Time Bandits
Are administrative tasks eating you alive? Here's how to cut them down to size.
Office administrative functions rank among the top three most
time-consuming tasks for 81 percent of the small-business owners
surveyed last year by Comprehensive Business Services, an
accounting franchisor based in Mission Viejo, California. In fact,
more than half those surveyed spend 15 or more hours each week on
tasks that don't generate income for their businesses.
That's a tremendous amount of lost potential and revenue.
What's the solution? First, says Charles White of Comprehensive
Business Services, take an inventory of how you're spending
your time. List one item at a time and then review them, keeping
these thoughts in mind: - Be sure the task is essential. Will your business suffer if you
aren't doing some of the things you've been doing?
- Systematize the task. "Analyze the procedure and create a
step-by-step formula for getting it done," says White. This
forces you to develop the most efficient way of doing the
work.
- Delegate. Systematizing makes delegating much easier and more
effective. Look within your organization for people who can take
over tasks, and give them the necessary authority for getting the
work done.
- Outsource. When you don't have the necessary skills for
particular tasks within your company, outsource the work.
"Outsourcing is a common way to delegate necessary functions
that have no direct bearing on generating sales," says White.
"Outsource in areas where there's a particular expertise
required that you don't have. For example, advertising and
accounting functions are commonly outsourced."
- Consolidate. When outsourcing, consider a source that can
handle a number of related tasks. For example, you may look to your
accounting firm to not only prepare your taxes and create standard
financial reports, but to handle payroll and provide cash-flow
management assistance. This allows the source to get to know your
company and to act more as a consultant than simply a
task-performer.
Contact Source Comprehensive Business Services, (800) 323-9000, http://www.comprehensive.org Content Continues Below
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