In recent years there has been a massive shift in the way that people work and now want to work, although for some businesses this has proved to be a steep learning curve. Many of the issues have been ironed out and with just a small bit of tweaking, and the perfect workforce and business arrangement are on the cusp of dawning.
Fully embracing the changes that have happened and taking them further into your business will help you and your business survive any future global epidemics that may occur—while also keeping your employees safe. Read on for some advice on how to prepare your business for the working conditions of the future.
1. Downsize your premises
It makes sense to curb your spending within your business in areas that you will not necessarily see a return on, such as your business premises. If you are running a manufacturing business then it is likely that you are going to have to take up a certain sized property just for your production staff and engineers. However, your office staff members could very well work either completely remotely from your business site, or on hybrid basis, meaning that you could save by either not renting out this area or subletting it to another business that requires the space.
2. Offer benefits for remote workers
Although there have been hostile reactions by some businesses owners when it comes to offering remote working or even hybrid working conditions, for the most part, these have been ill-founded. You will probably find that the companies that refuse to embrace this new and exciting way of building the best possible workforce for their business are the ones where the boss is constantly breathing down their employees’ necks, which causes extra stress amongst the workforce, resulting in a high turnover of staff.
One of the main benefits for your business embracing remote workers is that you will be able to hire the best candidate for the job, regardless of where in the world they are based. Of course, another advantage is that you will not have to pay out for office space or any of the utility bills that go with it.
3. Change the way in which you ship products
There are many different areas of your business that you may find beneficial to outsource—and none more so that your shipping department. This means that you will no longer require trucks, lorries, or vans of your own, but will be able to get all of your shipping done by hiring the services of dedicated shipping businesses. In doing this you could very well find that it saves your business money, and you will not have to worry about sending out less than full shipping loads due to the costs.
By using a dedicated broker load board, you will be able to advertise part loads and full loads, as well as single items for other businesses to ship for you. This means that it is more cost-effective for all concerned, as your part loads could very well make up a full load.
4. Automate customer onboarding
You may want to save your employees time by automating your customer onboarding experience as well as combining it with your sales and offer emails. This means that your customers will receive a much smoother onboarding experience which will be structured around them and will filter into your sales and marketing software systems fluidly.
Once your potential customer has shown interest by opening an account or even placed their first order, they should receive an email welcoming them to your business and introducing them to a “dedicated” customer service team member. This gives that customer a name with who to make contact and immediately has them feeling like they matter, therefore heightening their customer experience. Follow-up emails should then be sent to make sure that your customer is happy with their product or service and asking for that all important feedback.
Combine this very handy tool with your sales and marketing and you will find that your customer will receive regular offers and discounts for the items that they have shown an interest in (as well as enticing them to try others). If this is set at structured intervals, each and every one of your customers will receive their emails within the desired period of time set by you; for instance, every six weeks or so depending on what it is that you are selling and the price that you are asking for per item.
5. Look to alternative energy suppliers
You may want to start looking at other ways to get power to your business. In fact, there are now customers who will choose where they get their items, products, and services from depending on how eco-friendly the business is and what the footprint of the item is, even if it means paying well over the odds.
Installing solar panels to power a business is not uncommon and you may very well find that it has advantages in other areas other than enticing those aforementioned customers to your door. For instance, you may find that there is a saving to be had over time, as well as being able to advertise your business as an up-and-coming business leading the way for others to follow suit.
So, to wrap it all up
You can quite easily downsize your business to upsize your profit; renting out smaller units due to having your office workforce work remotely from wherever they are in the world and therefore, being able to hire the very best candidates for your business’s success.
Outsourcing areas of your business can also have a very positive effect and on saving money, which means that you can invest that money in other areas such as obtaining automation software for your customers’ onboarding, which will provide them with the best possible experience that you can offer.
Finally, prove to your customers (as well as your competitors) that you are an up-and-coming business with the world’s environment close to your heart, by looking for other ways to generate the energy that your business requires on a day-to-day basis.
