One of the most tiresome parts of running a business is dealing with all the associated admin. From organising legal paperwork to handling accountancy to organising the payroll to scheduling in appointments, these admin tasks can take up a large chunk of your time and leave very little time to focus on the core tasks of your job. Many people that aren’t used to these tasks can find themselves getting a headache. Unfortunately, these jobs have to be done – so what’s the solution? Here are just a few ways to make admin less stressful.
Start outsourcing
Outsourcing is a means of delegating a business task to another company. Accounting is the most common job that gets outsourced, as many people either don’t have a head for figures or don’t have the patience. A chartered accountancy firm can keep you books up to date, whilst presenting them in an organised way. This can free up many hours each month, allowing you to spend time on other roles.
Nowadays, almost every admin task can be outsourced. There are companies out there that can take phone calls for you and filter out the important ones so that you’re not constantly on the phone. Likewise, you can hire somewhere to handle your emails for you, replying to important messages whilst forwarding important ones to you. You can even hire an HR company to create rotas, as well as recording holiday and sick leave.
Delegate tasks to your employees
You may not need to outsource some tasks. It’s possible that some of your employees may be responsible and trustworthy enough to take on some of these roles. Answering the phone and answering emails are two jobs that can be delegated to fellow staff members. There may also be organisational tasks that you ask employees to help you with such as decluttering computer files or doing a stock take.
Streamline your business with software
Software can often come in handy for speeding up admin tasks. Digital asset management software can organise everything into one place making information more accessible. Accounting software meanwhile can calculate taxes and expenses for you, whilst presenting it neatly. On top of this, there software out there for mass-mailing emails, building work plans and monitoring progress. You may even be able to pay a software development company to create your own custom-built programme with all the functions you need, so that everything is accessible in one place.
Try attending business workshops
You’ll find business workshops across the country based around all kinds of admin skills from accounting to HR. It could be worth attending some of these to learn new shortcuts and tips in order to make these tasks easier. You may even want to take a short course in business administration to help you develop a thorough understanding of all the roles involved. By learning new methods of organising your business, you may find that you get these tasks done more quickly and efficiently.