As a marketer, I read a lot about companies who are finding more efficient ways of going green in their organization. I came across an article called the 7 Sins of Greenwashing: http://sinsofgreenwashing.com, which discusses the different sins that marketers commit when they promote a product as being green, when it really isn’t.
It got me thinking, how can we help our customers be greener? Below is my spin on how we can help our customers be more efficient or “green” around the office.
5 sins of inefficiency:
As executives see signs of economic recovery, there is no better time to review your business structure for potential cost savings. It’s easier than ever to find “greener” ways to work more efficient around the office.
This blog article highlights the different sins committed around the office and provides insight into things you need to know about being more efficient.
- Sin of double entry: This is a big one. The sin of double entry is committed by inefficient workflows when people re-enter data into multiple systems that do not communicate. Working with automated workflows allows customers to eliminate double entries, saving time and money while also reducing the margin of error. This helps reduce business transaction costs and provides timely order processing and reconciliation, while also improving shipping and receiving accuracy. Organizations will also experience an increase in customer satisfaction due to faster response times.
- Sin of no integration: Committed when employees use paper, spreadsheets or other applications that do not integrate with their General Ledger and Accounts Payable system. The true key to avoiding things like double entry is integration. Avoid duplicate data entry by selecting a solution that is fully integrated with your Accounts Payable, Inventory Control, and Order Entry systems. As information flows back and forth seamlessly between these critical systems, your employees can spend more time on strategic objectives and much less time on paperwork. How much time do employees spend replicating the same data? You’ll also minimize costly quantity and pricing errors, as well as errors in receipt of goods.
- Sin of multiple purchases: Committed across an organization when different departments place small orders multiple times per month. This makes it impossible for the purchasing department to consolidate orders, or negotiate for better prices with preferred vendors.
- Sin of manually generated reports: Committed when employees spend more time gathering information than they do analyzing vital business metrics. Software that is incapable of creating sophisticated reports and queries cause employees to spend more time exporting to worksheets and building reports manually. When you implement a system that allows for extensive report writing, your organization gains the capability to maintain their financial position and control spend data.
- Sin of vagueness: In some ways this is the most garrulous sin of all, as it arises from a company not knowing their current situation with respect to income and expenses. It’s very difficult to make informed decisions without this critical data.
In today’s competitive environment, finding ways to work more efficiently around the office is one method to become more “green” in terms of your business processes, and it is a critical component for keeping costs down. Making your company more “green” will make a positive impact, both in terms of the environment – and your bottom line.
