Entrepreneurs

18 Workplace Inefficiencies That New Businesses Could Solve

By Brett Farmiloe

Posted on April 7, 2025

18 Workplace Inefficiencies That New Businesses Could Solve

Uncover the critical workplace inefficiencies that stifle new business growth, as revealed by industry leaders. This article strips back the complexity to present actionable solutions. Gain clarity on the practical steps towards a more efficient and productive work environment.

HRIS Needs Simplification and Integration
Unified Communication for Self-Storage Industry
Automated Scheduling for Judicial System
AI-Powered Knowledge Retrieval for Engineers
Preserve Decision Logic in Workflow Changes
Streamline Communication and Collaboration
Real-Time Tree Inventory and Risk Assessment
AI-Driven Communication for Departments
AI-Powered Inventory Management
Automated Scheduling for Real Estate
Centralized Service Records for Servicemembers
AI-Powered Knowledge Management
Smart Monitoring for Construction Equipment
Feature Release Intelligence Platform
Results-Driven Performance Platform
AI Efficiency Training Needed
Intelligent Label Dispenser for Warehouses
AI-Based Deal Aggregation System

HRIS Needs Simplification and Integration

I still don’t think there’s an HRIS to rule them all. There are plenty of options available on the market, but I haven’t come across one that does it all: attraction, recruitment, onboarding, engagement, performance reviews/management, and exit. Most systems I’ve worked with are overly complex and don’t have the employee lifecycle in mind. Often, they are built in quite a clunky way without considering the needs of the employee or the HR team. We want simple set-up flows (initial data collection during the recruitment process, onboarding, probation, performance review) and the ability to download custom reports and real-time engagement reports.

Elyas Coutts, CEO, Connect Vending

Unified Communication for Self-Storage Industry

One inefficiency we’ve seen in the self-storage industry is the gap between in-person facility operations and centralized digital communication. For example, if a customer calls with a question, sends a message through chat, and then visits the facility, those interactions aren’t always connected, leading to repeated conversations and slower service.

A new business could solve this with an integrated communication platform built specifically for multi-location service businesses like storage. It would sync customer interactions across phone, chat, email, and in-person visits, giving teams a unified view of the customer journey.

This kind of solution would reduce redundant work, speed up response times, and improve consistency in customer service—ultimately leading to better retention and a smoother operation across all locations. It’s a clear opportunity for innovation in industries where personal service and operational scale need to work together.

Juan Castellanos, Senior Marketing Manager, SecureSpace

Automated Scheduling for Judicial System

Court scheduling is probably the largest inefficiency in the judicial system. Lawyers waste hours scheduling hearings, filing motions, and waiting on status updates. Delays consume time and add expense for clients. A company that builds an automated scheduling platform could change the legal workflow. An integrated system that can sync with court dockets, detect conflicts, and reschedule hearings in real time would make wasted hours a thing of the past and be more efficient.

Lawyers handle several cases with tight deadlines. One missed hearing can jeopardize a defense. Automated scheduling would remove human error and avoid unnecessary continuances. AI-driven notifications would remind lawyers of last-minute changes, so court dates are never missed. Integrated case tracking would give real-time updates on filings, motions, and rulings. A streamlined system would allow lawyers to concentrate on legal strategy rather than logistics.

Effectiveness in the courtroom results in more favorable outcomes for clients. Quick resolution of cases translates into lower legal bills, less delay, and less anxiety for the defendants. A scheduling platform that eliminates administrative hassles would be a boon to law firms, judges, and clients alike. The legal profession requires innovation, and those who adopt more intelligent solutions will establish the norm for the future.

Steven Rodemer, Owner and Attorney, Law Office of Rodemer & Kane DUI And Criminal Defense Attorney

AI-Powered Knowledge Retrieval for Engineers

One significant inefficiency I have observed in software engineering teams, including my own, is the handling of service operations. We develop and maintain a tier-1 service that serves over 50 million users globally. Given the critical nature of this service, we must ensure it is scalable, reliable, and highly available. To maintain a 99.9999% availability rate, we take service operations very seriously and must address customer issues or service incidents within aggressive SLAs. This places enormous pressure on on-call engineers, who are responsible for troubleshooting and resolving issues in real time.

On-call engineers often lack a 360-degree view of the service. To resolve incidents, they must refer to Knowledge Bases (KBs) – product documentation, troubleshooting guides, and runbooks, which are scattered across multiple sources. Finding relevant information requires sifting through hundreds of documents, delaying resolution times. This inefficiency impacts service reliability and adds pressure on engineers, leading to on-call fatigue, burnout, and slower issue resolution. The longer it takes to find the right solution, the more it affects customer experience and operational efficiency.

Additionally, as services grow in complexity, relying on manual knowledge retrieval becomes unsustainable, making AI-driven solutions critical for improving productivity and response times.

