In the hectic life of a business owner, you’re constantly functioning at full speed ahead. But do you ever have those days when work keeps piling up and you feel like you’re playing an endless game of catch-up?
If you’re an MSP or IT service provider, or if you’re running a Digital Agency, this can feel like an everyday occurrence. The constant influx of emails, tickets and service requests can bog you down, causing you to search for a smarter way to check off all those tasks on your list.
In order to be a top-notch provider for your clients and run a successful business, you need to maximize your time and be as productive as possible. So, how exactly can you increase your productivity to grow your business? Start with these three strategies:
What’s the first thing you do once you get into the office? If you’re like most of us, you check your email and respond to any outstanding problems or inquiries. You might think that answering a simple question is one less thing to do later, but in reality, you’re using up valuable energy that could be spent focusing on more strategic projects. Even if you don’t consider yourself a morning person, you’re at your freshest in the morning, so you should use this time to tackle your high-priority activities.
To better prioritize your time, focus on properly managing your tasks. Concentrating on your most important tasks first will help you boost productivity. Start by building a “To Do” list and writing down all the tasks you need to accomplish for the week. Then, break down this list into daily tasks in order of importance. Going about your “To Do” list this way will help you concentrate on the goals you need to accomplish and keep you focused throughout the day.
Also, it’s good practice to close out every day by going over this list and setting yourself up for the next day. Use this time to transfer any items that you didn’t get to yet, and be sure to leave room for those ad hoc tasks that are bound to pop up.
If you’re committed to improving productivity and efficiency within your business, it goes without saying that as the leader of your company, you should set the same precedent for your employees. You need your team to be as productive as possible to drive the business forward. Therefore, aim to create an environment that both motivates your employees and gives them the necessary tools to succeed and eliminate wasted time.
One of the best ways to promote team productivity is to budget time. Consider your team’s current workload and understand how much more they’re able to take on (while maintaining the same quality of work). If you need help with this, look for a solution that can help you keep track of the time your team members spend on certain projects. Being in tune with the hours your team has spent or have available will allow you to better budget their time and ensure everyone is spending their day more productively.
Another more personal approach you can take is to have mid-morning huddles about once a week. This is a time to get together with the team, check in and share important, need-to-know information. What’s their top priority this week? Are there any challenges that they need help with? Holding these meetings and addressing these questions will ensure that your team stays on top of their responsibilities, which can translate into a more compatible, cohesive workflow.
Between email and ticket overload or dealing with technician churn, there are countless challenges you face each day as a business owner. What’s the answer? Work with a platform that can cut through the noise, enhance organizational performance, improve operational efficiency and scale your growth!
When you’re able to outsource your tedious, lower-level tasks to a third-party partner, you and your staff will experience increased productivity and be enabled to focus on work with higher profitability. Continuum’s IT management platform for MSP’s is built to take your business to the next level and optimize the efficiency and profitability of your operations. Continuum’s fully-managed model allows you to better allocate your skilled, experienced workforce to take on greater responsibility while leveraging our smart solutions and capable technical personnel to absorb the countless tasks that can bog you down.
If you want to see the power of Continuum’s platform for yourself, click here to start your trial today.
