5 ways to streamline your business with digitalisation of key processes

5 ways to streamline your business with digitalisation of key processes

streamline your business
BY CHRISTOFF OOSTHUYSEN

As business owners and practitioners supporting entrepreneurs, we know that we face unique challenges. For instance, we always work with budget constraints, have limited resources and work in an environment of fierce competition. But what if there was a way to unlock hidden potential, boost efficiency, and surpass the competition without breaking the bank? Enter digitalisation and ongoing improvement, the keys to supercharging small businesses from all sectors.

This is not about radical disruptive overhauls. The secret lies in small, strategic steps. Think of it like chipping away at a mountain, creating a smoother path to the peak. That’s the essence of continuous improvement, a proven approach to maximize gains without the risk of costly missteps.

So, how does digitalisation fit in? Let’s explore practical steps you can take to transform your business, one efficient process at a time:

1. Identify the pain-points

Every business has inefficiencies hiding in plain sight. Here are some examples for spotting the bottlenecks:

  • The spaza shop owner struggled with manual stocktaking, leading to overstocking and lost profits.
  • The delivery business faces chaotic logistics, resulting in missed deliveries and unhappy customers.
  • The marketing agency is stuck in email despair, wasting time on repetitive communication.

Where are your pain points and where can you make small improvements that will have big effect?

2. Start small, think big

They say it’s not wise to try to boil the ocean! You need to choose a specific area and identify bite-sized improvements and low-cost solutions. Here are some solutions our three examples could find helpful:

  • Free inventory management apps for the spaza shop, streamlining stock control and freeing up time.
  • GPS tracking software for the delivery business, optimizing routes and improving customer satisfaction.
  • Project management platforms for the marketing agency, automating tasks and fostering collaboration.

Which small, but significant solutions can you implement, starting with the first steps, but keeping in mind it can lead to big change over time?

3. Measure and celebrate

Success is all about seeing and recognising the impact. That is why you should be encouraged to measure the difference your interventions make. For instance, you may:

  • Track key metrics like time saved, errors reduced, or customer feedback.
  • Analyse the results, identifying what worked well and what needs tweaking.
  • Celebrate even small wins! Keeping motivation high is key to sustained progress.

By measuring the impact of the changes you make, you do not only ensure that you can focus on those changes resulting in the biggest shift, but you also create the opportunity to celebrate your growth to motivate your team and yourself!

4. Iterate and evolve

 Improvement is a journey, not a destination. That is why we need to be ready for an ongoing process of improvement, that never ends. You may, for instance:

  • Refine your processes based on data and feedback.
  • Explore new digital tools and solutions as your business evolves.
  • Empower your team to suggest and implement further improvements.

While you may have identified important outcomes of your improvement intervention, you are sure to find that some of your early assumptions are proven wrong. Rather than stubbornly sticking to a fixed plan, be prepared to iterate your improvement into evolved solutions.

5. Digital solutions for smarter processes

Digitalisation isn’t about fancy gadgets, it’s about making existing processes smarter.

Here are some examples of how digitalisation may help your business:

  • Automate repetitive tasks: Freeing up valuable time and resources for strategic thinking.
  • Improve data accuracy and accessibility: Real-time insights for better decision-making.
  • Boost communication and collaboration: Connecting teams and streamlining workflows.
  • Enhance customer experience: Offering online services, faster responses, and personalized interactions.

You may remember that your focus should be on your people, not just the new technology you introduce, so train employees to leverage the digital tools you introduce and encourage their ideas to make use of the tools effectively.

Each improvement paves the way for you to achieve bigger wins and future advancements. On this journey you should celebrate the gains, even if they are small, otherwise you may not be able to create a continuous improvement mindset,

©2024 Entrepreneurial Planning Institute

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