5 Essential Tips to Make Your Business More Productive

New Year New Life! If in 2018 you want to make your company more productive, you should continue reading this article. Over the years, the way we work has changed a lot, especially due to technology. However, more and more we are “bombarded” with constant requests, which continually interrupt our work pace and diminish our productivity. In today’s article, we leave you 5 essential tips to make your business more productive in the new year!

Centralize information

One of the main problems of companies and especially of decision makers is to have the information spread through various software. This takes a long time to find the necessary data, which delays the operational decisions and undermines the good functioning of the companies. Softwares such as Multipeers allow you to centralize in a single platform all the information coming from the various systems of the company, showing it in a graphically clean and interactive way, which contributes to better decisions, since all the information can be consulted in real time.

Delegate tasks

It is not always easy for managers to be able to delegate important tasks to their team, but without realizing this is one of the main productivity problems. No one is a super hero to be able to carry the company on the back, so knowing trust in the team is fundamental to being able to dedicate to tasks that really cannot be done by anyone else. Surrounding yourself with qualified and responsible professionals will help you to know how to delegate some tasks.

Defining Daily Goals

We all have monthly and annual goals to fulfill, but if we think very generically we will not be able to perform daily the tasks that will contribute to this achievement of objectives. It is essential to set daily goals to make your business more productive. You should be realistic in setting goals for your day, otherwise you will not be able to accomplish all the tasks and this will lead you to a feeling of frustration.

Establish times to consult the email

The constant arrival of emails distracts us from the task we are currently undertaking. You should turn off incoming e-mail notifications on your Desktop and establish (and meet) e-mail query and response times. In this way, your day-to-day life will be much more organized and you will achieve higher levels of productivity.

Gather only if it is essential

Most companies live in a culture of meetings. Each and every subject is discussed around a meeting table and hardly the schedule and established plan are actually fulfilled. It has been proven that most of the issues discussed at business meetings could easily be solved by sending an email or a phone call. Therefore, you should meet only if the matter is delicate and require the input of various elements of your team. Otherwise, you can opt for quick and standing conversations so that employees realize that it will be a quick “meeting” and really focus on the matter to be resolved.

Find the main aspects of Lean IT

The software industry is constantly evolving. Being a very competitive market, it is essential that the solutions provided by companies solve problems quickly and be flexible. It is critical that this area innovates and creates a new software development culture. Lean IT adapts the original concepts of the Lean philosophy and Toyota’s IT system. The goal is to adapt to the business in order to create value for customers by changing the way companies work and improving their business culture. In today’s article, we will cover the main aspects of Lean IT.

Origin of the term

Lean IT is an extension of the industrial Lean, which had its origins in 1950 in the Toyota factory. At this point, the world was going through an economic crisis and it was essential to reduce costs and optimize performance levels. Through the Lean method, companies minimize waste and produce with high quality, which increases customer value and makes processes more efficient. This work method uses optimization processes such as Just in time and continuous improvement.

More efficient processes

Dealing with information technology environments means having to constantly update them to anticipate and avoid problems and instabilities and promote continuous improvement (according to Kaizen methodology). Managing an IT environment is a complex process and this methodology seeks to create more functional systems that are able to integrate all processes, making them more secure and reliable.

Standardization of processes

This is one of the main features of this method. Standardization is the easiest and safest way to perform a task without fail. Lean IT suggests the following processes to streamline tasks: 5S standards application checklist, clear operation instructions, process parameter definition, setup parameter pattern, and problem escalation pattern.

Faster production

One of the main focuses of this methodology is the increase of the speed of the processes, which in turn increases the productivity and the profit. Well delineated and flawless processes make the company more productive and this will make the financial results are higher.

Greater Involvement

The Lean IT methodology involves the entire organization in the production process, not applying to only one sector of the company, but to all hierarchies. This method involves all employees so that success is achieved in the end easier.

Top 5 trends in data visualization

Data is increasingly important to companies and knowing how to interpret them correctly and quickly is a constant challenge. The current business world is very fast, so it is no longer possible for companies to survive only at the expense of lengthy reports. Business Intelligence, artificial intelligence and the need for real-time information are changing the way we view data. In today’s article, we present the key trends in data visualization!

