Integrating efficiency: Getting your business working in harmony

Table of contents

The impact of siloes

Keep everyone moving to the rhythm

Connecting your business

Efficiency and productivity. These are the key ingredients for a successful business. And they depend on how well different parts of the business work together.

This may feel like a given, but not everyone is currently getting it right. For many, processes and business areas are working out of sync – and it’s having a major impact. Did you know that SMB owners lose an average of 96 minutes daily due to inefficiencies caused by siloed systems? Which amounts to three weeks of lost productivity annually.

Siloed systems – where different department, teams and platforms can’t readily share data or information – can have a huge fallout. When information is contained to individual areas of the business, this can lead to poor collaboration and communication across teams, wasted time, added frustrations and increased costs.

The impact of siloes

Small business owners are losing precious time – and siloed technology hampering connectivity is a big reason why.

Connectivity and productivity go hand-in-hand. So, the risks of disconnections within a business can grind productivity to a halt and lead to duplicated efforts, missed deadlines and lower employee morale.

Let’s take a look at what is can effect and the impact that has in figures:

• Inaccessible data: Knowledge workers spend an average of 12 hours weekly "chasing data," which could otherwise be spent on value-added tasks.
• Switching between tools: The average small business owner juggles four different digital tools daily – and nearly a third of them use five or more.
• Poor communication: Poor collaboration and communication was identified as a top internal barrier to growth by 38% of UK SMBs.

A connected, integrated business is about more than sharing information, it’s about the ease in which you interact with your employees, customers and the industry.

It’s also about keeping your business operating at its best – as well as moving you into a position where each interaction a customer has with your brand is consistent and appropriate, which could convert into stronger sales. Brands that excel in personalisation are 48% more likely to exceed their revenue goals.

Keep everyone moving to the rhythm

What can you do to tie up those loose ends and get your business all singing from the same hymn sheet? You have a few options.

For example, unified communication connects a diverse range of communication and collaboration tools into a single solution. With one connected platform for everything, communication can be more efficient – improving productivity, and enhancing collaboration and performance.

Microsoft Teams Phone System integrates calling, chat, meetings and collaboration in one platform, is scalable to meet growing needs, and is cost-effective. It also offers advanced features like call forwarding, voicemail and call queues, while being compliant with industry standards. In essence, a Microsoft Teams Phone System makes it easy to turn Teams into a powerful and flexible phone system.

You also have the option of a digital transformation. This may sound like a major shift, but it can mean anything from adopting cloud computing, to moving to spreadsheets from paper-based records. Or it could be exploring Internet of Things for data-driven decision making or shifting to the Microsoft suite of tools. They can all work to streamline your processes to save time and provide better access to information.

For the best chance of success with your enhanced communication systems, you should consider a solid and robust business connectivity solution. The right network and internet products can ensure you keep a reliable connection within your business and with the outside world.

There is a full realm of possibilities when it comes to a connected approach, and you can do it in a way that best suits where your business is right now, and where you want to go.

Connecting your business

We’re here to help you navigate the complexities of modern connectivity with ease –and friendly support. We know it can feel overwhelming to know where to start, that’s why we work with you to help you identify next steps.

From finding you the right internet connectivity to choosing an integrated communication platform, our friendly team will get to know your business and make sure you stay connected.

Ready to learn more about bringing even greater productivity and efficiency to your business? Get in touch with our team.