As the name might suggest, value-added activities are activities that add value to a business process or product – but what exactly does this mean? Well, ultimately they help in converting a product from raw to finished in the least possible time at the lowest possible cost. The fundamental aim for a value-added activity should be to complete a business activity correctly at the very first attempt, effectively streamlining your business.
With all of this in mind, it is important to keep non-value added activities to a minimum, as these will often be an inherent part of the process, but will offer no value to the customer. This impacts efficiency and can be damaging to your bottom line. These can include reworking a product due to defects, delays in delivery, unnecessary paperwork, and so much more.
Here are 6 ways you can streamline your business for more value-adding activities.
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1. Reduce your paper output
The world is going paperless, and you should too. Not only will this reduce your environmental impact, but it will also increase your efficiency. Paperwork can pile up to ridiculous levels, and you should look to avoid this at all costs by asking yourself if certain paperwork within your business is really necessary.
2. Automate certain tasks
Most businesses have those mundane tasks that seem to last an eternity for the employees unfortunate enough to have to do them.
Ultimately, it is about how you limit these steps by looking to automate some of these processes where possible. Services like Xelix can provide some of the help you need to limit these non-value added activities, reducing the workload and allowing your team to focus on other vital areas like customer service.
3. Limit your traveling – be remote
The pandemic has allowed us to reap the benefits of home and hybrid working, meaning that face-to-face meetings are a lot less necessary. We now realize the significance of tools like Zoom, which allow us to speak to people on the other side of the UK, even the other side of the world. By all means, arrange face-to-face meetings too, but always ask if they are truly necessary for your particular ambitions.
4. Know when to outsource
Outsourcing can be a godsend if done in the right way. After all, you won’t be able to run everything off of your own back, despite your many obvious strengths. Rather than have many jobs half-done, why not look beyond your business toward those that can do some of the jobs to a thoroughly professional standard?
5. Use collaboration software
This step has never been easier with a wealth of chat apps like Slack allowing you to keep up to date with your team. Project management tools like Asana or Trello also allow you to give your team manageable goals on a day-to-day basis, allowing productivity to remain steady.
6. Let employees develop and flourish
Of course, we cannot expect our employees to know absolutely everything, so set aside some time for them to focus on developing various skill sets they may not be fully comfortable with just yet. In doing so, you can turn those weaknesses into strengths, building workplace confidence in the process.
