DO YOUR BUSINESS “PARTNERS” COMPLIMENT YOUR BUSINESS?

Finding the Right Service Providers for Your Practice.

When you think about business partners what do you think about?  Do you limit your definition of business partners to your co-owners or do you think about your business partners more broadly? Everyday business owners choose to work with various services to enhance their businesses.  Over time, businesses become reliant upon these services and these service providers become an integral part of business success.  Business partners come in all shapes and sizes from the phone company you use to the technology that organizes your day.  In today’s interconnected business world, with technological advances and service oriented companies, your business partners include those with whom you share your business, but what about all of those other businesses that make your business run?  

When you think about all of the intermingled businesses and services that make your business function every day, do those “partners” compliment your business by adding value to the services and products you provide? 

At it’s best, business “partnerships” compliment each other, enhance your business and even direct your company to grow.  Here are some ways that those businesses you choose to work with, can and should improve your business life. 

SIMPLIFIED PROCESSES 

Communication and case management software are two great examples

of ways you can choose to simplify your process and your business.  But which platforms you choose to work with can make your life easier or make things worse for you and your staff.  Remember when there were no cell phones?  Maybe not, but do you remember when there was no Slack, Blink, Flock, Teams, Glip?  You get the idea.  Maybe you’ve run your business the “old fashioned way,” running from office to office with news or yelling from office to office to communicate with your staff.   Remeber when we wrote everything down on paper, kept planners and used post it notes for everything?  Maybe you still work the same way.  There may be a better solution. 

Most companies today rely on some type of software for communicating

and for managing client contacts and cases.  The ability to communicate with your staff and deliver services as expected, is the cornerstone to success in any business.  Clear communication between staff members keeps your office running smoothly, improves productivity, lowers costs and increases profitability.  Clear communication about task assignments and completion avoids unnecessarily duplicative work,searching for answers and wasting time recreating the work wheel.  

Similarly, accurate task and project management software can save any

business valuable time and money by simplifying where things are stored, who is responsible for which task and keep everything running on track.  

INCREASED EFFICIENCY

Artificial Intelligence (AI), worldwide workforce, automations, are all synonymous with increases in efficiency.  Many platforms, like those mentioned for their improved communication capabilities also increase efficiency in offices by recording data, automating task assignment and client communication, storing contacts and extracting information, making it easier for small businesses to reduce the need to search for files, wait for information, spend time duplicating work and hunting down lost files.   

When choosing a company to work with, choose a company that provides efficiencies that help you work smarter, not harder.  Bee’s own transcript repository is just one way that Bee helps clients improve efficiency and save time. 

ACCOUNTABILITY 

With so much technology available to our businesses today, it often feels as if we have forgotten about people.  How often have you felt frustrated because a great piece of technology , designed to keep your business simple, doesn’t work as planned but there is nobody to talk to?  Make sure, when choosing a platform that there are actual human beings standing behind their product.  Great customer support, available staff to trouble shoot and an expert who can help you troubleshoot are as important as the technology itself.  

SECURITY

Increased reliance on technological solutions, even simply for document creation and storage, like dropbox, google drive and other similar options, opens businesses up for data breaches.  40% of small businesses experienced eight or more hours of downtime due to a cyber breach. This downtime accounts for an average of $1.56 million in losses. Cyber attacks are projected to cause $6 trillion in damages by 2021.  Data security is no longer an option when the risk is so high and getting higher.  Using products with documented data security credentials is paramount when considering what tools to use. 

FLEXIBILITY 

Technological advancements in the workplace have provided businesses with the option to provide more flexibility to their employees.  The ability to share files seamlessly, no matter where the workplace is, allows people to work from home, care for their families and prevent the spread of illness.  The ability to perform tasks remotely became vital as covid restrictions made working in traditional office environments impossible.  And the ability to work remotely doesn’t just benefit employees. 

The lack of a commute, and remote workers typically have more time and fewer distractions, which leads to increased productivity—a huge benefit of working from home for both employees and employers alike. When done right, remote work allows employees and companies to focus on what really matters—performance.

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Find partners that give your business a competitive edge.  If you work in litigation, make sure you are choosing the court reporters, per diem attorneys, case management and notification systems that help you do more and get better results than competitors in your field.  If you are a transactional attorney, deal only with companies that add value to the services you provide.   Technology has become the most crucial factor behind the success of every organization, but always do your research into who is behind the companies you choose. 

INCREASED CAPACITY

Invest in technology that enables your business to reach more customers in less time than usual. This means they will be able to serve more customers than before.  Finding companies that provide complementary services to your business is a great way to increase the amount of work your firm can handle which in turn, improves your bottom line.  

HABITAT ABSTRACT – YOUR CLOSING PARTNER

 At Habitat Abstract we see ourselves as a valuable partner to every firm we work with.  Providing our clients with concierge level customer service is what sets us apart from competitors.  Habitat prioritizes the client experience by making ordering our services fast, easy and efficient.  We set ourselves apart by being problem solvers.   Not only do we accurately and quickly report on your title but we solve title issues as well.  Working with Habitat is like having a free employee or a second set of hands working on clearing title for all of your closing needs.