Kumar runs a 20-person printing company in Kallang. Orders are up, but he can't find more staff, and his team is already stretched. Overtime has become normal.
Hiring isn't the only way to get more done. Here are seven practical ways to improve productivity, and not all of them involve AI.
I. 1. Simplify before you automate
Start by removing steps. Look for double data entry, approvals nobody needs and reports nobody reads. Kumar found that every job sheet was typed twice: once into the quotation and again into the production schedule. Fixing that needed a shared template, not new technology.
Try this: Ask each team which step they would delete if they could.
II. 2. Use AI for everyday admin
AI tools are good at first drafts: emails, quotations, meeting minutes and supplier letters. Staff review each draft before it goes out.
Try this: Ask an AI tool to turn rough meeting notes into a list of actions with owners and deadlines.
III. 3. Write down how things are done
When knowledge lives in one person's head, everyone else waits for them. Turn common tasks into simple SOPs. You can record a supervisor explaining a task, then ask AI to turn the transcript into a step-by-step guide.
Try this: Document the three questions new staff ask most often.
IV. 4. Automate routine messages
Order confirmations, payment reminders and appointment reminders often don't need AI at all. Many accounting, booking and CRM systems already have built-in rule-based automation. Switch it on before buying anything new.
Try this: List every message your team sends more than 20 times a week.
V. 5. Tighten sales follow-ups
Leads go cold when follow-ups depend on memory. A simple CRM, or even a shared spreadsheet with follow-up dates, keeps track. AI can draft the follow-up email from your notes.
Try this: Review last month's quotations and count how many never got a second message.
VI. 6. Make information easy to find
Time disappears in searching for files, figures and the latest version of a document. Agree on one folder structure and one weekly summary of key numbers. AI can summarise reports into a few plain-English lines for busy managers.
Try this: Time how long it takes to find last quarter's sales figures.
VII. 7. Train your people to use AI well
Tools only help if staff know how to use them safely. Short, hands-on training on real tasks makes the difference. Cover how to protect customer data under the PDPA and how to check AI outputs.
Try this: Ask each team member to name one task they'd like AI help with.
VIII. Where to start
Track your team's time for one week. The biggest time drain is usually the best place to begin. Then use the simplest fix that works: a process change, the automation you already have, or AI.
Kumar started with step 1. Removing the double entry saved his coordinator time every day, before AI was involved at all.
Not sure whether you need training or outside help? Read AI training vs AI consulting.
IX. More output, same team
Improving productivity is about removing friction, not replacing people. If you'd like structured help, explore AI Workforce's AI for Operations programme for process improvement, or the company-wide 90-Day AI Transformation for SMEs.
Kumar is an illustrative example based on a typical SME.