Location-based data analysis and visualization

Mobile applications and social networks are increasingly using geo-referencing. In this way, it is possible to know where a customer is located and to send personalized and useful information at the moment, in order to stimulate a purchase. This trend will be well present in the future, where applications will begin to integrate more analysis based on geotags.

Data visualization for all

The tendency is for all employees in a company to have access to data that is important for the performance of their obligations. If the data were previously only available to top managers and decision makers, in the future it is expected that there will be a democratization of data access so that all employees are better informed and better able to perform their tasks.

Interactive Dashboards

The large volume and complexity of data requires new ways of analyzing information. Interactive dashboards are going to be a big trend next year. Softwares such as Multipeers allow the creation of an interactive dashboard with information from several data sources, which makes the analysis faster and, consequently, the decision making is faster and efficient.

Presence on multiple platforms

Companies should be present on various platforms (social media, blog, website) and thus collect data from various sources. This information can be used to better understand customers and their needs and desires. In this way, business portfolio can be adapted to the real needs of consumers, which will make them more loyal to the brand.

Data Scientists

This will be one of the most important professions in the future. A data scientist is an analytical professional who has the technical capabilities to solve complex problems and has come up to deal with the huge amount of unstructured data that companies have to deal with on a daily basis. This professional creates algorithms to extract insights from the data generated by the diverse sources of information and presents them in a practical and simple format to analyze by the decision makers, who will be able to define strategies and decide the best way for the company.

7 books that all leaders should read

There are books that teach us a lot about managing and leading teams. Reading is a time of relaxation and enjoyment for many people and if we can learn to be better professionals through reading, we have added the useful to the pleasant! In today’s article, we’ll talk about the top 7 books on leadership that all leaders should read!

The Monk and the Executive (James Hunter)

This book brings us the story of a famous businessman who abandoned his brilliant career to become a monk in a monastery. James C. Hunter shows us the fundamental principles followed by true leaders. If you find it difficult to get your team to make the most of your work, and if you would like to relate better to your family and friends, you will find in this book characters, ideas and discussions that will open new horizons in your way to deal with others. It is impossible to read this book without being transformed.

How to Make Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)

All the companies are made of people and they are those that collaborate for the success or failure of the organizations. This book is considered one of the best about interpersonal relationships. Launched in 1936, it brings us current concepts so that professionals learn to deal with people. This is a practical book, with many learning that seem “common sense”, but which many leaders forget to put into practice day to day.

Emotional Intelligence (Daniel Goleman)

Daniel Goleman shows us the scientific insight into the emotions of some of the most confusing moments in our own lives and the world around us. This book helps us to understand what it means to bring intelligence to emotion, and how to do it. Our passions, when well exercised, have wisdom and guide our thinking and our values. However, they sometimes get out of control and make us feel lost. As Aristotle well saw, the problem is not emotionality but in the sense of emotion and expressions. The important question is how to bring intelligence to our emotions and civility to our streets and concern for our community life? This book is a must-read for all leaders who want to be, above all else, human toward their teams .

The Prince (Nicholas Machiavelli)

Dedicated to Lourenço de Medici, the Magnificent, Prince of the Renaissance par excellence, Machiavelli wrote one of the works still considered fundamental in the study of political philosophy and relations in organizations. More than a treatise on the concrete conditions of the political game, this book is a study of the opportunities offered by fortune, the virtues and internal vices of rulers’ behavior. Although published in the fifteenth century, it remains very current.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (Larry Bossidy)

This book shows us how to more easily achieve the results we are proposing. Joining people, strategies and operations is the secret of successful business. Leaders should not only formulate a vision and let others do it. This book shows us the importance of involving all employees of the companies, praising the need for good communication. It is a very important book for all those who wish to communicate effectively with their teams.

Management of emotion (Augusto Cury)

Leaders are not just made of technical knowledge. Emotional intelligence is very important for a good performance in any area, to stand out from the competition and to maintain rationality in times of crisis. In this book, Augusto Cury presents simple techniques for readers to better manage their emotions and to find the balance needed to meet professional challenges.

The Golden Book of Leadership (John Maxwell)

This book is considered by many people like “the bible of leadership”. It is a benchmark for both beginners and seasoned leaders. It has simple language and very useful exercises, resulting in a true leadership course. It is a book to read, reread and return whenever you feel doubts or insecurities.

