As companies struggle to cut costs, they are challenged to do more with less. Working with fewer resources has forced businesses to work smarter rather than harder. Reviewing existing work flows creates opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce cost. Following are examples of processing improvements adopted by some of my clients:
- Automate manual processes using technology - By adding an application to the technician's Blackberry phones, employee time is downloaded to the payroll system and accurate data is collected to monitor labor by customer job.
- Establish internal controls - One client implemented a purchase order system to authorize payments to vendors, which reduced errors due to incorrect billing and reduced processing time by relying on a three way match between the invoice, P.O. and receiver.
- Eliminate redundancy by combining functions - By developing a Job Cost Sheet, my client organized recordkeeping to create a systematic methodology for customer pricing, provide the basis for creating the customer proposal, and establish a budget to measure against actual costs.
