Managing costs is vital to business survival and success, especially during an economic downturn.
However, competitiveness needs to be maximised without affecting the overall stability of your business. So making the right decisions on exactly where to scale back is crucial.
A good starting point is to evaluate the effectiveness of your day-to-day operations and identify where savings could be made. You may find that certain tasks are no longer relevant to your business model, or that you or a colleague have capacity to take-on additional responsibilities that are currently outsourced.
Most people are happy to take on extra tasks if they understand that these have been introduced with the long-term interests of the business in mind. Therefore, it is essential to create an open and honest dialogue to get your team on side and help gather support for your cost-saving initiatives.
Pulling together and adapting to these changing circumstances will help make your business more efficient and equipped to face the challenges ahead.
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Articles tagged ‘economic downturn’
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Tags: cut costs, economic downturn
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Budgeting for your future
Managing costs is vital to your business survival and success, especially during an economic downturn. Reducing expenditure can increase your profit margins and make your business fitter and leaner to face the challenges ahead.
However, you also need to maximise your competitiveness without affecting the overall stability of your business. So making the right decisions on exactly where to scale back is also important. A drastic, random and unfocused cost-cutting programme could leave you weaker by spoiling customer relationships, undermining staff morale and damaging your market presence.
So where exactly is the best place to tighten your belt? Should perks such as complementary refreshments or magazine subscriptions be the first to go? Perhaps you might feel that travel and external meetings should be scrapped. Or would you take the tough decision to axe support workers such as cleaners and accountants?
Whatever you decision, you must keep colleagues and employees informed of the cuts and remind them that they are being taken with the long-term interests of the business in mind. Through open and honest communication, you can gather support for your cost-saving initiatives and head off suspicion and anxiety.
Please take a moment to answer the latest Business Issue of the Week poll.
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Tags: BT Tradespace, cut costs, economic downturn, recession, save money
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Poll: What’s the most important part of customer service
We’re all talking about the credit crunch and economic downturn – but one thing we’re forgetting and a sure-fire way to beat the gloom is to ensure you look after your existing customers and do your best to win and retain new ones. Put simply, they are your lifeblood.
As a small business, customer service is a crucial part of how you work and an important way of standing out from your competition. Good customer service means referrals, repeat business and ongoing success. It all makes great business sense.
However, knowing how to deal with your customers in the right way is not an exact science. And with the everyday pressures of running a business, it can be all too easy to disregard new marketing techniques or improved technologies which could make a huge difference to your relationship with customers.
So in order to serve your customers effectively, it’s essential to stand back and look at all the ways you interact with the outside world, as well as the way you do things internally. Ask yourself: Is there a magic formula for keeping customers happy? You might feel that showing a willingness to help is key or perhaps having an understanding of a customer’s individual needs is what matters. Then again, you might decide that serving as quickly as possible in today’s increasingly hectic world is vital. Or are appearance and personality the secrets of your success?
Share your views in the latest BT Tradespace Business Issue of the Week:
Results from each Business Issue of the Week survey are publicised across the media to ensure the voice of UK business is being heard – loud and clear.
Tags: BT Tradespace, business issue, credit crunch, customer service, economic downturn, poll
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