We can revolutionize this process by leveraging Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). The idea is to develop an AI-powered chatbot that integrates Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to assist on-call engineers by providing precise, context-aware answers in real time. Instead of manually searching for documentation, engineers can simply query the chatbot, which will:

Retrieve the most relevant troubleshooting steps from internal KBs.
Summarize complex technical documentation into actionable insights.
Suggest next steps based on historical incidents and resolutions.
Continuously improve through feedback and timely updates to both the KB and RAG pipeline.

By implementing this solution, we can significantly reduce response times, improve service reliability, and alleviate cognitive load on engineers, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks.

Pavan Kumar Adepu, Software Development Manager, Amazon.com, Inc.

Preserve Decision Logic in Workflow Changes

When we adjust a workflow or routing rule, the action gets documented. However, six months later, nobody remembers why we did it. That missing context leads to second-guessing, duplicate work, and wasted hours. Just last week, we spent nearly three hours troubleshooting a bug—only to discover someone had already solved it months earlier. The fix was buried, the logic forgotten.

I wish we had a tool that captured the thinking behind changes—voice notes, quick tags, short text entries—attached directly to system edits. Not separate documentation, but reasoning tied to the actual moment of decision.

This would slash onboarding time, reduce dependency on institutional memory, and make handovers smooth. We don’t need more data—we need to preserve the logic that shaped the system in the first place. Without that, we’re just solving the same problems over and over again.

Marcin Pienkowski, Head of Salesforce, Think Beyond

Streamline Communication and Collaboration

One problem I’ve observed in my workplace is the lack of efficient communication and collaboration tools. Despite having various messaging apps and project management software, there’s still a lot of back-and-forth, missed messages, and disorganized information sharing. A new business that could streamline communication and make collaboration more seamless would be a game-changer.

In my company, we often juggle multiple apps like Slack, Trello, Google Docs, and email to coordinate on projects. Important details get lost in the clutter, and it’s challenging to keep everyone on the same page. A centralized platform that integrates all these functionalities while offering features like real-time co-editing, task tracking, and seamless file sharing could significantly boost productivity and reduce frustration.

Imagine a platform that not only combines the best features of these tools but also enhances them with advanced capabilities. It could include AI-driven insights to prioritize tasks and suggest optimal workflows, ensuring that team members focus on what truly matters. Additionally, incorporating a robust search function that allows users to quickly locate past conversations, documents, or project updates would save time and prevent the loss of critical information.

Moreover, this platform could offer customizable dashboards for different teams, allowing them to tailor the interface to their specific needs. This personalization would ensure that each team member has access to the most relevant information at a glance, reducing the time spent navigating through unnecessary data. By integrating video conferencing and screen-sharing capabilities, the platform would also facilitate more effective virtual meetings, bridging the gap between remote and in-office workers.

Greg Burgess, Owner & Founder, Lone Star Vaping

Real-Time Tree Inventory and Risk Assessment

One significant inefficiency in commercial tree management is the lack of integrated, real-time tree inventory and risk assessment systems for large-scale properties. Many municipalities, businesses, and commercial landscapes still rely on outdated spreadsheets or fragmented record-keeping methods, leading to delays in risk mitigation, maintenance scheduling, and regulatory compliance.

A new business opportunity could involve developing an advanced GIS-based tree inventory and management platform that integrates:

Live risk assessment data (resistograph readings, decay mapping, aerial imaging)
Automated maintenance scheduling based on tree health priorities
Regulatory tracking to ensure compliance with local ordinances
Predictive analytics for storm damage vulnerability assessments

This solution would streamline tree care planning, reduce liability risks for commercial properties, and optimize resource allocation by prioritizing trees needing immediate attention. Additionally, incorporating drone and LiDAR technology for large-scale assessments could enhance efficiency, allowing arborists to quickly evaluate canopy structure, disease progression, and urban forestry sustainability.

By eliminating outdated data management practices and providing real-time insights, such a system would reduce response times for hazardous trees, improve budgeting accuracy, and enhance overall tree preservation efforts in commercial settings.

Mario Galo, CEO, G&V Tree Service

AI-Driven Communication for Departments

One inefficiency I’ve observed in the workplace is the challenge of streamlining internal communication across departments. Misalignment often leads to delayed projects, redundant work, and misunderstandings, all of which hinder productivity. A new business could solve this by developing an AI-powered communication and task management platform that integrates seamlessly with existing tools like email, Slack, and project management software.

This solution could use AI to prioritize messages, summarize long email threads, and provide real-time updates on project statuses. It could also automate follow-ups and reminders, ensuring that key tasks don’t fall through the cracks. By reducing the time spent searching for information or clarifying instructions, employees could focus more on high-impact work.

Additionally, implementing predictive analytics could help leaders identify workflow bottlenecks before they become major issues. With enhanced visibility into operations, decision-making would become more data-driven and efficient.

