Sure, your office is already running smoothly. But a little more organization and a touch of technology can improve your service to clients and the quality of your work life.
Organizing your workspace can improve your business and your well-being, according to Joanne Ferguson, president of Advisor Pathways Inc. in Toronto. “It’s going to reduce stress because you’re going to know where to find everything,” Ferguson says. “It’s going to increase the efficiency of the team because once a process is in place you will be better able to handle the work flow.”
1. Take control of your desk
The best place to start in regaining control of your workspace is your desk. Reducing the amount of material on your desk will make it easier for you to locate important items and papers, and it will create a more professional appearance.
When clients see a cluttered desk, they may well think you are disorganized, Ferguson says. “Clutter is also distracting when you’re supposed to be speaking with clients,” she adds.
2. Create a filing system
Stacks of paper on your desk “can be overwhelming and hard to deal with,” says Mark Wardell, president of Wardell Professional Development in Toronto. Wardell recommends a calendar-based filing system to organize your tasks and keep your work area clear.
To create this system, Wardell explains, you’ll need three different colours of folders. The first coloured folder will contain 31 files, each labelled one to 31, to correspond with the days of the month. Inside the next coloured folder are 12 more files, each labelled from January to December. The third coloured folder is labeled “next year.” Place the folders in a nearby drawer and go through the papers on your desk, assigning each one to the appropriate file. Now, every day, you can refer to the corresponding folder to find that day’s tasks. Everything else is neatly filed away and out of sight.
3. Keep it clear
Once your desk is clutter-free, keep it that way. Allot a few minutes at the end of each day to clear off your desk. “Everything should have a place,” Ferguson says, “whether it’s a new message, a business card or a client file. All of that stuff should be put away.”
4. Scan and digitize
The only thing better than filing paper away is getting rid of it altogether. That’s one area in which technology can help. Investing in a scanner and scanning documents into your digital system can help reduce paper and slim down client files, says Ferguson. Make sure you follow all compliance rules regarding paper documentation, but many items, such as internal notes and reports, can be scanned and destroyed. “Any kind of correspondence that has a client signature absolutely should remain in the client file,” Ferguson says.
5. Keep your digital files organized
Before scanning files, be sure to set up a method of storing them on your system so you can find them in their new digital form. The key, says Ferguson, is to be consistent in the way you name and organize digital files. For example, you could save a files with the date first, so they will be easy to locate.
6. Invest in a smartphone
Smartphones are cool; they’re also efficient for record keeping and updating electronic files. So, if you’ve just come out of a client meeting, record your notes on your device and send them to your team.
Says Ferguson: “This way you’re not having to write out a whole bunch of notes, give it to someone else and have them type it in.”
Team members are then kept up to date while you head to your next meeting.
IE