administration

Improve Your File Management Efficiency

MOMENTUM Business Support Administration, Business Support
A person typing on a laptop with a document icon next to them

As a business, file management can be a tedious and sometimes overwhelming task. Between your computer, the cloud, and mobile devices, remembering where all of your documents are stored can be quite the challenge. But fear not – there is always something to be done! To make finding everything that little bit easier, here are our top tips to help you improve your file management efficiency.

Avoid saving unnecessary documents

Saving unnecessary documents will clutter your folders and take up precious storage on your device. Too many files will make it more time-consuming to navigate and find what you’re looking for, so avoid saving documents unless necessary. Take a look through your existing documents and only keep the ones that are relevant to your current work. Declutter regularly!

Name your files and folders consistently

Naming files and folders in a consistent way makes your documents much easier to find. Using abbreviations like “CLI” for clients makes it easy to identify sought after files and folders relating to your customers. Including the date of creation in the file name can also be useful for sorting, while ‘colour coding’ softwares are an effective, tried and tested way to differentiate your content through the help of a third party.

Store related documents together

Store all documents relating to a single project or theme in the same folder. Avoid grouping unrelated documents together just because they have the same file type. For example;  putting all presentations in the same place, all spreadsheets in the same place etc. You can always use the ‘sort’ function in a folder and sort by file type instead if you’re looking for something specific.

Separate ongoing work and completed work

If you store your ongoing and completed work in the same place, things can get really confusing and it can make finding the right files a nightmare. Avoid getting mixed up by moving all your completed work into a different folder every couple of weeks. This will go a long way in improving your general organisation as well as providing a clearer picture of your current tasks and duties.

Don’t overfill folders

Try splitting a busy folder into smaller groups (subfolders). You could try dividing the folder by different categories, for example; clients. Then within those folders by different projects or contracts. This will allow you to navigate through your documents quicker and ensure that you always know where everything is. If you can’t divide the files any further and are having trouble finding what you need – try sorting by date modified, file type, or name.

Make digital copies of paper documents

Making digital copies of business documents is highly recommended. It can be helpful if physical documents are taking up too much space, if you like to have everything in one place, or if you’re on the go and frequently need to take your ‘office’ with you. You can do this by scanning documents and organising them accordingly in relevant folders. Carefully consider if it is appropriate to make copies of sensitive documents and always adhere to the latest GDPR standards.

We know that file management can be a struggle, and so we hope you’ve found our tips insightful! Should you ever find yourself needing help with your admin or any additional business support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team – we’re always more than happy to help! Get in touch:

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

Are You Spending Too Much Time On Admin?

MOMENTUM Business Support Admin, Administration, Business Support, PA
office man looking down at his wrist watch with concern

No matter what field your expertise lies in, a common ground for businesses always seems to be a lack of time. But could it be that we’re all just dedicating the hours to the wrong things? Research shows that SME owners and executives spend a weekly average of 16 hours carrying out administrative tasks and duties – almost half of the average working week! Those extra hours could be crucial for growth and productivity, and yet we’re spending them on tasks most of us don’t specialise in. Of course, we’re not suggesting you start neglecting your admin duties (after all they are a vital part of any business). However, outsourcing those tasks to a trained team could give you back that precious time.

What tasks does admin cover?

There are many duties that fall under administration – each varying from business to business. Most of the workloads cover clerical tasks like organisation, communication as well as maintaining internal databases. In short, admin is often the backbone of your business operations – ensuring everything runs smoothly.

Will outsourcing admin cost more?

Quite the opposite! In most cases, outsourcing admin is far cheaper than expanding your workforce internally. It allows your management to utilize specialist, third-party employees instead of delegating admin duties to your existing team members. This results in higher office productivity, promoting business growth, and sales. Finally, since you’re only paying for the exact time spent per task – you’re cutting down the additional costs of an average salary. Lowering the costs of a salary, recruitment and training means the additional benefits of an extra budget to put back into your business.

How will this benefit my business?

The best use of your time is doing what you’re good at, and freeing up those extra, weekly hours can make a ground-breaking difference to business growth. Giving your undivided attention to core tasks, helps you to focus and produce higher quality services for your clients – ultimately increasing sales and reach. It’s easy to get lost under all the admin, there always seems to be a time pressing task. But to move your business forward you must invest your time wisely – into projects with more prospective potential. 

If you’d like to find out more or if daily admin is getting you down, reach out to our team. Our administrative services are always tailored to suit you and your business’ needs, offering efficiency and a helping hand. Get in touch:  

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789

6 Ways to Spring Clean Your Business

MOMENTUM Business Support Admin, Administration, Business Support, Digital Marketing
A field of yellow flowers at sunset

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Spring has officially sprung! It’s the time of year to review and refresh, so we’ve pulled together some ways you can Spring Clean Your Business.

Update your website

Your website is the heart of your business. Is it giving the impression you want? Take time to review your website as a visitor and make any relevant changes. Could your copy do with being vamped up? Have you updated your website to include new services or products that you’re now offering? Do you need to remove any out of date information? These small changes will make all the difference – it’s just about taking some time out to actually do it!

Organise your emails

This is something we often put off time and time again, but what a difference it makes when we do it. Purge old emails (just think – do you really need to keep this?), Organise emails that you need to keep with the use of folders and subfolders and unsubscribe from any e-newsletters that you receive that you’re not interested in receiving anymore. This should make your inbox look a little less daunting!

