As the new year approaches, you might be thinking about the goals you would like your business to achieve in 2021. By entering the new year with specific goals in place, you can help make 2021 your best year ever. From building a five-star team of healthy employees to protecting your data, your new year resolutions should feature goals that make your business a safer, more secure place to work. Below are the top five new year resolutions for businesses.
1) Engage more with your customers
Bolstering customer engagement is important because it shows your customers that you value them. Additionally, by remaining in regular contact with your clients, you may help prevent them from exploring your competitors' services. Here are a few ways to boost engagement with customers in 2021:
- Consider launching a live chat if you do not currently offer it
- Invite local customers to visit your offices for a personalized tour
- Develop a targeted and personalized e-mail marketing campaign
2) Hire and retain top talent
"Attracting, retaining and energizing employees appears to be a primary goal for companies of all sizes this year, as the study revealed that 43 percent more C-Level executives said employees would receive the bulk of their attention..."
- Jon Gingerich, Senior Editor of O'Dwyer's monthly magazine
Hiring and retaining top talent will prime your organization for stardom this year. The hiring and retention process begins with a targeted recruiting strategy. If you do not have in-house staff with the skills to prepare a top-notch recruiting plan, you can outsource this task to a trusted talent acquisition agency. This strategy will also help you save money, as you will only pay for services that are used instead of paying a full-time salary.
3) Create a disaster recovery plan
Researchers with Richmond House Group indicate that 20% of small to medium size businesses will suffer a critical data loss every five years due to a major disaster. Having a sound disaster recovery plan in place is the best step you can take to protect your business against critical data loss. As you dive into preparing a plan, make sure that you choose a trusted provider who can offer the following:
- A comprehensive backup system evaluation to assess your organization's risk level
- A total solution that will reduce server downtime through specialized backup
- A plan that is both outstanding and cost-effective
- Encrypted data that will not be accessible to anyone without the passkey
- Complete and ongoing monitoring of all elements of your plan
4) Conserve energy and resources
Kicking off the new year with a plan to conserve energy and resources will benefit the environment and business owners alike. By taking steps to save energy, you can reduce overhead expenses and help your business become eligible for tax credits. Here are a few simple ways you can conserve energy at your business:
- Upgrade your lighting to LED lights
- Switch to electronic billing to reduce printing and paper costs
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products
5) Introduce an employee wellness program
"Wellness programs are clearly a win-win, especially at a time when employers and their employees are more budget conscious. Employers benefit by retaining top talent, energizing their employees and reducing the number of sick days. Employees benefit from improved physical health, reduced stress in the workplace and the financial benefits of a healthy lifestyle."
- Lee Dukes, President of Principal Wellness Company
An employee wellness program is a great means of showing your employees that you value their health and quality of life. The first step to designing a winning employee wellness program is to establish a planning committee that features employees from different departments to provide input. Here are some other tips to help you launch an effective wellness program:
- Establish realistic goals that are motivating yet attainable
- Secure the buy-in of your leadership team and department heads
- Recognize employees for their participation and acquisition of goals
The Bottom Line
Attracting top-notch employees and keeping them safe and healthy will help your organization thrive. And by updating your technology and disaster preparedness, you will be able to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your business is ready to handle unexpected challenges. By following the steps above, you can create a safe, secure, and more profitable year than ever.
