Productivity is one of the key factors of business success. Coupled with engagement, it can propel a business to new heights and steadily contribute to successful habits and routines. Finally, it inspires a healthy and inspirational business culture.
Even though this is a well-known fact, the harsh truth is that many businesses are struggling to maintain productivity. The reasons are many and difficult to tackle, so let’s start by providing some tips and insights.
Hire a Fractional Executive
Consider hiring a fractional executive, also known as an integrator. These people are professionals in their field and can do wonders for your business, productivity included.
The term “integrator” was coined by Gino Wickman in his best-selling business books “Traction and Rocketfuel.” You typically learn about integrators when implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) as a management practice for your company.
“An Integrator is a person who is the tie-breaker for the leadership team, is the glue for the organization, holds everything together, beats the drum (provides cadence), is accountable for the P&L results, executes the business plan, holds the Leadership Team accountable, and is the steady force in the organization.” (EOS Worldwide).
To make good use of a fractional executive, outline the departments that need urgent addressing.
As a rule, integrators are graced with a set of unique hard- and soft skills, including business skills, data analysis skills, people management skills, situational leadership skills, decision-making, performance assessment skills and contribution skills.
The particular issues they specialize in include:
- Skill sets compatible with the industry
- Capability to uphold the company’s core values
- Same or similar vision to the business
- New perspectives
- Innovative ideas
- Solutions to fill the gaps in business procedures
- Errors and mistakes in business procedures
- The capability to bring a positive challenge
Make improving organizational agility a top priority — fractional executives are just the people for the task.
Integrators are experts in corporate development, engagement, communication, and project management. They are capable of achieving consistency, enabling agility, driving results, and ensuring proper prioritization.
An integrator knows how to bring forth differentiation and integration. These experts are natural-born leaders who know how to provide the cadence your business needs.
Successful integration is based on strategic thinking, after all.
Watch Your Employee Net Promoter Score
To understand productivity better, familiarize yourself with employee net promoter score (NPS).
Your employee NPS speaks volumes about workplace productivity and here’s why.
For starters, employee satisfaction has its ups and downs. It’s only natural for people’s feelings to change over time as they gain more experience.
To ensure the change is for the better, make sure to value your employees and listen to their feedback.
NPS is, basically, a simple way to measure employee satisfaction in an unobtrusive way. Basically, it’s a set of two questions.
The first one everyone is familiar with and goes along the lines of “How likely are you to recommend your organization as a place to work (provide a scale)” and the other is an open-ended question expanding on the previous answer.
To calculate the NPS score, group the responses into three categories: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.
Promoters are employees satisfied with their job who would recommend the company to others.
Passives are employees who are generally satisfied with their job and who wouldn’t necessarily promote the company.
Detractors are dissatisfied employees who would possibly speak negatively about the company.
The NPS is calculated by subtracting promoters from detractors.
Implement Time Tracking Software
Keeping time for pool technicians, anyone?
Time-tracking software can help businesses in more ways than one.
Firstly, it streamlines everyday manual tasks and allows employees to spend more time on meaningful tasks.
Secondly, it simplifies the task that shouldn’t be complicated to begin with.
Arguably, not all industries are using it but we’d venture they should.
The industries that should definitely deploy time-tracking software include Transportation and Logistics, Healthcare, and Manufacturing.
Find More Efficient Shipping Support
Lastly, we come to what seems to be an impossible mission — reliable shipping.
The sad reality is that, even if you’re using last mile delivery tracking, mishaps will still be possible.
Shipping is, alas, unpredictable.
However, that isn’t to say that it can’t be improved. For starters, compare shipping services using the following checklist:
- Delivery service type — the size of packages, the number of packages, etc.
- Delivery speed
- Security — compare different shipping services’ security policies
- Range of deliveries — if you’re dealing with oversized packages, look for delivery services that offer additional benefits in this regard
- Delivery costs — double-check with the service provider
- Professional overall experience — delivery services that are professional and easy to work with should be given priority
Next on, educate your employees on how to properly pack and label products.
If your business is cooperating with shipping services that package the products themselves, employees should be trained on how to oversee the process. Basically, all packages should be wrapped separately and boxes should be cushioned and sealed.
The next step would be real-time delivery tracking. Use load-tracking tools to ensure shipping is going as smoothly as possible.
Finally, consider using a warehouse management system (WMS). A WMS provides inventory tracking and ensures the boxes are being moved through warehouses in a cost-efficient and reliable way.
Key Takeaways
These tips should help you think outside of the box and give you some specific ideas on how to move forward.
The times are hectic and new tech is developing faster than most businesses like but we simply need to cope with the trends.
However, don’t forget that business success is driven by people, first and foremost. Invest in your workforce and company culture.
A productive workforce is capable of meeting any challenge head on, so provide your employees with the training and perks they deserve.
The good news is that there are some truly magnificent ideas taking shape out there. Be the leader in the field by pioneering change; start with the tips listed above.