Are you constantly running behind schedule because of workflow interruptions? If so, it could be time to start putting in measures to eliminate these disruptions. Whilst some interruptions cannot be prevented, there are many day-to-day disturbances that can be minimized. Here are 7 of the biggest interruptions that you can try to avoid.
Impromptu Meetings
Unplanned meetings are often the result of having an open-door policy with staff and clients. While this can establish trust and build rapport, it also has its negatives. You may abandon important tasks in order to talk to people. To avoid this, it may be time to re-evaluate this policy. By setting strict hours that you are available for meetings, you are setting parameters in the office. There may still be times when emergency meetings need to be held during these hours. In these cases, make it clear to your employees ahead of time as to what constitutes an emergency.
Another option, of course, could be to encourage other forms of communication. For example, you could tell employees to email you information rather than coming to you in person. When it comes to brainstorming ideas, you could also set up a communal whiteboard for scribbling ideas on or a group chat. By cutting down on the amount of non-emergency meetings and replacing them with other forms of communication, you could help to eliminate these types of workflow interruptions.
Unscheduled Phone Calls
Incoming phone calls can also be a major interruption. Some phone calls can be scheduled ahead, however, there are ways to deal with these calls so that they’re less disruptive. Some companies get so many calls that they simply allow them all to go through to voicemail. By having each call play on a loudspeaker as it’s recording, you can filter out non-emergencies. The big disadvantage with this strategy is that you could lose out on new business as not everyone likes to leave voicemail messages. Many people may also see it as rude or unprofessional that you never pick up the phone.
Another option could be to delegate someone specifically to answer the phone. By devoting the role to one person, everyone else can get a break from answering the phone. This could involve hiring somebody new to act as receptionist. Or, you could delegate the role to an existing staff member.
Then there’s the option of outsourcing a phone answering service such as Answer Force to answer all your calls. This could cost less than hiring a full-time staff member to the role and could be more practical. Some phone answering services operate 24 hours and have teams of staff available to take calls. Only emergency calls will be directed straight to you.
Urgent Emails
Generally speaking, most people will call your phone in the event of an emergency. However, there may be some people that still prefer to email urgent information. Ensuring that you don’t miss out on this information means reading every email the moment it arrives in your inbox. This can be a huge workflow interruption. One way to avoid this is by creating an email sorting procedure.
This involves prioritizing all new emails. Those that do not need to be answered immediately can be sorted into one of four folders ‘reply today’, ‘reply this week’, ‘reply this month’ and ‘FYI’. Having this sorting process in place means that you do have to read every email. However, you don’t have to reply to each email immediately.
You may also be able to reduce urgent emails by considering an automatic reply. Automatic replies could include ‘out of office’ replies. These can tell people not to expect a quick reply during certain periods and could encourage people to ring you if it’s an emergency. Meanwhile, for companies that receive huge masses of emails on a daily basis, you could consider setting up an automatic reply that lets people know there is an email queue so that they similarly don’t expect you to reply immediately.
Finally, there’s the option of outsourcing a company to answer your emails. This isn’t as easy as outsourcing a phone answering company as emails tend to be a lot more complex, however, there are companies willing to take on this task such as Liveconx if you feel that answering emails is the bane of your job.
Smartphone Notifications
Personal phone calls, texts, personal emails, and social media notifications can all serve as an extra interruption as we’re working.
Some companies have strict rules against using phones whilst working – this could be as extreme as demanding that all phones are turned off whilst at work, or it could simply limit personal phone use to certain periods of the day. Whilst this can be effective, it can prevent you and your employees receiving potentially urgent calls, which some of your employees may see as a breach of their rights. Banning smartphone usage in the workplace when they are not an obvious danger may also have a negative effect on employee morale.
As a result, softer rules may need to be put in place. This could involve muting/turning off specific types of notifications such as texts, personal emails, and social media messages so that only urgent personal phone calls get replied to. This could prevent you and your employees from spending as much time on your smartphones, whilst still giving everyone the freedom to receive emergency calls if needed.
Weak Wi-Fi
Lapses in Wi-Fi connection can also be a big interruption for businesses. Many companies are now internet reliant for communication. Files may also be stored on the cloud and even POS systems may rely on an internet connection to process payments.
It’s possible to prevent shaky wi-fi connection by investing in good quality wi-fi for your workplace. A list such as this Tech Radar comparison guide detail some of the best routers available to give you the strongest and most reliable wi-fi connection.
As for using wi-fi on the move, it could be worth getting your own portable wi-fi router rather than relying on other people’s wi-fi – which is often out of your control. This could be useful to have in a company vehicle, allowing you to work from any location.
Machinery Failure
Machinery faults can also cause huge interruptions. This could involve a PC crashing or an industrial machine breaking down. Such a machine could be necessary for your work and without it working effectively you could end up with a huge amount of downtime on your hands.
To prevent your workflow being interrupted by failing machinery, the most effective thing you can do is regularly service your machines and take preventative maintenance. By spotting signs of damage early, you can then schedule repairs for a time that best suits you (this could be out of work hours to limit disruption). There are plenty of sites such as this funk service centre from which you can order parts – taking preventative maintenance allows you to shop around for the best prices. Servicing your machine could include keeping a logbook or recording analytic data that automatically alerts you in advance of faults.
Other measures may prevent machinery failure such as investing in high-quality machines, as well as hiring qualified staff to operate this machinery.
Power Outages
Power cuts can also be a huge interruption to businesses. Without electricity, you may find that you’re unable to get anything done – you could lose an entire day of work.
Having your own backup power source can be a great way to deal with this type of interruption. By having a backup generator to fall back on, you can keep on working even when the rest of the city has no power. This could be a solar generator that creates its own power or an old fashioned fuel generator.
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