As we say goodbye to summer sunshine and relaxing holidays, it’s now time to get back to work. With the run up to Christmas underway, it’s easy for businesses to descend into chaos.

Luckily there is help at hand.  Say hello to September’s Client of the Month: Organise Chaos. We spoke with founding director Rachel Ferla about how her company can help businesses become more efficient.

Tell us about Organise Chaos!

We work with businesses who want to be more efficient and productive to help them identify processes which can be automated and smoothed through the use of cloud-bas

ed tools such as G Suite, customer databases, project management and web-based booking calendars.

Since starting the company my role has evolved from a Jill-of-all trades to specialising in G Suite Consultancy and Training which means I get to go out and meet lots of lovely people and show them how to use cool stuff.

What sets us apart from other consultants is that all our trainers have taught for Google in their Digital Garages across the country.

Why did you decide to start the business?

I wanted to show smaller businesses how they can use the same types of digital tools large corporations use to save time and money but without the hefty price tag.

I had come across organisations using things like a spreadsheet to track customer details or a free email account as their main point of contact and just wanted to say, hey, do you know there are far better solutions out there?

It’s about sharpening the saw and working smarter not harder.

What are your top tips for organisations who want to improve productivity?

Set aside some time to work on the business rather than in it. We are used to the concept of having timeout to develop strategy or culture but rarely do the same for processes.

As businesses grow, tools and systems are often added in an ad-hoc way to solve each specific challenge as they arise.

The best way to go is to take the time to map out what you do from end to end and then choose a small number of tools which integrate well together. Keep the acronym KISS in mind – Keep it Simple and Straightforward.

How can businesses make the most of technology to streamline their processes?

Carefully select a small number of ‘core’ tools and learn to use them fully. One key, often underutilised cornerstone of any system is a customer relationship manager (CRM) which is a great place to start.

When redesigning your processes and workflow, look for apps that integrate together well. A great example of this is having your accounts software import your bank transactions automatically. It’s a heck of a lot quicker than typing them in!

Why did you choose The Accountancy Partnership?

I’m on the road quite a bit or working on a client’s premises so it’s really useful to be able to pop a question over email before work and know that it will be answered promptly. I love that the team at TAP are tech savvy and able to work collaboratively, using up-to-date technologies.

Would you recommend The Accountancy Partnership?

Yes, the team have been excellent and really took the time to understand our business and get everything set up for us. I feel that we now have a robust and straightforward system in place so I can spend my time focusing on other areas of the business.

What do you have planned for Organise Chaos in the future?

We will be launching a new website by the end of the summer. Alongside this, we are launching an online drop-in advice service for our retained clients where they can start a video chat with us and screen share to work on solutions together.

To learn more about Organise Chaos, you can visit their website and follow them on Twitter.

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About The Author

Kara Copple

An experienced business and finance writer, sometimes moonlighting as a fiction writer and blogger.

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