Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks and projects you have on the go? Do your everyday business operations feel chaotic and disorganized, leaving you feeling like you’re wasting time, way too much time, on stuff that doesn’t matter? The answer to this problem lies in streamlining your small business.
In this post, I’m going to give you 5 strategies you can start using today to save time and tame the daily chaos!
5 Strategies for Streamlining Your Small Business
1. Batch and Schedule your Social Media.
Once you’ve developed a process for this and have tried it, you’ll never go back!
Instead of posting to social media whenever you feel like it, whenever you have time, or whenever there’s breaking news, I strongly recommend batching and scheduling your social media posts.
First, set aside 1-2 days at the beginning of the month to plan out and create your posts. Not only will it be faster because you’re doing it all at once, but it will also undoubtedly be more cohesive…because you’re able to choose a theme and then really follow it through.
First, set aside 1-2 days at the beginning of the month to plan out and create your posts. Not only will it be faster because you’re doing it all at once, but it will also undoubtedly be more cohesive…because you’re able to choose a theme and then really follow it through.Click To TweetNext, use your favorite social media tool to schedule out your entire month’s content. Some favorites of mine include Later, Social Champ, Hootsuite, Tailwind, and SocialPilot.
That’s it! All your social media planning and scheduling are done…so you can focus on other aspects of running your business.
2. Automate your Customer Service.
If you don’t have a process in place for your customer service, it can quickly become an all-day, all-night endeavor!
One way to overcome this is to automate your customer care using a tool like Zoho Desk.
Zoho will automatically collect, sort and prioritize your customer service tickets, and then assign agents to respond to them.
And starting at just $20/agent per month, even the smallest of small businesses can afford customized, automated customer support!
3. Create a Document Management System.
Papers in every nook and cranny, files scattered across your desktop (both your computer desktop and actual desktop!) and emails not in any kind of recognizable order. Does this sound familiar?
If so, you could likely benefit from a document management system. This is simply a system for how you’re going to handle both digital and physical documents. It will likely include everything from:
- Where and how you’ll store/file physical documents like invoices, receipts, letters, tax forms, etc.
- How and when you’ll archive old files
- How you’ll create new documents, like blog posts, invoices, letters, etc. This will usually include creating and using templates for each of these types of docs.
- How you’ll keep important files safe and secure (e.g., Will you encrypt digital files? Password-protect sensitive info?)
For a great overview of how to create your own document management system, this post from The Balance Small Business is a great read.
4. Create Systems to Improve Efficiency.
Do you ever feel like you’re wasting time by not using systems and business processes for common, everyday tasks?
Systems can not only increase your efficiency but can definitely make you feel calmer and more in control as you go about your day.
Systems can not only increase your efficiency but can definitely make you feel calmer and more in control as you go about your day.Click To TweetSome tasks I recommend systemizing include:
- Paying bills, bookkeeping, and budgeting
- Creating content for your website and social media
- Hiring new team members
- Sales – Including lead generation, proposals, and delivery
For more info on how to create effective systems for your business, check out my post, How to Systematize Your Small Business to Have More Freedom and Flexibility.
5. Automate your Client Scheduling and Onboarding.
The whole process of booking discovery calls, responding to emails, scheduling appointments, and doing client onboarding can take up a LOT of time!
Fortunately, you can seriously streamline the entire process using tools like Monday.com and Dubsado. Just a few of the tasks the tool can automate for you include:
- Letting clients automatically schedule appointments with you based on your available time slots
- Sending new clients an intake form or questionnaire when they book
- Ensuring clients pay in order to book an appointment
- Automatically sending appointment reminders to clients
And these are just the scheduling-related tasks it can help with! Dubsado also has features for lead capturing, time tracking, automating workflows, and so much more!
Final Thoughts on Streamlining Your Small Business
Running a business is hard work, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic.
The 5 strategies above will reduce your stress, improve your efficiency, and have you streamlining your small business operations in no time! That means better productivity.
Updated September 27, 2021
