Running an office is tricky, now more than ever. Not only are you balancing a large workforce with many responsibilities and needs, but you may be doing it on multiple levels. The recent pandemic and the associated leap in technology means that it’s essential to be up on the latest tools to keep competitive.
While it can be tempting to run an office without the latest technology and items, this can put you behind the eight-ball. Quality tools can make your business run more smoothly and help you get more value out of your time. There are several ways you can build an office space that works for you and your employees and encourages everyone to bring their A-game to every day.
Project Management Platforms
One of the biggest challenges of managing an office is keeping everyone on the same page. Project management platforms are one of the best ways to ensure everyone knows what they should be doing and what deadlines are coming up, so there are no unpleasant surprises.
Many project management platforms can be customized to different workplaces, as small or as large as you need. They’ll often come with a monthly subscription fee, but in many cases they’ll pay for themselves with an increase in productivity and a boost in office morale.
Promotional Items
Promotional items branded with your company’s logo serve a number of purposes. They’re a great morale booster for the company and create a sense of pride in what’s being accomplished at the office. But they also have a big impact outside of the office.
When these items are taken home, they boost your brand exposure and create a positive impression of the company to family and friends. Popular choices for branded items include papers, cups, cell phone chargers, stress balls, and different pens and pencils.
Streamline Communications
How are you and your team keeping in touch on a day-to-day basis? There’s nothing more frustrating than needing the boss’ signoff on something critical, and having to choose between interrupting them in their office or waiting on an email. Communication platforms can help streamline this and take the frustration out of office communication.
This is especially important as you may have team members working from home now. An all-in-one communication platform can equalize the playing field and make sure people can answer questions and share files no matter where they are physically. Make sure you have more than one option in case any platform is down for maintenance.
In-House Content Creation
No matter how good your product is, a lot of your success will rise or fall on the strength of your marketing team. Content is one of the most critical parts of any marketing strategy, and having a content producer on the outside can be a major expense for any company. You’re paying for quality, and quality doesn’t come cheap.
So why not cut out the middleman? Producing in-house content by hiring talented creators and giving them the equipment they need may be a smarter strategy in the long run. Many of the people you already employ may have untapped skills, but bringing content production in-house may require investments like editing software and other tools.
Analytics and Reporting
It’s near-impossible to succeed in business if you don’t have a good picture of where you’re succeeding and where you’re struggling. In this digital era, it’s important to understand how your customers are responding to your online presence and where your social media or website could use some work.
Investing in quality analytical software can make it easier to make necessary changes and keep your workplace up to the moment. Depending on how big your company is, you may be able to get by with free software or you may want to invest in a professional analytical model.
Video Chat
It’s one of the essential parts of every office—the company meeting where the boss explains the direction. But not everyone is in the office anymore, which is why Zoom and Skype have become essential for any successful office today.
Before moving to a remote model, make sure all your employees are on the same page when it comes to video chat software. This is why many companies are providing company hardware for those working remotely and providing training before shifting their workplace model.
An Up-to-the-Minute Office
The world is changing, and office work is changing with it. While much has been made of the shift to online work, an efficient and modern office is as relevant as ever. These tools will make it easy to provide the best workplace for you and your employees.