Find the 7 Deadly Sins of the Digital Age

Digital transformation is one of the themes of the moment and it is impossible for a company to go alongside this revolution. Companies are continually looking for digital solutions that facilitate their business processes and that are capable of responding to all their needs. However, it is not always easy to adapt a company’s work to a digital reality and there are many errors that complicate business performance. In today’s article, let’s talk about the 7 deadly sins of the digital age and give tips to avoid in your business!

Don’t plan the implementation of technologies

Before starting to implement a digital strategy it is essential to assess the needs of the company and the main objectives that the company intends to achieve with the change. Digital transformation is not the cure for all business problems, but if implemented correctly it will help improve performance and increase success. Often companies make the mistake of adopting all the technologies they find without effectively planning the digital path they want to go through.

Complicate all processes

Most companies complicate the way they work. The digital transformation brings with it the agile methodology, which intends to increase the quality of service to the Customer. The chosen software should be intuitive and fairly easy to update, so that users can use it without having to resort to specialized technicians. When choosing software, effectiveness and simplicity should be the most important factors to consider.

Don’t involve all employees

Often, employees resist change and this is because they feel they are not involved in the whole process of digital transformation. It is important to show the whole team the advantages of change, especially advantages directly related to the work of each one. Communication is essential if digital transformation is well implemented.

Don’t integrate digital transformation into global strategy

This transformation should be part of the company‘s overall strategy, because only then it will succeed. It is essential to know where the company intends to go, design a transformation process and integrate that plan into the company’s overall strategy. Teams should work together towards modernizing processes

Don’t rely on the CEO’s support

It is important to have the support of the leadership and their commitment to the implementation of the digital strategy. Leadership must be committed to increasing the knowledge of its employees and actively participating in the dissemination of the new culture. It is only through good examples that employees will feel committed and willing to adopt a new philosophy of work.

Don’t equip the team with new skills

Digital transformation has brought the need to train employees to new skills. It is very important that teams are formed for this new way of working because otherwise they will feel frustrated that they are not able to embrace the new challenges of the industry.

Don’t elect a responsible person for the transformation

The responsible person for digital transformation must work towards implementing this new philosophy of work in a continuous and consistent manner. Although this process is common to the entire organization, it is important that there is a person responsible for digital transformation that coordinates all activities and involves all people.

5 Tools that facilitate communication between departments

Most companies are concerned with communicating effectively abroad, but often forget to communicate internally. Internal communication is the basis of all the action of the company, because if the various departments don’t communicate with each other, it is impossible to give an image of cohesion to the public and it becomes very difficult to achieve the objectives. In business day-to-day work, it is not always easy to communicate with all colleagues, but there are tools that facilitate this task. Today we present you 5 tools that facilitate communication between departments!

Google Drive and/or Dropbox

Working with these platforms greatly improves communication and team interaction as documents are worked in the cloud and are automatically saved, making it much easier to share among all team members. The use of these tools also ensures that documents are not lost in pen drives and external disks, and are always safeguarded in the cloud.

Whatsapp

Whatsapp is a very important tool for work teams because it allows us to create groups, exchange opinions and share documents. As it is a tool to be used in the mobile phone, we can be aware of everything that happens, even if it we are physically absent from the office.

Slack

Slack is widely used by technology companies. In this application you can chat individually, create groups, teams and share files. It also allows integration with other tools such as Dropbox, Google Analytics or Twitter. It also allows creating questionnaires within the application, facilitating the exchange of ideas and the sharing of opinions by all members of the company.

Bananatag

This tool is essential for anyone who sends lots of emails per day to teams. Bananatag is an add-on to the email box, which indicates whether the messages were delivered, which emails were opened, and who clicked on the links and attached attachments. This tool can be integrated in Outlook, Gmail and the most used email services.

Trello

This is a task management and monitoring application. It is divided into tables where tasks can be defined by teams. It is also possible to create task lists and assign them to each employee. Throughout the execution of the tasks, the status of each item is updated, being very easy to see at what point of execution each task is.

