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According to the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, “Colorado is home to over 653,000 small businesses accounting for about 99.5% of all Colorado businesses. Our small businesses demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic of those who call our state home. These small businesses employ 1.1 million Coloradans.”
Statistics like these make any business owner smile. But, they also make them think about how they will continue thriving and helping others do the same.
To continue turning a profit, providing employment opportunities, and contributing overall to the world’s economy, Colorado businesses and companies worldwide must focus on streamlining their most influential departments in 2022.
Simplifying each department’s workload by automating repetitive tasks, communications, and processes boosts productivity, maximizes efficiency, and enables sound decisions about business finances.
Let’s explore three departments company leaders should focus on streamlining in 2022.
Information Technology
Your Information Technology department (IT) is incredibly important to your business success. IT ensures your networks and connections are solid, software and hardware programs are running at optimal efficiency, and all of your technology ecosystems are healthy.
For 2022, you should focus on streamlining your data filing systems and cybersecurity in your IT department. The continued rise of technology and the emphasis on data analytics make better filing systems and cybersecurity tools a must this year.
Explore New Technology File Systems (NTFS) and File Allocation Table (FAT) filing systems for data storage. The main differences between the two lies in their compatibility, flexibility, and security. NTFS can be resized and give you more space, so they’re usually the way to go.
Also, assess your cybersecurity measures. If you determine you need more to secure the online space for your customers and employees, thoroughly research additional cybersecurity tools that are simple to implement and maintain.
The next department you should focus on streamlining is Human Resources.
Human Resources
The HR department in your company is responsible for the administrative functions of the business like payroll, accounts receivable/payable, and ensuring compliance with labor laws and employment standards. This department also heads employee services, recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees.
This year, focus on streamlining the onboarding process to better retention rates and accommodate growing workforce trends like remote work. This focus will also ensure new employees feel connected to their coworkers, job responsibilities, and the company culture at large.
Company leaders can streamline how their HR departments onboard employees by using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality tools to enhance connections for remote workers. They can also explore making the remote onboarding process longer, more precise, interactive, and inclusive to accommodate the needs of a diverse candidate pool.
You should also focus on streamlining your marketing department in 2022.
Marketing
The marketing department is critical for business growth and longevity because they’re responsible for growing strong relationships with your target audience, promoting your products and services to them effectively, and building a solid brand.
There will be a spotlight on building brand awareness, recognition, and visibility in 2022.
Psychology will play a significant role in boosting your brand because people make purchases and other business decisions based on emotion.
Understanding how the human mind works enables you to present your brand identity, voice, and visual elements in a way that gets inside your customers’ heads and touches their hearts.
Focus on your use of social proof, user-generated content, testimonials, and influencer marketing in your strategy to resonate with the hearts and minds of your customers this year.
Actionable Results
Company leaders should focus on streamlining the above three departments in 2022 if they want to continue building a memorable brand, providing incredible service to customers, protecting their technology, and optimizing their recruitment efforts.
To begin improving the productivity of and processes in these departments:
- Thoroughly analyze every process and workers’ productivity in the department to pinpoint what’s working and what isn’t.
- Identify precisely what you need to work on to improve your existing processes and how your team works together.
- Break down how those processes are currently operating and what you can do to improve them.
- Determine which processes you must improve first and rank the remaining by importance.
- Layout every step in each plan for improving a process, team productivity, and overall department effectiveness. Also, determine how you’ll keep the workflow intact while you make improvements.
- Implement automation tools that help you streamline repetitive processes and test out your new workflow. Then, adjust your processes based on what you learn in your tests.
- Once you’re confident in the new workflow and tools, let the process go live in your department and continually refine it over time.
Ultimately, your unique business goals, processes, and teams will determine which departments you focus on streamlining this year. Still, the above is an excellent guide for those who need a little nudge in the right direction.
Noah Rue is a journalist and content writer, fascinated with the intersection between global health, personal wellness, and modern technology. When he isn’t searching out his next great writing opportunity, Noah likes to shut off his devices and head to the mountains to disconnect.