Tip of the Week: Organization is Key

One of the earliest memories I can remember is being relentlessly reminded “organization is the key to success”.  While it might have been a comedic expression to say while cleaning up the house, becoming a business owner has undoubtedly caused organization to become more of a strategy rather than an obsession.

Today, we thought we would share some strategies how you yourself can not only keep your business organized, but also keep your staff following in your footsteps. Keeping important documents or items habitually returning to their proper place should be a routine no matter the size of the business, or quantity of staff. Let’s start with paper documentation. 

Systematically Control Your Documents

Paperless billing or eDocs will never fully replace paper, or at least not in this lifetime. This doesn’t mean you need to obsessively label every piece of paper that comes into your line of sight, it just means you should have a place for everything. 

• Receipts - Tracking business expenses is important, any expenses should be tracked and filed systematically. 
• Bills - Paperless billing surely has become the most predominantly used method of being billed, however some places still don’t offer the option. Having a place for bills means you won’t fall behind due to a lost document.
• Business Cards - Nothing says professionalism like knowing where something is. To a potential client, being able to hand them a business card could potentially be the difference between a new sale, or not. 

Organization Encourages Productivity

If you’ve ever hidden something where even you yourself can’t find it, you must know how frustrating it can be to fall victim to disorganization. Being able to locate things without playing search-and-find will not only boost productivity, but morale as well. Sure, having a cluttered, over-occupied desk is bad; that doesn’t mean Jennifer can’t have a few pictures of her family on her desk. 

Personalization is a very important part. Feeling like you don’t have enough space for everything can be worrisome. Take advantage of desk organizers, folders, and other filing devices to make the most of the space you have. Stop letting all of your papers sit in a “to-do” pile, but don’t just hide them away. Putting your best foot forward to tackle tasks as they come, rather than letting them build up is crucial to employee and customer satisfaction alike. 

Tooling is Available - Use it!

There are numerous different ways your business can stay organized - but only if you take the necessary steps towards achieving this. Keep track of eDocs and other important information by implementing new software. Software is available such for:

• Contact Management - Your clients, prospects, and employees are important. Be able to reach them as needed by utilizing contact management methods. 
• Accounting and Bookkeeping - Now that you have a place for all of your business expenses, you should leverage smart-software to crunch the numbers. Stop using the old solar-powered calculator you’ve had since grade school to track your business’ cash flow. This isn’t just limited to bills or expenses. Payroll, invoices, and payment acceptance can all be revolutionized by implementing new software. 
• Communication - Being organized heavily relies on communication. Being able to exchange information rapidly means less time wasted looking for something, or waiting on a status report. Email, instant messaging, and even video conferencing solutions can help your business succeed. 

If your business is struggling to stay organized, our experts can help you. While we won’t go through your filing cabinets with you, we can help your business become paperless by helping procure file-scanning technologies, or communication options. Call us today at (509) 534-1530 and speak to one of our experts at SCW.