Tired of all the NDIS Changes? Three Tried and Tested ways to Improve Service Provider Efficiency

Service provider efficiency

How to strengthen yourself against the upcoming reviews published in 2023

Just days ago, Minister Bill Shorten announced a review into the NDIS. The goal being to make the NDIS one of the best schemes in the world. There are two key parts to the review:

Part 1 is focused on the design, operations and sustainability of the NDIS.

Part 2 aims to build a more responsive, supportive and sustainable market and workforce.

This review is due to be completed by the end of October 2023. But this isn’t going to be the only change on our horizon.

The Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability is expected to deliver their final report to the Australian Government by 29 September, 2023.

Whilst the two processes have different lenses – the former focused specifically on the NDIS and the latter on broader societal engagements, we can all be sure that 2024 will be a turbulent time of change.

Now is the window of opportunity. Now is the calm before the storm. Now is the time for leaders to not only adapt to this reality but learn how to thrive within it. The most successful organisations will flourish by celebrating a culture of change and implementing flexible processes that ebb and flow with the world around them, whilst still ensuring a quality product is delivered. Take our quick, free scorecard to see if your organisation is using its full potential.

We can achieve that by forging lasting connections with our employees and clients, listening to their voices, and confidently charting a course that can weather any storm, but first we need to understand exactly what we do that creates value, both for our clients and the longevity of our organisations.

Whilst doing this from scratch and ensuring you understand the perspective of your own staff and clients via surveys and feedback workshops would be highly beneficial and recommended, we can give you a shortcut by providing some insights from other global studies such as the Anatomy of Work Global Index 2022 survey. They found:

• 23 hours of the 38-hour workweek is lost to menial, repetitive tasks (this includes activities such as communicating about work, searching for information, switching between apps, managing shifting priorities, and chasing status updates)
• Since 2021 we are spending nearly 36% less time on strategy year on year. In fact, we have on average only spent 8% of our total time on strategy
• Each employee every week is losing an average of nearly three hours on unnecessary meetings or repetitive paperwork. Every day, the average employee is bombarded with an average of thirty two emails. This number increases with your seniority

We are sucked into a world of small tasks that add up to an enormous burden, only popping our head up to put out the next emergency. When balancing this with a reasonable cost model which has an overwhelming squeeze on corporate overheads, it’s easy to understand why this is all so hard. The result of the daily grind – almost one in four workers experienced burnout four or more times last year.

Even more alarming 40% think it’s an inevitable part of success.

So how do we improve service provider efficiency?

1. Strategy must come first. In our industry it is easy to get sucked into being everything to everyone. But longer term that won’t work. You are spreading your resources and collective intelligence way too thin. Pick a maximum of three strategic service offerings:

• • What surprised you about these choices? Our brains can often trick us with responses such as satisfaction or dislike. Surprise is very hard to fake
  • Reflect on how these strategies align with what you are currently doing daily
  • What are the obstacles stopping you from delivering the most efficient service in those areas (hint, it probably has something to do with the inefficient systems and processes as highlighted above).

2. Communicate with your team. Often. One in five workers say mental health resources and clarity on organisational goals would alleviate the impact of burnout and imposter syndrome. Nearly one in four say mentoring and training, along with clearer processes, would also help.
3. Invest resources now to developing systems and processes that will allow you to be more efficient. Understanding that your day-to-day business won’t stop whilst you transition to your 2.0 version, you may want to hire consultants who get in and get the job done to a point where you can then start running with it. Read our previous blog on improving quality through the use of our auditing technology partner Tendable.

We have been there, in your shoes, trying to create positive change whilst ensuring service provider efficiency.

We know how tiresome it is to set time aside to be strategic and be sucked into putting out the next bushfire.

We can help take that pressure off you, by working with you, understanding your goals and delivering achievable project plans that will see incremental success now and the ability to adapt to the anticipated overhaul that 2024 will bring.

Contact – Supporting Potential