With many small business owners taking on the responsibilities of multiple roles within their organisations – be that HR, accounting, marketing or IT – time is often in short supply in the SME world. In fact, our research shows that the average small business owner spends an incredible third of their working week carrying out administrative duties, with almost a quarter of these entrepreneurs taking tasks home to complete.

While it isn’t the most glamorous part of running a business, admin is essential to making sure your business runs effectively. But with the breadth of technologies and resources now available, there are ways that the process could be made more streamline and efficient, allowing business owners to focus on growing their client base and offering.

Here are three top tips to help owners better manage their admin:

Maximise dead time

The UK professional spends an average of 54 minutes commuting to and from work a day – a valuable five hours a week that could be spent preparing for the day ahead instead of playing games or getting frustrated on the road.

For example, with the advent of 3G, 4G and public Wi-Fi, as well as cloud technology, we are now able to access files anytime, anywhere all while on the go. So, why not kick-start the day by reviewing and editing documents on the train instead of at your desk?

For those who drive to work, there are apps out there that can save voice recordings or transcribe notes, allowing you to make more productive use of time stuck in traffic. Either way, it all leads to more things checked off the to-do list.

Remember, there’s an app for that

The technology sector is constantly building new software and solutions, and nowadays, where there’s a need, there’s an app. For example, business apps marketplace GetApp has over 6,000 apps listed in its database, covering a range of categories including project management, customer management, finance, IT support, marketing and sales.

Often, these apps can help with automating certain tasks – such as billing and invoicing, or email marketing – so it’s worth exploring what’s available.

Time is a precious commodity 

Time is valued at an average of £93 an hour among small business owners, according to our research – so while entrepreneurs shouldn’t neglect their administrative duties, it’s important that they simplify and streamline their activities to allow them to dedicate more time expanding and developing their business. Ultimately, it’s those that make more time to lead their organisations from the front than bring up the rear that will be best placed to compete not only with other SMEs, but with larger and even international rivals.

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