Why the End of the Year Is the Perfect Time for a Business Assessment
With increasing workloads and tighter deadlines, setting aside time to review the year and create new business goals for the next may not be a top priority. Just the opposite should be true. An in-depth business assessment, which includes employee interviews, analyses of business processes and more, provides useful insights that will better inform your plans for achieving growth and ROI in the upcoming year.
The benefits of performing an end-of-the-year business assessment include:
More Organized Technology Upgrades
Technology and software upgrades are necessary to keep business processes running at peak performance. These updates include bug fixes, as well as patches for known security issues. An assessment can identify available upgrades and how your team can be better organized to roll them out in the future.
Increased Employee Productivity
When employees have their noses to the grindstone every day, they may not think about whether their work is being completed as efficiently as it could be. During an assessment, specialists review how much time is spent on individual tasks, and interview employees to discuss their roles and any issues they currently face. This insight is key for making more informed investments in technology that can help streamline activities and reduce the time spent on repetitive, manual labor.
Better Budgeting
Assessments include a review of financial materials to get a better understanding of budgets (or lack thereof), as well as the current spend on technology. You may discover that you’re spending thousands on technology and services that offer limited solutions without the benefit of integration. A specialist can advise you on how to get the most bang for your buck with equipment and product suites that will allow employees to accomplish more, in an organized manner, at a lower overall cost.
More Strategic Business Goals
Part of the assessment process involves sitting down with your specialist to develop goals. Whether you have initial plans or aren’t sure what you should target, by the end of the assessment process, you’ll have a long-term plan for each step towards reaching your targeted goal.
Network Security Awareness
Cybersecurity is no longer as simple as having a firewall and antivirus software. Businesses need a cohesive plan that includes employee awareness initiatives, secure software and continuity strategies. An assessment includes a review of your IT infrastructure, including data analysis and tests to identify any vulnerabilities that already exist. All of this informs your specialist’s strategy for developing a customized plan for you to implement security measures and actively monitor your network.
Industry Compliance
The digital age has brought about several new requirements to protect customer and company data. If you’re not up-to-date with industry standards, use an assessment to determine if your processes, data storage options and technology are compliant. Depending on the results, you can work with your specialist to find better ways to keep data safe and educate employees about maintaining this compliancy.
Make an assessment a part of your plan for improving your business with targeted goals. Impact offers a thorough assessment process that incorporates IT, workflows, technology and more to create solutions that will put you on the path to success. To find out more, fill out our online request form or call 866-652-0082.