By improving workplace communication, this solution would not only boost efficiency but also foster collaboration and innovation. A business that successfully addresses this need could become an invaluable asset to companies looking to optimize their operations and maximize productivity.

Trenton Wisecup, Founder and Owner, Arrow Roofing Services, LLC.

AI-Powered Inventory Management

Inventory management is one of the largest inefficiencies in e-commerce. Outdated systems for tracking inventory, manual entry, and inaccurate inventory counts result in backorders, lost sales, and disappointed customers. Many companies use spreadsheets or standalone software that is not updated in real-time. This causes overselling, backorders, and unwanted carrying costs. An AI-powered inventory management system would eliminate these issues by automatically updating, forecasting demand, and integrating directly with sales platforms.

Picture a system tracking every floor plank in real-time, alerting staff before stock runs low, and recommending restock levels based on historical sales data. Big retailers apply predictive analytics to optimize inventory, but small and medium-sized enterprises do not have access to these tools at an affordable price. A plug-and-play, cost-effective solution for smaller businesses would transform inventory management. More rapid fulfillment, lower stockouts, and improved cash flow would result.

Efficiency is not about speed—it’s about accuracy. Real-time inventory refreshes would cut down on errors and enhance sales, warehouse, and customer decision-making. Automating processes would eliminate hours of manual labor and cut expensive mistakes. The right solution would not only streamline operations—it would revolutionize the way businesses manage inventory. The question isn’t whether or not companies need this—it’s why they don’t yet have it.

Patrick Dinehart, CMO, ReallyCheapFloors.com

Automated Scheduling for Real Estate

One of the biggest inefficiencies in real estate is the time-consuming back-and-forth required to schedule showings, inspections, and closings. Coordinating between buyers, sellers, agents, and third-party vendors is a logistical headache, especially in a fast-moving market like Nashville. A business that streamlines this process with an automated, real-time scheduling platform tailored for real estate transactions could be a game-changer.

Right now, we rely on a mix of texts, calls, and emails, which leaves plenty of room for delays and miscommunication. A centralized system where all parties can see available time slots, confirm appointments instantly, and even integrate with key services like home inspectors and title companies would reduce wasted time and help deals move faster.

This kind of solution wouldn’t just improve efficiency and enhance the client experience. Buyers and sellers want quick, smooth transactions; anything that reduces friction benefits everyone involved. For agents, less time coordinating logistics means focusing more on relationships and negotiations. Solving this problem could give any company a major competitive edge in a business where speed and convenience matter.

Matt Ward, Team Lead, The Matt Ward Group

Centralized Service Records for Servicemembers

One issue that consistently arises is the considerable time spent tracking down service records, deployment orders, and verification documents for active-duty servicemembers. This process, which should be straightforward, often devolves into a frustrating combination of outdated databases, faxes, and slow government portals. Every hour spent chasing paperwork slows down a case, delays justice, and wears down both legal teams and clients.

A business that could create a secure, centralized platform—one that synchronizes with DoD databases in real time and facilitates easier verification of service status for authorized parties—would revolutionize the pace of litigation involving servicemembers. It would be even more beneficial if it could flag updates, eliminating the need to repeat the same process when orders change. If such a system existed, we would spend less time waiting and more time resolving cases.

There is an opportunity for an intelligent solution here, developed with input from lawyers, not just technology developers.

Roy L. Kaufmann, President, Attorney & Civil Litigator, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service

AI-Powered Knowledge Management

In my workplace, a major inefficiency is managing cross-team documentation. Critical knowledge often gets lost in Slack threads, and engineers waste time searching for information.

A business could solve this by offering an AI-powered knowledge management system that integrates with existing tools (Slack, Confluence, Jira) and automatically organizes, tags, and retrieves relevant discussions and documentation.

This would improve efficiency by reducing time spent searching for information, minimizing duplicate work, and ensuring engineers have accurate, real-time access to project insights.

Rajesh Pandey, Principal Engineer, Amazon Web Services

Smart Monitoring for Construction Equipment

One major inefficiency I’ve noticed in construction equipment management is the risk of unexpected breakdowns, which can lead to delays and safety concerns. From my experience, many companies still rely on manual tracking or basic logs for maintenance, which increases the chance of overlooking potential issues.

A new business that provides a smart monitoring system for construction machinery could help prevent these problems. If equipment could track its own condition and alert teams before a failure occurs, projects would run more smoothly, and workplaces would be much safer. Preventing sudden malfunctions would reduce the risk of accidents and ensure that workers aren’t exposed to unnecessary hazards.

I believe this kind of solution would improve both efficiency and safety across job sites. With real-time data on machine performance, teams could schedule maintenance before issues become serious, keeping equipment in better condition and reducing downtime. Workers would be able to focus on their tasks without worrying about unexpected equipment failures.

