For small business owners, keeping costs low is crucial for success. This can be achieved by streamlining operations through leveraging the power of automation or delegation, as they help to reduce operational costs and improve customer satisfaction. In this article, we explore a host of business tasks that can be streamlined through the use of digital tools or working with professionals and help you maintain a healthy bottom line.

Writing and Completing Contracts

Business owners can streamline the process of writing contracts for employees and customers by leveraging various tools designed to simplify legal documentation. For those seeking free options, platforms like Google Docs and Microsoft Word offer templates and formatting tools ideal for crafting basic contracts. You can also use tools from Adobe to submit or even request a signature on a PDF document.

Some businesses may still require parties to physically imprint their signature on a signed document, known as a wet signature, but after signing, utilizing a scanning tool can seamlessly convert the document back into a digital form for easy storage and distribution. Here's an option for entrepreneurs looking to simplify their contract-writing process while ensuring compliance and efficiency.

Accounting-Related Projects

Accurate bookkeeping allows any business to stay cash flow positive and meet its financial obligations, including payment of salaries, accounts payable, business loan payments, and more. However, accounting for businesses is a challenging and tedious activity that includes adherence to various local and federal level laws. But don’t fret — there is a host of business accounting software that you can use to manage expenses, create performance reports, calculate financial ratios, and file taxes.

Project Management Requirements

Whether you have a team of 5 or 50+, sound project management strategies are required to ensure that everyone works toward achieving common goals and avoid confusion regarding task expectations and deliverables. While at the start, sharing emails suffice for most businesses, however as they grow, a centralized project management tool is required. 

Business owners and managers can use these tools to delegate projects to employees, track task performance and facilitate smooth cross-team communication. Additionally, these tools can be used to set reminders and share real-time updates regardings task completion and upcoming deadlines. 

Business Structure Establishment Needs

There are a few ways small businesses can be structured. Many new small businesses are registered sole proprietorships. However, this business structure places a heavy burden of risk on the owner’s personal finances and assets. 

Switching to a limited liability company (LLC) provides a greater level of stability and security. An LLC in North Carolina protects owners from business-related liabilities, provides tax benefits, and allows for growth opportunities like adding a partner. Managing the world of business regulations and filing requirements is complex for any small business owner. Hence, the smart option is to outsource business structure registration projects to a reputable formation service, which will cost you much less than working with a business attorney.

Website Management and Optimization Projects

Having a well-functioning website is more important than ever. Your website is often the first impression that potential customers have of your business, so it needs to be aesthetically pleasing, have easy navigation, and contain the right messaging. Additionally, according to research by Exploding topics, 60% report returning to a business after receiving personalized shopping experiences. Moreover, 80% of customers are comfortable with sharing personal data in exchange for personalized offers and discounts. 

You’ll also want to ensure that you have applied search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to your social media and web posts. When used strategically, SEO will increase your site’s ranking in search results, which yields more organic traffic to your sites. 

24/7 Customer Service

Research published by SuperOffice reflects that around 46% of customers expect businesses to respond within 4 hours, and around 12% expect a reply in less than 15 minutes! On top of that, current trends show that more and more customers expect to receive 24/7 customer service from businesses. 

The only cost-effective way to meet this lofty expectation is to use chatbots — in other words, AI power language learning models that can be programmed to screen customers based on queries, provide answers to FAQs, and schedule appointments with customer care professionals for those who contact your business after working hours. Given that developing and maintaining a chatbot in-house is expensive, consider partnering with a chatbot service provider to create one based on your business needs.

Let Outsourcing Help Your Business Grow

By embracing automation and delegation, small businesses can keep costs low while maintaining a high level of efficiency and quality in their operations. From writing and managing contracts to optimizing websites to providing 24/7 customer service, the tools and services discussed in this article not only save time and money but also provide a better experience for customers, which can lead to increased revenue and growth.