Consider the profiles of two businesses. Gymnastics Company A and Gymnastics Company B both provide instruction to both recreational and competitive gymnasts. Offering classes for children as young as two and three-year olds who attend Mommy and Me classes with a parent, as well as every age though competitive high school gymnasts and cheerleaders, both gyms have basically the same mission. They want to promote fitness and good health through gymnastics and strength training. How they approach their business, however, varies greatly.
Gymnastics Company A
Owned by the same family for the last 30 years this company’s head coach is now the main owner. She and her husband have taken over the business that her parents started. The current head coach initially worked for her brother for ten years when her brother was partial owner and, at the time, head coach.
Their family is well known in the metropolitan area that they serve and has always had a steady stream of gymnasts who have done quite well at state, regional, and national competitions. Most of their new gymnasts come to them through word of mouth and personal recommendations. The employees are a group of mostly high school, but some college, students who have some gymnastics, dance, or tumbling experience. These young workers come in, sign a time sheet in the same staff notebook that has been used for years and find their laminated, but still wrinkled copies of plans for the class. If anyone needs to get a night or Saturday morning off, they must call their other works and cross their fingers that they get lucky enough to catch someone who will then offer to cover their shift.
Paychecks are written out by hand on the first and the fifteenth of the month. Errors are difficult to straighten out as the records of the sign in sheets are sometimes removed from the notebook at the time payroll is run.
Gymnastics Company B
Also owned by a family that has been coaching gymnasts in the community for a number of years, this business has changed several of its office practices in the last few years. A company that analyses and provides IT services for small businesses suggested that the employees switch to a computerized system for signing in and out of their shifts. The fact that the staff knows that a computer keeps exact track of their arrival and departure times has significantly decreased workers coming late or leaving early.
Lessons plans are part of a working spread sheet allowing the high school and college age employees double check the classes they will be teaching and what is planned. Any questions they have or suggestions they want to make can be submitted online. Answers can be provided by the owners and coaches can quickly look at the suggestions their employees are making.
Work schedules are online and staff who need to request time off can post their needs. An automatic text is sent to the phones of workers who are not already scheduled to work those times and these employees are free to indicate if they would like to cover an extra shift. The IT services for small businesses also suggested that payroll be outsourced to a local billing company. Since this change, the number of paycheck mistakes has decreased and the end of the year tax forms are automatically generated for all of the employees as well as the company itself.
Coaches and owners alike are free to suggest posts to the social media accounts that the gymnastics club has. Once approved by the owner, these posts are made public to anyone who decides to follow those pages.
IT Services for Small Businesses Make Efficient Use of Office Staff TIme and Social Media Suggestions
Working with a consulting firm that provides IT services for small businesses can help companies of all kinds be more efficient and cost effective. IT managed services providers can help companies with computer repair and computer support. Additionally, an IT services provider can help make sure that internet passwords are carefully selected and that the company is protected from other security breaches. Even simple suggestions like using passwords that are 12 characters in length will make a more secure IT environment.
