Efficiency is vital for companies and can be the difference between retaining customers and saying goodbye to them. Ultimately, efficient and proactive companies succeed. There are three areas which will need to work together in perfect harmony to increase your efficiency:

• Staff
• Vehicles
• Customers

So if you’re looking for ways to boost your team's and wider business's efficiency, we have some tips on how you can do just that.

Tip 1: Focus on wellbeing

Your staff and their wellbeing are pivotal in driving a business’s efficiency. Happy employees who are happy in their place of work want the business to succeed - so will do all they can to ensure this happens.

A study by Oxford University, in collaboration with BT, found that when happy, staff are 13% more productive, so taking into consideration their wellbeing when making any decisions will be rewarding.

It doesn’t need to be anything drastic, small considerate actions can speak volumes. Consider:

• Give them a day off on their birthday

A small token gesture which means they don’t need to use one of their holiday days.

• Set up a break room with entertainment and refreshments

Adding comfy seats and a few snacks will help keep your workforce relaxed and refuelled.

• Introduce a mental health support programme

This can be a small team of fellow staff members who can act as a listening ear for anyone who is looking for some support.

Tip 2: Invest in technology

With the advancements in technology, there are some great ways to boost your company’s efficiency. One of the biggest things you could invest in is a fleet management system, like those available from a specialist such as Abax. These systems offer a whole host of features which can streamline your operation, while also saving money.

• Track vehicles

Imagine one of your customers is waiting for an important delivery and needs it between a specific time frame. Now imagine that the vehicle carrying that delivery is stuck in traffic.

While normally this could cause panic and concern of the prospect of losing a customer, with a fleet management system you can enjoy live tracking of vehicles.

This means you can see where they are – including being stuck in traffic – and direct them to the best alternative route available. This boosts your vehicle’s efficiency, reduces downtime and helps to keep customer satisfaction high.

• Driver behaviour tracking

Managers will also be able to monitor drivers’ behaviour and see if there are any elements which need addressing, such as harsh braking or acceleration and speeding. If drivers are aware of this, they may be more inclined to perform more efficiently which will increase productivity and even save on fuel costs and wear and tear on the vehicles.

Tip 3: Have good communication

You also want to look at how efficient you are with communicating with your customers. While phones and emails are great to have, one of the best ways of communicating and sharing news and updates about your company is through social media.

You should look at setting up a Facebook page for your business as a minimum and even adding a Twitter account to the portfolio. This can provide a quick response and paints a picture of the company – if a potential client goes on there and sees 100 five-star reviews, they may be more inclined to enquire.

If, however, they see unanswered questions and ignored messages, you may not get the results you’re wanting. When done correctly, social media can be a great boost to how efficient you are in answering customer queries.

You don’t have to do anything too drastic to increase your company’s efficiency, even making minor changes – sometimes with no extra cost – can be successful.