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In the world we live in now remote working is becoming ever more popular, although it has many benefits, it can also have some barriers that you need to overcome. Working from home is great to keep people working even if they have commitments at home, this can help companies keep staffing levels up but have some flexibility for their staff. Some workers can thrive when working from home as it is easier for them to focus in their own environment rather than a work environment, but others enjoy being in the office as it helps them keep concentration and make sure they stay motivated to actually work and not get distracted.

If you have staff working from home and you are unsure how to keep them motivated and make sure they are staying on top of work, then these tips may help you understand how and keep them on track while working remotely.

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Keep up communication

Some people need guidance to help them stay on track; this can be hard to do if communication is not used. You can stay in contact with your team at home in a number of ways, with virtual meetings, conference calls, or individual calls, making sure there is a line of communication open for all employees will help them feel part of a team and stop people feeling isolated. If people are feeling isolated, then this can cause them to be demotivated and work less or get distracted easier.

Set goals

Setting people goals is a great motivating tool to use; it gives someone a purpose and drives them to work towards something. By setting goals you are also making it easier to see who may not work best from home or who are struggling to concentrate and get work done, if you set reachable goals and people are hitting them, then that will give them motivation and confidence that they can work well from so you can increase efficiency and make them work smarter instead of harder just by giving them a goal to reach.

Reward them and celebrate birthdays

Some people love the team environment because you can celebrate birthdays together and throw little inhouse parties for them and make it feel like a little family at times. When working from home it can be hard to feel this and sometimes this will demotivate a person but you can still try and celebrate birthdays by doing zoom parties or sending virtual event gifts so that they do not feel left out and they still feel part of the team. Sending gifts and doing little parties is also a great way to reward good work and make people feel motivated if they are hitting goals and meeting targets.

If you have one or more employee working from home and you are unsure how to keep them motivated and feeling part of the team then hopefully these few tips may help you get started and gain an understanding of what to do.

It’s important for every business to operate as efficiently as possible. For small businesses, however, increasing efficiency is a critical way of maximizing your resources and competing with larger companies. When you’re up against industry giants, for example, it’s vital to streamline your workflows and reduce waste if you want to grow your enterprise. To start enhancing your operations now, take a look at these top hacks to optimize small business efficiency:

1. Mobile Point of Sale Systems

If you regularly take face-to-face payments from customers, a mobile point of sale system could increase the efficiency of each transaction and even boost your sales figures. When you have the right system, you can take payments from any location. Whether it’s the shop floor, trade shows, or out and about when you’re doing promotions, the ability to secure a transaction instantly minimizes the risk of customers changing their minds at the last minute.

In addition to this, using mobile point of sales systems minimizes the amount of space required for checkouts or payment portals. As a result, you can make the best use of your retail space and increase payment efficiency.

2. Inventory Control

When you have an effective inventory control system, you can operate with minimal storage space and still never run out of stock. This keeps your costs low and allows you to respond to changing customer demand swiftly and efficiently.

Traditionally, inventory control used to be managed manually but this takes a significant amount of time and manpower. By switching to back office software, you can manage your inventory with greater levels of accuracy. With automated inventory control, you can ensure that stock is automatically re-ordered when it’s running low, which means you’ll always have the resources you need to meet customer demand.

3. Set Measurable Goals

Every business should have goals they want to achieve, such as expanding into more locations or increase sales every quarter. However, unless these targets are measurable, you won’t be able to monitor your performance. Many companies ascribe to SMART goals for just this reason. By making your targets Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-framed base, you can ensure that reaching your targets is a viable way to drive your business forward.

Furthermore, you won’t waste time trying to achieve goals that are unverifiable or that don’t offer financial benefits for your firm. While hitting your targets is great, it’s vital that you’re striving to achieve the right goals in the first place if you want to run your business with maximum efficiency levels.

Prioritizing Efficiency in Business

Many business owners focus on increasing productivity or boosting sales when they first starting setting goals. However, optimizing efficiency is typically at the heart of these targets. By prioritizing efficiency, you can achieve a wide array of other goals too. An inefficient business will never benefit from maximum productivity, for example.

Fortunately, there are numerous tools and processes you can use to make your business more efficient. By doing so, you can consistently increase in-house efficiency and use this as a basis to enhance your overall commercial performance.

The easy part of being a consultant is acting as an advisor to businesses in a specific area. The hard part is drawing a line between being a good and a bad consultant. You can only bridge this gap by knowing what your strength is in the business. You also must have a passion and a drive for excellence to succeed.

 In these modern times, anyone can be a consultant. All you need is to identify what you’re good at and specialize in monetizing it by providing valuable advice to businesses. However, it’s not as simple as it sounds.

 Before you put up a consulting business, consider a few factors to avoid setting yourself up for failure. 

Assess Your Strengths and Skill Set

As a consultant, businesses will require you to solve problems they can’t solve themselves. This is the only reason they’ll be willing to pay for your service. You need to know what value you’ll offer to your clients.

 You can consider several types of consulting businesses to start. For example, if you’re good at IT, you can offer managed IT services like those offered at Levit8 IT Solutions. Other opportunities are available in digital marketing, accounting, public relations, and business strategy.

Figure Out the Needs of the Market

Once you establish the service you want to offer, think of the pain points of your market. It’s not enough to choose an area of specialization and have a strong skill set. If your target market doesn’t have the problems you want to solve, you will soon be out of business.

 The best way to identify what your market wants is to ask. Utilize social media and online research tools to see what leaders are saying about your niche. Try to establish where the confusion is and whether there is an ongoing argument over a particular topic.

Invest in Networking

It’s essential that you connect with other consultants in your industry and stay in touch with potential clients. Seek introductions to connections that can help advance your business. It’s advisable to exchange contact information and use professional networking websites like LinkedIn. Look for similar online tools that make it easy to find people and clients.

Create a Pricing Structure

Creating a clear pricing structure will require some deep analysis. You may also have to make trial and error attempts to see how certain projects will respond to timing and pricing. When setting prices, take into account:

·         The standard price in the industry

·         How much time you expect to invest in specific tasks

·         How much you need to support your business

·         Any external expenses you’ll incur

·         Your level of experience and expertise

 You might be worried about overpricing or underpricing. In this case, try using a pricing template to estimate the time the project will take. Upon setting a rate, record your pricing structure, and stick to it. Keep in mind that people pay for the value they get from a service. If you charge too low, you might struggle to get clients to take you seriously.

Take Away

Business consulting is just a business like any other. If you don’t have a solid plan for your long and short-term goals, your business might not succeed. Once you establish your business, have a plan for how you’ll embark on your first client’s project.

 Be prepared with a timeline and expectations for the process from start to finish. The success of your first project will be the starting point of your consulting business.