The Need for Speed

Streamlining is the act of improving a process, system, or task so that it’s simpler and more efficient. It’s about reducing the time, inputs, and resources required to achieve the same output.

“In terms of business, a streamlined process ensures every step taken to complete a task is comprehensive, repeatable, and works towards an ultimate goal,” entrepreneur Chloe Henderson explains. “Each job may be a small part of an overall process or a separate event.”

Streamlining internal processes can take time and energy on the front end. You’ll have to consider processes from all angles, try different tweaks, and patiently wait to see results. But the long-term benefits include:

• Productivity. Greater efficiency obviously leads to better productivity. By definition, this means producing greater output using equal (or fewer) resources. Obviously, that helps on multiple levels.

• Employee satisfaction. Clunky processes and lots of friction are bound to frustrate employees. It makes them feel bitter and neglected – some even take it personally. By streamlining processes, work becomes more enjoyable and, as a result, increases satisfaction and retention.

• Customer satisfaction. Faster and more efficient processes eventually trickle down to impact customers in positive ways. Whether it’s receiving products sooner or having better experiences with customer service, greater efficiency leads to better relationships with customers.

When it’s all said and done, each of these factors contributes to a healthier bottom line. As you focus more on increasing the speed and efficiency of your internal business processes and workflows, the higher your profitability will be. It’s as simple as that!

How to Give Your Internal Processes a Boost

Any internal process can be streamlined. Whether it’s an accounting process that’s handled in the back office or marketing initiatives that are executed in the public eye, internal processes can always be made more efficient. Here are some suggestions:

1. Eliminate Communication Roadblocks

So many internal processes are held back by poor communication. And in many cases, this can be tied directly back to using the wrong communication modes and mediums. Email is one of the primary culprits.

Email is highly inefficient and prone to bottlenecks, yet continues to be one of the primary choices for businesses. Though it’s great for external communication and marketing, we recommend shifting away from email internally.

SMS for internal communications is a better option. It boasts a 98 percent average open rate (compared to just 15 to 20 percent for email). Not only that, but 9-of-10 text messages are read within 15 minutes. And for the average user, it takes just 90 seconds to respond.

2. Flatten Your Hierarchy

Traditionally, businesses have operated with what we call “tall’ hierarchies. This is where you have the business owner at the top, followed by the C-suite, followed by department heads, followed by mid-level managers, and finally lower-level employees within each individual department. And while there’s nothing technically wrong with this approach, it slows down processes and inhibits efficiency.

Under the normal hierarchy, an employee who notices an issue has to report it to his manager. That manager then takes it to the department head. The department head reports to the C-suite. After they discuss the issue with the owner, their recommendation is then pushed all the way back down the chain of command. Finally, it can be implemented. This process can take days or even weeks.

One way to speed up internal processes is to reduce the number of touchpoints an issue has to filter through. This can be done by flattening your hierarchy. This is where employees are encouraged to take more ownership over ideas and responsibilities through decentralized decision-making processes.

“The idea is that well-trained workers will be more productive when they are directly involved in the decision-making process rather than closely supervised by many layers of management,” Lumen explains.

There will be bumps in the road as you flatten your hierarchy, but the long-term benefits are obvious. Give individual employees more autonomy (within reason) and responsibility. Nothing teaches someone to make smart decisions like having to deal with both the positive outcomes and consequences of their choices in real-time.

3. Take a Chance on Automation

There are automated solutions for almost every business process. And while you certainly don’t need to implement them all, you should look for the low-hanging fruit. For example, if accounting is a thorn in your side that requires hours of your time each week, why not find a cloud accounting solution to streamline some of the mundane manual tasks?

Automation may require a hefty investment upfront (in some cases), but look at its value through a long-term lens. If something costs you $5,000 initially but saves you $500 per month indefinitely, it’s an easy decision!

Ready, Set, Go

Every process is different. But if you want to speed up how your internal processes work, it starts with being proactive and discerning. Identify the bottlenecks and points of friction, then find ways to push through these roadblocks and accomplish the same results with fewer inputs and resources. Sometimes the smallest adjustments can produce the biggest changes.

Since the global pandemic began in late 2019, mankind has witnessed a huge shift from typical office working conditions to now working from home, and hardly any sector was left out of this modification including the vacation rental industry. A lot of rental owners and managers have now tapped into remotely managing their rentals as this has proven to be very seamless and efficient compared to previous methods.

In this article, we will be discussing a few ways to effectively manage vacation rentals remotely and free from hassle.

Start Using a Vacation Rental Property Management Software

Technology has now made it even easier for rental owners to manage their vacation rentals with the introduction of vacation rental property management software. Now rentals can be managed completely remotely from anywhere in the world. Features in the software allow for the management of processes such as reservations, listings, calendars, cleaning, payments, rates, advertising, security, and a lot more.

Consider Signing Up for a Rental Channel Manager

This is yet another great way for rental owners and managers to manage rentals. By synching rental software with a rental channel manager, rental owners can automate their processes even further.

For example, with the Airbnb software, tasks can be done automatically and communication with guests can also be significantly streamlined. Other features that can be done with this tool include external booking management as well as calendar management.

There are a variety of listings providers to choose from such as Airbnb, VRBO, Couchsurfing, Booking.com, and more.

Automate the check-in and check-out process for your guests

Having this very key process automated in your rental operations management easily saves you a lot of time and effort, leaving not only the manager satisfied but also your guests. So much new technology is available for implementation in this regard, some examples include Airbnb lockboxes and smart locks.

Install security systems

Security is yet another global industry in which technology has been able to proffer numerous solutions. Today, you as a rental owner and manager can monitor operations in your rentals with the help of surveillance cameras capturing real-time footage which can be streamed live on your mobile devices from anywhere in the world.

Other examples of security systems include alarm systems and a host of others available for instalment depending on your preference.

Consider putting a cleaning service of your choice on retainer

The importance of always having a clean vacation rental cannot be overemphasized, your guests are directly affected by how tidy your rentals are, and there is a certain standard that is expected. This is especially important because a bad review can be quite detrimental to your business. It is, therefore, necessary to have this sorted out, and the best way to do this remotely is by hiring a reliable cleaning service to tend to this for the long term. This is yet another process that guarantees automated functionality for your rental management.

In conclusion, having all these measures implemented not only allows you as a rental manager or owner to manage your operations remotely, but it also organizes all your processes, allowing more convenient management and monitoring which in turn will lead to more success for your business. A win-win if you ask me.