Extra tip:

Multipeers is a business monitoring system that allows you to analyze what is happening in the company. It is a BAM system that gives us information about the state of each department, as it condenses information from the various data sources into a single platform. In this way, it is easier for managers to know what goes on in each department, improving communication among all and allowing improvements and corrections to be applied!

5 reasons for your company to invest in integrated management systems

Integrated management systems are being increasingly used in organizations, as they allow a global management of the company through the integration of different departments and sources of information. These systems consist of a set of interconnected parts to produce results, transforming a strategy into operations. These systems seek the continuous improvement of all the organization’s processes, in order to maximize performance. In this article, we present you 5 reasons for your company to invest in integrated management systems!

Integration of all information

Are you aware of how many systems, Excel files and software you currently use to control your business? Most companies don’t use an integrated management system and they have independent ways of dealing with information. This way of working impairs management and decision-making, as there is no overall knowledge of the state of the company and if the manager wants to know everything in detail, he will have to consult a large number of sources of information, which consumes a lot of time. The use of this type of systems will integrate all areas of the company and reduce administrative errors. It will also provide managers and decision makers with a 360-degree view.

Reducing costs and increasing profit

This is the advantage that most pleases all managers! Operating efficiency increases after the implementation of an integrated management system, so the company will have more opportunities to focus on customer relationships and to develop innovations to stand out from the competition. The productivity of employees increases and the quality of services provided as well, so the profit will be greater in the short term. There is also a lower probability of error, so the long-term costs will be lower.

Better management of human resources

Possibly, many of your company‘s employees perform daily tasks that can be automated. Many employees perform day-to-day administrative tasks that don’t add value to the company. In doing this, it is common for employees to feel unmotivated. Integrated management systems allow people to perform more strategic and relevant tasks, which enhances their work and improves their performance!

Greater financial follow-up

You can no longer manually track your company’s finances, and you will certainly have plenty of Excel files and digital documents that make this task easier. However, in an integrated system, you can keep track of your costs and earnings, and you don’t have to manually enter financial data because the system has access to all of your company’s data sources, eliminating the need for human intervention.

Improvement of all processes

A company that uses an integrated management system can standardize processes, eliminate manual processes and shorten the execution time of tasks. In the end, the advantage will be global and the company will achieve better results!

Download our e-book and learn how a BAM system can help you better manage your business!

Top 4 indicators of financial performance

Knowing the financial health of a company is essential so that the manager can make the right decisions for the business. There should be real-time monitoring of the most important financial performance indicators so that any deviations can be corrected before they have a significant impact on business results. In this article, we show you the 4 most important indicators of financial performance!

Profitability

This indicator reveals the value of the return on capital invested in the company. It is important to regularly realize if the investments we are making are bringing positive results for the company. This indicator is very easy to calculate, as it is enough to divide the net result of the company by the total of the asset. For example, if the manager invested € 10. 000 in business assets and had a return of € 1,500, means that it had a profitability of 15%. Many managers don’t often analyze this indicator, which means that they continue to invest in areas that don’t bring any positive results to the company.

Charges

This indicator gives us information about the company’s direct receipts over a given period of time and shows us which customers pay on time, which customers are responsible for most of the receipts, and which ones are the default ones. This information is essential to understand the cash flow and allows us to evaluate if the invoicing is feasible for the business to be sustained over time and gives us relevant information to see if we should suspend the rendering of services to heavily indebted clients for our company.

Break-even point

Also known as a critical point of sales, this indicator gives us the minimum necessary value of sales to cover all costs of the company without any loss. The break-even point is reached when sales equals total costs and expenses, and there is no profit or loss. To calculate it, simply add up the fixed expenses plus the variables and divide by the percentage of the contribution margin. This indicator helps the company to know exactly the minimum it needs to sell so as not to cause loss and it is impossible to set sales goals without knowing this value.

Liquidity

The equation between a company’s current assets and obligations gives rise to the current liquidity index, which indicates the ability of the company to meet its short-term obligations. To arrive at this amount, it is necessary to divide the asset by the liabilities and the ideal is that the result is greater than 1. If it is equal to 1, it means that it is very difficult to obtain profit and if it is less than 1 means that the business is not profitable and that there is no financial capacity to meet short-term obligations.

