Call 01202 43 43 40
Email info@mesmo.co.uk
Do you use smart meeting management tools? We have seen how Microsoft Outlook Scheduler can help save time finding dates. But what about organising all the associated paperwork eg minutes. Read on with a Guest Blog from from Ashley King of Matchware
Five ways time and £191 Billion are wasted on meeting management
Studies suggest that the cost of unproductive meetings in the UK is a staggering £191 Billion. It is incredible that businesses in 2019 are literally throwing a significant amount of money down the drain, money and time that could be better spent elsewhere within the business to make it more profitable. It may come as no surprise to see the 5 common meeting complaints that follow:
£19 Billion wasted through poor meeting management.
1. That meeting was a waste of my time
2. People haven’t done their actions from last meeting
3. It is taking a long time for minutes to be generated
4. Gathering information from previous minutes is a lengthy process
5. Meetings are regularly running over their allotted time
Often when I discuss the common meeting complaints with people who regularly attend meetings, I receive the nods and smiles that cover a lot of frustration when they are thinking about their meeting process.
How can you save money and time organising meetings?
By working towards changing the complaints above, businesses can save literally thousands, whilst freeing up time to take advantage of opportunities that were once unattainable as a result of everyone being tied up in meetings.
There are incredible opportunities for PA’s/EA’s to make changes to the meeting process that drive several efficiencies for their companies, whilst also getting the recognition as the valuable asset they truly are.
How to make the changes?
From speaking to thousands of PA’s and EA’s, I’d suggest starting with looking at the meeting process. In most cases, looking at how software can help can make a huge difference. OK, so you have had the same process for years and “it works”, but it can be the cause to the complaints above.
It is quite popular for businesses to have quite a manual process in place, but have you honestly critiqued your meeting process? It fascinates me that in 2019, many haven’t, and many continue to use a manual process. Many are still doing the same things people were doing 20 years ago!
Knowing how technology has improved our lives so much over 20 years, is it possible that there is software to help the meeting process too? Of course there is!
OK, what can I do to change this?
In simple terms, you can leverage software. Things that take you 10-20 minutes can be done in 1 or 2 clicks. Over the course of the meeting process, there can be significant savings in time for organisers and attendees of meetings. Through software like MeetingBooster, you have several tools at your disposal that help meetings to run with a clear purpose, on time, avoiding unproductive and over running meetings. Imagine what businesses could achieve if they clawed back the time lost in unproductive meetings to focus on driving the company forward? Imagine being the one that made it possible for your business?
Ashley King, Matchware
Tags: Ashley King, MeetingBooster, Microsoft Outlook Scheduler, Smart meeting management