A A M
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Work smarter, not harder Operating efficiently isn’t just about cutting costs, as Alessandra Skarlatos, marketing manager at Arts Alliance Media explains.
I
T CAN BE DIFFICULT to justify investing
you professional services that let you focus on your customer
in
experience instead of the technical details for your growing
something
vague
like
agility,
flexibility, or corporate culture — but financial institutions are beginning to
range of software and hardware solutions?
assign such “intangible assets” real cash
The pursuit of efficiency in the workplace
value when estimating what a business is “worth”. It isn’t as
As a workplace, a cinema is challenging, with deadlines,
easy to prove as the ROI on your latest marketing campaign
last-minute changes, and complex technology. It’s more
— but your company values, employees, and ability to weather
important than ever that exhibitors ask themselves whether
changing market conditions have a direct impact on your
they are keeping pace with changing consumer behaviour by
revenues.
choosing to work smarter, or work harder. One of these
Exhibitors, like any business, should evaluate their goals
options is sustainable, the other is only a temporary solution.
and values regularly and assess whether they reflect day-to-
Contrast these two film bookers: one spent all day chasing
day operations, and their longer term strategy. Interrogating
every site in the chain after a feature was updated mid-
priorities you communicate to employees can reveal a gap
release. The other spent a few minutes using their Circuit
between what you’re doing now and where you’d like to be.
Management System (CMS) to update the feature and
This practice should extend to analysing your relationship
publish the playlist centrally. Who worked harder?
with, and attitudes towards, the technology and services you
Operational efficiency is about more than cutting costs. It
invest in. For instance: does your business rely on employees
is about making sure your company can react to situations
with a ‘can do’ working attitude? Think about how your
quickly, unhampered by lumbering processes accumulated
technology partners empower them; do they offer training
over years. Translated into objectives for your technology,
that encourages your staff to become more self-sufficient?
exhibitors seeking efficiency should pursue software solutions
Does head office incentivise site managers with bonuses
that reinforce a culture of flexibility, deft decision-making,
based on concessions revenue? Consider what their working
and simplified process. In practice, you could engage in
day looks like; how long do they spend on back office tasks
anything from centralising your playlist-building using a CMS,
that could be automated? Does your software help prioritise
to linking your loyalty scheme data to your email marketing
revenue generating by removing repetitive admin tasks? How
campaigns. Your staff can only be in so many places at once,
do technology partners help you protect your competitive
and if weighed down by too many tasks, they won’t be able to
advantage; whether as an art house cinema, a cutting-edge
give any of them the attention they need. In the long term,
innovator, or all-in-one entertainment centre? Can they offer
that creates more problems than it solves.
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01/08/2019 13:56