Analyzing your indicators in real time is essential for you to make the right decisions for your business, achieving a higher profit and a more profitable business. Get to know Multipeers and learn how it can help them manage!

Top 5 Worst Errors in Your Business’s Annual Strategic Planning

The end of the year is always a very important time for companies, as well as measuring the actions and results of the year that ends, it is also time to plan all the actions of the following year and to define the strategy that will guide the direction of the company in the next 12 months. This is not an easy task and requires dedication and commitment on the part of managers and decision makers. Sometimes mistakes made in the strategic planning of the company are responsible for the less positive results of the following year. In this article, we present the 5 worst mistakes in your company’s annual strategic planning so you can avoid them!

Lack of reflection about the year ending

Many companies make the mistake of only presenting values ​​in the annual reports, without making an interpretation of the data that they have ahead. Rather than saying that goal X has not been met, you need to do a deep analysis until you find the reason why the goal was not achieved. The past of business is a very important teacher for your future as it teaches us not to make the same mistake twice.

Lack of continuous monitoring

The decisions in the companies, in the vast majority of cases, are taken based on reports with a few days, which makes the company’s action reactive and not proactive. More and more it is necessary to monitor the business in real time, because only this way it is possible to take immediate corrective measures. Companies should analyze their planning on an ongoing basis and not just at certain times. Softwares such as Multipeers, which allow us to analyze all the company’s actions in real time, are a reality that is increasingly present in companies around the world.

Lack of communication

Lack of communication is one of the major mistakes made in companies. Managers often forget to clearly communicate their intentions to all members of the company, which makes many employees not know what the annual goals are and drive them to work unfocused. Always communicating annual planning in a clear and objective way is a rule for all companies that wish to be successful.

Wrong priorities

Companies have the ultimate goal of achieving the highest possible profit, but a series of steps have to be taken to achieve maximum profit and income levels. One of the major mistakes made in planning is the incorrect definition of priorities. Many managers list as their top priority goals that will never be met unless we pursue other goals.

Lack of information

Lack of information in companies is a very serious problem. Managers to make a conscious decision need to consult a large number of sources of information, which makes this process time consuming and tiring. The use of business monitoring tools such as Multipeers allows the manager to have all the real-time information about the company on the Desktop and on his mobile device, being much more informed when deciding.

Advantages of analyzing your fleet in real time

Managing the fleet in real time: main advantages

The transport sector is unpredictable and optimizing the use of resources is not an easy task. The first step in optimizing fleet performance is to get an integrated, global view of your state, resources and availability. Analyzing the fleet in real time brings immense benefits and today we present the main advantages of using a business monitoring system for the transport sector!

Best customer service

Having real-time information anywhere allows the company to manage the fleet more assertively. For example, companies that work with home delivery, upon receiving an order can send the vehicle that is closest to the address where they have to make the delivery. The service becomes faster, which is good for the customer, and the company saves on fuel.

Process optimization

With the use of a business monitoring system, the company can improve its processes. It is possible to estimate the time required for the fulfillment of a route and thus define times for the execution of several tasks.

Increase productivity

With information about all departments of the company in a single dashboard, managers can analyze data in a much faster and more efficient way, easily identifying the points that need improvement and acting in a timely manner to avoid productivity problems.

Reduced risk of mistakes

Making decisions based on unreliable information is one of the most committed mistakes in the business world and one of the most important that leads to failure. A real-time monitoring system constantly feeds the manager in terms of information, so he will be aware of all the relevant data he needs to make a conscious decision.

Knowledge of company history

A real-time fleet monitoring system also allows the manager to evaluate fleet results over time and thereby uncover key information such as driver performance, fuel consumption, overtime, and other relevant factors.

Monitoring and compliance with KPIs

A company has collective and individual goals, but often employees end up defacing their goals, which has a negative impact on the company. A business monitoring system such as Multipeers4Fleets allows each employee to have access to their KPIs and receive alerts whenever their performance is out of the established standards.

Multipeers4Fleets enables you to continuously measure and analyze all events in the fleet management business so that you can make the best decisions for the future of your business. Through simple and intuitive dashboards, you can analyze the expenses of each vehicle in the fleet, find the factors that contribute to a fuel increase, set alerts whenever something important occurs, among many other features.