Are you tired of spending hours on tasks that should only take minutes?
Look around your back-office and you’ll quickly find a mountain of inefficiency. Someone is chasing invoices, filing paperwork, searching for documents… Why does so much of our day get sucked into back-office tasks that don’t help grow our business?
Statistics show that the majority of SMB employees waste time on inefficient paper processes every day. In fact, according to Xerox 46% admit this. This lost productivity truly is like pouring money down the drain.
Here’s the good news…
There are plenty of digital tools that are quietly transforming how SMB’s approach back-office operations. Making them faster, leaner, and (more importantly) more efficient. Best part is, most of these tools are incredibly easy to implement.
In this article:
- Why Back-Office Operations are More Important Than Ever
- The Digital Tools That Are Making the Biggest Difference
- How Document Management for SMB is Evolving
- How to Start Improving Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Why Back-Office Operations Are More Important Than Ever
The back-office serves as the foundation for any small business.
From payroll and invoicing to document storage and regulatory compliance. If your back-office operations aren’t running smoothly you’ll eventually feel it. But when they are… everything just works better.
Slow invoicing means missed payments. Misfiled documents means wasted time searching for them later. Duplicated work creates unnecessary inefficiency.
All these things might seem small on their own. But combined they can seriously impede your company’s productivity. And what’s worse is that many SMB owners don’t realize how much time they spend (and money they lose) to backlog.
Consider this…
If almost half of your employees are spending time on manual document processes daily. That equates to hundreds or thousands of hours wasted each year. Hours that could be spent focusing on driving sales, marketing your business, or serving customers.
This is why having solid digital tools to support your back-office operations are no longer a luxury. They are essential.
The Digital Tools That Are Making the Biggest Difference
There are hundreds of apps and software options out there. But they aren’t all created equal. Some will look awesome on paper but offer very little value. And others will quietly work away behind-the-scenes and do the heavy lifting for you. Here are categories of digital tools that are truly making a difference in SMB’s back-office operations today.
Cloud-based Document Management
Ask any small business owner what their biggest challenge is with back-office operations. You’ll likely hear ‘documents, documents, documents!’.
Your SMB likely creates dozens (if not hundreds) of documents each week. Contracts, invoices, employee files, proposals… You name it. If it’s important to keep a record of your business, you’re probably creating a document for it.
But document chaos doesn’t have to be this way. Not when there are cloud-based document management tools that make it easy to manage business documents with SharePoint. Teams can store, organize, search, and share files from anywhere. No more digging through email archives or shared network drives hoping you didn’t overwrite the last version of a file.
And with 45% of SMB’s still relying on good ol’ fashioned paper-based document management. Adopting a cloud-based solution is what puts your business ahead of the competition.
Workflow Automation Tools
Nobody likes repetitive tasks. But they are almost always a requirement of running a successful business.
Workflow automation tools take care of these mundane tasks for you. Think automatic invoice reminders, routing approval requests, or updating records across multiple systems. They do all the boring stuff…automatically.
The result? Fewer mistakes, faster processing times, and a back-office that can actually keep up with your growing business.
Accounting and Financial Software
Throw away those dusty spreadsheets and shoeboxes full of receipts. Today’s accounting software can automate bookkeeping tasks, create real-time reports, and even sync directly with your bank account.
Instead of stressing about bookkeeping, SMB’s with modern accounting software can enjoy:
- Less manual data entry — Fewer Mistakes
- Real-time financial reporting — Informed Decision Making
- Faster tax prep — One less thing to worry about at tax time
While these tools don’t replace your accountant, they do make life easier for you and your bookkeeper.
Communication and Collaboration Software
Communication is key in any office. And back-office teams are no exception. Using tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams can keep your team’s conversations searchable and organized. No more scrolling through decades of email threads.
It’s a win-win for everyone.
How Document Management for SMB is Evolving
If you have been in business for more than 5 years, you likely remember when document management for SMB’s meant filing cabinets. And maybe a shared folder on the company server.
Thankfully those days are long gone. Today’s document management systems offer features that would have been considered science fiction just a decade ago. Smart search that can find documents by content (not just file name). Version control that tracks every edit made to a file. Permission settings that prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
And speaking of options…
Thanks to cloud computing most of these tools run directly from the cloud. This means SMB’s don’t have to pay hefty fees for hardware and maintenance. You get enterprise-grade document management solutions at a fraction of the cost.
So what should you look for in a document management solution? Here are a few must-have features.
- Easy search and retrieval — Searching for files should take seconds, not minutes.
- Robust security options — Look for encryption, access controls, and audit trails.
- Seamless integrations — Your DMS should play nice with the other software your business uses.
- Scalability — Make sure the system you choose can grow with your business.
Implementing one of these solutions will change the game for your back-office. Instead of wasting valuable time searching for files. Your team can focus on truly important tasks.
Not to mention, everything is stored centrally so collaboration between teams is a breeze.
Getting Started (without Feeling Overwhelmed)
Here is where a lot of SMB owners get overwhelmed. They know their back-office operations could use some help. But the number of tools and software options out there are daunting.
Don’t over complicate things. Start with your biggest pain point. For most SMB’s that will be documents. Focus on getting a solid document management solution first. Once you have that nailed down everything else is easier.
Then start layering in automation tools to take care of repetitive tasks. Swap out old accounting software for something more modern if your process needs updating. And make sure your team has the right tools to communicate effectively.
Small changes, big impact.
Wrap Up
Revolutionary doesn’t have to mean flashy headlines and overnight successes. Small and medium-sized businesses are seeing their back-office operations improve with the help of digital tools. And they are doing it quietly.
By slowly implementing new ways of working and automating old processes businesses will begin to:
- Save Time — Say goodbye to inefficient manual processes and paper-based workflows.
- Save Money — Automated tools mean fewer mistakes and wasted man-hours.
- Scale Much Faster — Having a digital back-office that grows with your business allows you to focus on what matters…Growing your bottom line!
Don’t let your business continue leaving productivity on the table. Digital tools exist that can help you run a more efficient back-office. And best part is, they are easier to implement than you think.
