We all know those people who are so efficient at delivering that what they deliver tends to be a little thrown-together. We need both kinds of people in the workforce. The ones who understand quality need to drive and supervise the people who are good at delivering. This is a truly productive team dynamic. With that in mind, here are our universal tips for anyone looking to up their productivity during the workday:
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Go digital
Invest in a fast, high-quality scanner to get all those documents into your system as soon as possible. Sign up for a secure, high-speed, unlimited capacity client portal and explain to your clients your new way of communicating. And trust us, they’ll love it. Invest in the technology you need to help your firm work in a modern and efficient way. Just be aware that adopting new technology is a trial and error process, and will take time and adjustments to be up and running smoothly through the firm.
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Be tidy
Buy some simple stationery holders and get rid of anything from the top of your desk that you don’t use at least four times a day. Buy draw-organisers and labellers to make sure everything is always in its place. An organised workspace is an organised mind. When everything is where it should be, you can focus on what you do best.
But in today’s world, our desk is not the only place we work at. If you can’t see your desktop background because it’s covered in random files that don’t have a home, you’ve got a problem. You need a rigid filing system and a content management system that organises document storage for you and enables you to search at the click of a button. You need one single up-to-date version of the documents your firm uses. Need help with this? Click here.
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Dual screen set-up
This has long been the secret of super-productive accounting firms. With all the information related to the task at hand available at a glance and no need to continually switch tabs and windows, your accountants will never work the same again with a single screen. This is most useful for comparing and checking, particularly when reviewing files. It’s a minimal investment for some serious returns. If double monitors aren’t already the norm in your firm, they should be. Tomorrow.
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Talk to people
Instead of sending a big chain of emails asking for things, just call them. Better yet, walk down the hall and ask them. Follow up within 24 hours if a simple request hasn’t been met, and always respond efficiently when people ask for things from you. This way they know that they can expect efficiency from you, which means you expect the same from them.
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Have everything in one location
(doc management, not doc storage)
With remote working becoming the norm, mobile devices being used increasingly for work purposes, employees having both personal and work computers and their own inboxes, central storage and document control is more important than ever.
One of the biggest misunderstandings in the accounting industry is that going paperless means having all your documents scanned and saved electronically. But this is just kindergarten for the paperless firm. Truly graduating to paperless status means having a proper doc management system that stores everything (including emails) in one central location and is searchable at the click of a button. This many files can’t be organised by the human brain, so you need software that’ll do that for you and ensure you’re able to find docs and keep track of them even easier.
You also need a central hub for communication with clients – email is unsafe, unreliable and pretty old-school now.
For more get-stuff-done tips, check out his helpful article we found here: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/productivity-versus-efficiency-66229.html.