Operations / Technology Blog

I constantly hear companies talk about the importance of quality, proudly pronouncing their commitment to quality assurance, industry standards, and a focus on extensive product testing. I always wonder what each company means by quality and what they’re doing internally to meet those promises.

It’s no secret that a highly disciplined approach to quality assurance results in better products and services. Without quality assurance, there would be no consistency in a company’s output. Imagine if each automobile was built differently than the next. Regardless of what your business does, you need to know the basics of quality assurance.

I use local business services for one time jobs around the house, and quite often I call at night, after normal business hours. This means I usually end up listening to the company's voice mail greeting. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if I dialed the right number, as the greeting doesn't state the business name, or there are dogs barking in the background, or the person speaking is difficult to understand. Unless it's the only service in my area, I hang up and move on to the next business.

The voice mail greeting is a representation of your company's image when you're not able to answer the call directly. You want customers to think of your business as a serious venture; otherwise, they are likely to deal with one of your competitors. Creating a professional voice mail greeting can help you to land more sales, improve your business image, and build customer loyalty.

I often see new business owners proudly displaying lists of all the new office equipment they're going to buy for their business. There's no doubt these folks have invested quite a bit of time thinking about and planning their operation. However, with a little extra effort, the same equipment can be had for a fraction of the retail price.

For all business types and sizes, saving money on office equipment can make an important impact on your bottom line. In certain cases, adopting a garage sale mentality towards office equipment can result in a significant cost savings.

Navigating through the maze of available office equipment can be an overwhelming assignment, especially for a new business. Technology is advancing rapidly, and staying on top of all the possible choices is challenging. However, if you get the technology right from the beginning, you're immediately much further ahead of your competitors.

So, if you're thinking about starting a business or simply want to improve efficiency in managing an office, technology will no doubt play a key role in streamlining operations. Purchasing a few essential office machines can greatly increase your productivity. Once you start using these machines, you'll wonder how you ever managed without them.

I'm always amazed at the number of businesses who still aren't taking advantage of the many software options available today. From handwritten invoices to the lack of a clear business plan, these companies are missing out on operational efficiencies and cost saving opportunities. Business owners who fail to include a software strategy in their planning are literally creating additional work for themselves. They're wasting valuable time that could instead be spent on growing the business.

There are numerous software options for each aspect of business operations, and knowing which ones are essential can be confusing. Finding the right business software will give you an immediate advantage over competitors who still operate their businesses with pencils, ledger books, and adding machines.