Check your links

How often do you check the links included on your website, email signatures and social media profiles? Probably not at often as you should. If you manage to come across a rare spare 10 minutes in your working day, use this time to make sure that your links are still working and that they are pointing visitors to the correct place. This may not be the most entertaining of tasks, but very much worth doing every now and then.

Refresh your Social Media

Take a look at all of your social media account analytics and review them. Is the content that you’re sharing working? Are you over-selling? Do you need to interact with your followers more to give that ‘human touch’? Look back at your original social media strategy, this will help you to refocus.
Freshen up your social media visuals – it may be time to create a new profile icon or header to replace your current outdated one. We understand that as a small business owner you may not have these actions at the top of your priority list, but paying attention to this information and making small changes will really help your online presence moving forwards.

Revisit your business plan and goals

So, you had a business idea, created your business plan, officially started your business and it has gone from strength so strength. So you don’t need your business plan anymore, right? Wrong. You will always need your business plan – it’s the structure of how you built up your small business. You should look back at your business plan yearly and update it to keep up with your business growth and to help track if you are achieving your set ambitions and goals.

Get Cleaning!

Finally, how often do you actually get to clean your office space? Whether you work from home or in a shared office, tidy up your workspace. Eliminate any old paperwork from your desk by filing it away or shredding it. Sharpen your pencils, buy new pens that actually work and clean your computer. It doesn’t bear thinking about how many germs collect on keyboards!

If your business could do with a few extra hours in the day, we can help with our services. The best bit? You’ll only pay for the support that you need. Get in touch and make it happen today by dropping us an email makeithappen@mbsmih.com or giving us a call on 01903 688789.

My secret to being the ‘most organised person you know’

MOMENTUM Business Support Administration
A written to do list on a notepad with a pen placed on top

Everyone always tells me I’m the most organised person they know. I get a lot of ‘it’s ok for you, you’re organised’ and ‘it’s easy for you, you remember everything’ or ‘you do it, you’ll remember’.

The truth is, I don’t.

I used to think I had a great memory and was super organised, but that was before I started my own business, and one role became every role!

A few years ago, it felt like my natural ability to remember ‘everything’ started to fade. The busier I got the more there was to remember and the more I began to fret about it. I’m not saying I did forget everything, and I certainly still managed to appear organised and well planned, but at a cost. Lots of late nights trying to cram it all in whilst it was still fresh. Restless nights in and out of sleep, conscious that I had: clients to support; business accounts to get up to date; invoices and proposals to get out; events to plan and manage; stationery to order; software updates to implement; and so on and more.

Sound familiar? Of course it does. You have just as much to keep on top of as I do!

So, what’s my secret to making sure I’m still  ‘the most organised person you know’?

LISTS!

I know. It’s probably not quite the ultimate all revealing ‘secret’ you were after but it’s true. Writing my to-do list and keeping it updated every day takes the pressure out of remembering. There’s so much else to do, I just don’t have time to remember any more. So every evening when I finish work, I update my to-do list. And every morning, there it is, ensuring I know exactly what I need to do to get the most out of my day – No more restless nights or undue stress!

If you struggle to remember everything, or have written your to-do list and just don’t have the time to get it all done, then get in touch. We have an amazing team who are excellent at helping others become ‘the most organised person you know’!

T: 01903 688789  E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

What Do You Do With All Your Business Cards?

MOMENTUM Business Support Administration
A large stack of various business cards covering the entire surface

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You go to all these events; networking, business shows, exhibitions… But what do you do with all the business cards you collect?

Collecting business cards can be great, as long as you do something with them! So here’s a few quick and simple ideas to help you make the most of all those business cards:

Follow ups

Every person you talk to, at every event you go to, is a potential opportunity. Make the most of those opportunities by following up. This could be a simple ‘Lovely to meet you’ email or if it’s a potential lead, you could follow up to arrange meeting again. You may think ‘What’s the point in sending an email to someone who wouldn’t be a lead?’ but it’ll give you the chance to remind the person of who you are and what you do.

Mailshots/Newsletters

At MOMENTUM we do everything virtually, we don’t like to keep unnecessary paperwork. So when we receive business cards we put them all on a spreadsheet and then get rid! This gives us an easy to use database of contacts for following up or keeping in touch via mailshots and newsletters.

Social Media – LinkedIn

Another great way to make use of your collected business cards is to find people to connect with on Social Media, especially LinkedIn. It’s often very hard to remember full names, so why not use the details on their business card to find them or their business? It’s a great way to connect and find out more about your new contacts.

Top Tip!

When you collect a business card from someone, there’s usually a reason, so make sure you always write yourself a note on the business card to remind you who they were and why you collected it. You may think now that you remember who they are, but often, by the time you get back to the office, there were so many people you spoke to you suddenly can’t quite remember!

When you’re busy, these tasks are pushed aside to the ‘not important’ to do list. Why don’t you make it easy for yourself and get someone else to do it? At MOMENTUM we’re always happy to help with any admin tasks including business card databases! Get in contact today by giving us a call on 01903 688789 or emailing us at makeithappen@mbsmih.com – we’d be more than happy to help.