By Jessica Sanders, special to Overdrive.

A productive business is a successful business. When you and your employees are moving full steam ahead, you can be sure you’re putting your best foot forward. If productivity is lacking in your office, however, it’s important that it’s corrected right away.

While there are a variety of ways to do that, one tactic is to purchase new software. You can increase productivity in all aspects of your business, saving time and money, if you make the right software investments.

“It is possible to find extra time in your day simply by reorganizing the way in which you approach the tasks that fall within your responsibility.” – Lifehack.org

With Customers

On the phone, in a meeting, or at an event, it’s critical that your interactions with customers are seamless and effortless – at least they should appear so. While great customer service reps can ensure that customers are leaving satisfied, sometimes it’s not the interactions that are the problem.

If your customer service employees don’t have the right information in front of them, they’ll have to spend time searching for records instead of focusing on the customer. The best way to remedy this is to utilize call center software which gives you the tools to make this possible.

Features:

• Online: This will give you access to the data wherever you are.
• Cross-platform: This feature will allow you to see any previous conversation, whether it was held via chat, social media, over the phone or through email. Being completely informed will eliminate redundant questions and give a complete understanding.

Within The Office

If productivity within the office is slow, it could be in part due to systems within your office. Something to consider is whether or not you’ve gone completely digital with your records. suggests, “Time spent searching for documents through a library of file cabinets is eliminated, and this frees up time for employees to get more work done.” Document management software will help eliminate this costly waste of time.

Features:

• Search: Be sure that the program offers a comprehensive search option. This is where you’ll be saving a bulk of your time.
• Customization: You’ll need to customize the organization to make it effective for your employees to use. Map out your folders and documents in a way that is familiar and logical for your business.

With Employees

Whether you have employees in-house or working from home, if productivity is lacking, it may be time to start watching their work habits. This ranges from clocking out early to time management. can be an easy way to fix this problem. According to GateKeeperSolutions.com, you’ll be able to “Increase efficiency, manage labor costs and maximize profits…”

Features:

• Shifts and breaks: Automate the shift and break schedules.
• Employee information: Never search for a large stack of folders again. Get all your employee information in one system; input personal information, salary, etc.
• Monitor daily activities: This allows you to estimate and decrease labor costs.

Productivity is important to every business. If your employees are slacking or taking too much time to find the right information, then you’re losing valuable working time not to mention money. From labor costs to customer satisfaction, the right software will do wonders for your business.

Jessica Sanders is an avid small business writer touching on topics that range from social media to business management. She is a professional blogger and web content writer for ResourceNation.com.