“Sustainable scaling” may sound like a dental procedure, but in practice, it is a combination of business choices and procedures that can steer your company through volatile economic times. Let’s start with defining “a sustainable business.” Being a sustainable business means more than just recycling and using renewable energy. It means laying the groundwork for future employee and customer growth. An organization with sustainability as one of its core principles has a better chance of success in the future.
Three attributes of a sustainable business are:
- Continuity or the ability to repeat processes
- Availability or the ability to adapt to sudden changes
- Scalability or the ability to scale up or down as needed
Some businesses grow exponentially over a short time. But if they don’t have repeatable processes to support new hires and onboarding, everything falls apart. These processes must also be adaptable enough to change as needed to meet organizational requirements. Businesses also need to be able to scale or grow/reduce resources on demand. Scaling can be key to surviving recessional downturns.
What Fuels A Sustainable Business?
First, always be looking for ways to improve productivity and efficiency. Time is still money. Think about the capabilities of these combined solutions. An automated documentation system can help your employees work more effectively. It allows your employees to modify or revise existing templates in the document generation system to comply with changing regulations. This helps manage and create business documents on time with greater accuracy. Also, an integrated learning management system can help you customize and manage employee training across teams. It will accelerate employee engagement. Remember, the more knowledgeable your employees are and the longer they stay, the better they serve your customers. So, never be afraid to invest in human resources training because it yields a high return on investment. Preventing even a single phishing attempt can save your company thousands.
Your Technology Creates The Ability To Integrate And Automate
Because they consolidate data, computer systems that successfully integrate can be a long-term asset for your organization. Some executives overlook this. It can result in a mashup of incompatible technologies. Lack of integration can be a real pain in the butt in the long run. It can create the biggest hurdle in your organization’s sustainable growth journey.
Automating time-consuming and repetitive manual processes lowers costs, improves efficiency, reduces errors, and boosts customer and employee satisfaction. Make sure you don’t get left behind in an age when proactive businesses are automating their systems to achieve sustainable growth.
Partner For Success
If you don’t strategize on how to be a sustainable business, you risk losing your employees and customers alike. It’s time to abandon rapid acceleration in favor of sustainable growth that can help you achieve customer/employee satisfaction and long-term success.
A managed service provider (MSP) like Aptica can help you achieve sustainable scalability more seamlessly. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation on ways to make your company more sustainable. 260.243.5100.
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2101, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT management and support company has been serving small to medium-sized businesses for 20 years in the region that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo OH.