Owners of businesses typically have two sets of goals in mind: However, in times of economic hardship, most businesses are content to simply maintain operations and break even. As 2022 comes to a close, it’s apparent that some of the world’s largest corporations are struggling with the ongoing supply-chain crisis, rampant inflation, effects of the Ukraine-Russia war, and a possible return of the COVID pandemic.
If there’s a silver lining to this otherwise dark cloud, it’s the fact that there are several tactics that can minimize losses. Whether your company is a startup, a medium-sized concern, or a much larger entity with years in the industry, keep an open mind about strategies that can help you remain financially afloat for years to come. For thousands of owners, the first step is doing an honest review of workforce size.
For others, particularly companies in the transport industry, the main component of survival are achieving a more efficient operational system. The fixes and approaches are as unique as each business. That’s why there’s such a long list of techniques for getting through the current recession.
A number of founders, owners, entrepreneurs and managers concentrate on updating their product lines, enhancing customer service, putting a microscope on bottom-line profits, slashing rental expenses any way they can, or working hard to minimize employee turnover. Consider using one or more of the following tactics to increase your organization’s chances of achieving long-term success.
Fleets Are Not Operating Efficiently
If your transport fleet is not running at peak efficiency, it’s time to gain more visibility into the way you do things. A complete fleet management platform can reduce costs and give a thorough overview of daily operations. This is particularly true when dealing with the cost of fuel. Plus, inefficient fleets lead to large amounts of wasted time and capital.
For most transport firms, at least 50% of expenses are represented by fuel. When owners collect a vast amount of data from all operational vehicles, they can usually rein in runaway fuel costs. Typically, achieving such levels of efficiency means using a comprehensive, integrated system that can gather and analyze data and uncover inefficiencies.
The easiest way to get started is to review an informative guide that describes the most common kinds of inefficiencies that prevent transportation companies from maximizing profits and explains how comprehensive platforms can serve as remedies.
The Workforce is Too Large
When management is top-heavy, or there are too many new hires, companies can quickly sink into financial doldrums. It’s a matter of inefficient use of capital. For startups and medium-sized organizations, overhiring is a fairly frequent problem.
The good news is that the solution is simple: pare the workforce as soon as possible. Sometimes a short hiring freeze is all it takes to get things under control. In more extreme cases, corporations buy out contracts of managerial operatives and lay off other recent hires all at once.
Salary expense is one of the top cost categories of doing business in nearly every industry. If you discover you’ve brought too many people on board, deal with the situation as soon as possible.
Product Lines Are Outdated
It’s easy to become comfortable when financial targets are being met, workers are generally happy in their jobs, and there are plenty of loyal customers buying up the company’s goods and services. If sales begin to slip for no apparent reason, consider updating product offerings.
Consumers in the digital age are accustomed to frequent upgrades, changes, improvements, and new items on their favorite companies’ shelves. The best way to know if you’re in need of product updates is to check the competition. See what other organizations in the niche are doing. If necessary, get busy adding a few new items to online and physical stores.
Customer Satisfaction is Low or Decreasing
Managers can gain crucial insights by performing customer surveys on a regular basis. When overall satisfaction is low or declining, do more research to discover the root cause. There can be multiple reasons for unhappy clients, so dig in and address whatever the particular causes are.
In many cases, marketing departments use detailed focus group studies to uncover details about why specific groups of buyers are not fully satisfied with their recent purchases or interactions with company employees.
Rental Expense is Too High
When rents get out of control, especially for startups and smaller businesses, there are two common solutions. One is to make better use of the space by combining storage and everyday workspace. The other, more common way to deal with excessive rent is to explore home-based options for as many workers as possible.
During the recent COVID pandemic, thousands of corporations sent workers home out of medical necessity, not due to high rental expenses. But something positive came out of an otherwise bad situation: businesses learned that telecommuting is much more viable than previously thought.
Recent advances in internet connectivity, server speed, and secure transmission of data make it relatively easy for most entities to send at least a portion of their workforce home.
Employee Turnover is Higher Than Normal
One of the first signs of trouble for so many corporations is rapid worker turnover. Large entities routinely track the metric closely in order to get a handle on employee satisfaction. Every industry has its own set of normal parameters, so it’s vital to know what the averages are in your niche.
When new candidates are hired, they will have their own checklist for a new job that will measure your company against what you need to be mindful of. Additionally, be ready to do some in-depth investigating if turnover is higher than it should be. That can involve surveys, focus groups, and other means of digging in to discover why people are leaving more frequently than usual.
Fortunately, there are numerous ways to repair a broken turnover rate. Common fixes include more generous benefits packages, lenient scheduling, opportunities for telecommuting, higher pay, safer working conditions, and many more.
Turnover can be an expensive problem, mainly because the average cost to train a new person is high. In some fields, like IT and engineering, firms do all they can to retain new hires for at least five years. If people leave before that, it means a vast amount of capital was wasted on months of specialized training.
