issue.

Just a note on the Fuel concern. There's an awesome local company ( a happy customer of mine, by the way) called ZonarSystems (www.zonarsystems.com). They have a GSM/GPS based fleet tracking system that helps companies with fleets optimize paths, prevent idling, and track vehicles.

Real time fleet tracking is the way to go. Your drivers probobly take alot of detours duing the day. You need to find a way to cut that out. The new PDA's on the market can be tracked and with their web links they can send work info directly into your companies data base as well as process credit card transactions. I don't know if you have something like that already in place but I do know of a few systems that can do it. Art T.