A system like this would also help create a more predictable workflow, making it easier to plan and complete projects on time. If a business could offer a reliable and user-friendly platform for monitoring construction equipment, it would bring real value to the industry while keeping workers safer.

Rebecca Bryson, Managing Director, BTE Plant Sales

Feature Release Intelligence Platform

One inefficiency we consistently notice is the fragmented handoff between product, marketing, and customer success teams when a new feature is released. Despite using solid tools across departments, there’s still a gap in translating technical feature updates into usable knowledge for go-to-market teams—and that leads to delays, miscommunication, or underutilized features.

I believe there’s room for a new business that builds a “feature release intelligence platform.” It can act as a bridge between product release cycles and cross-functional team readiness.

Here’s how it could work:

The tool would automatically sync with a product’s changelog, JIRA, or GitHub updates.
Then, using AI, it would generate human-readable summaries for marketers, sales, and customer support.
It would include internal FAQs, use case scenarios, and even short demo scripts, all auto-generated based on release data and previous documentation.

This kind of platform can save hours of internal alignment meetings. Especially in lean teams, automating that knowledge transfer could significantly boost go-to-market speed and improve the customer experience.

Royal Rovshan, CTO & Product Manager, Vitanur

Results-Driven Performance Platform

Most workplaces still track hours instead of actual impact, leading to wasted time, micromanagement, and low motivation. A new business can solve this by building a results-driven performance platform that measures real work instead of time spent.

Employees log completed tasks, key milestones, and actual contributions, while AI-driven insights give managers a clear view of performance without micromanaging. The platform integrates with project management tools and rewards efficiency, encouraging people to work smarter, not longer.

This shift boosts productivity, keeps teams engaged, and helps businesses focus on results rather than just attendance.

Shakshi Gupta, Business Manager, Zonduo Technologies

AI Efficiency Training Needed

Efficient AI training is urgently needed in every business today.

Overnight, the entire world gained access to a completely new kind of tool. It is inexpensive (or free), accessible from any device with a screen, and it has already transformed how many of us work. This is not a future shift. It is already happening. From searching for information to writing emails and handling daily tasks, AI has become part of everyday routines.

Some people have embraced it and become more efficient, or at least more satisfied, by offloading repetitive work. But many still have not figured out how to make it useful.

If you do not know how to use ChatGPT or similar tools, they can seem underwhelming. If you treat it like a Google search, you may end up with a less useful version of Google that costs $20 a month.

New users face many questions:

What tool should I use?
What model is best?
What is a prompt, and how do I write one?
What is one simple thing I can try today that will work?

This is why I believe “AI efficiency” training will become a major focus in many workplaces. AI literacy is important, but it is not enough. Teaching how the technology works is useful, but it does not help people become effective users. Similarly, while AI safety is essential, focusing only on risks can discourage people from trying these tools at all.

The purpose of AI efficiency training should be to help employees become more successful in their day-to-day work. Right now, many managers are eager to move forward but do not know how to get their teams started.

We need training that is easy to access, quick to begin, and immediately useful. That is how we accelerate the transition to a more productive, AI-enabled workforce.

Stanislav Lukyanov, Technology Leader

Intelligent Label Dispenser for Warehouses

One long-standing inefficiency we have in the warehouse is what I fondly refer to as “The Label Tango.” It’s the daily dance between staff members and the industrial label printer, which is apparently both extremely cutting-edge and entirely unwilling to cooperate. We’ll print a batch of shipping labels, and then the true challenge starts: removing them from the roll without ripping them, misaligning them, or accidentally sticking them onto your jumper.

Wearing gloves makes it worse. Seeing someone in complete warehouse attire struggle to remove one label from a roll is akin to watching someone attempt to unwrap a granola bar using oven mitts. It slows everything down. One person gets hung up fighting the roll while the rest of the dispatch line gets held up, wondering if today is the day someone will finally lose it and start writing addresses on every package out of spite.

There is a massive opportunity for a clever business to step in here. I’m talking about an intelligent, compact label dispenser that feeds one label at a time, detects the operator’s hand, and maybe even applies it with a simple motion—no peeling, no paper jams, and definitely no need to rip the roll in half just to get things moving again. Throw in an automatic cutter and maybe a cheerful sound when it completes a label, and you’ve got a product that would sell itself in every e-commerce warehouse on the planet.

This type of solution would increase efficiency in our dispatch department immediately. It would save time on packing, eliminate waste on materials, and reduce the chances of someone declaring war on the printer by lunchtime by orders of magnitude. And more importantly, it would enable us to scale without having to dedicate one unfortunate soul to full-time “Label Duty,” which is currently at or near “cleaning out expired promo stock” and “calling the courier helpline” in terms of job satisfaction.

Efficiency doesn’t always come from massive software overhauls or complex systems. Sometimes, it arrives from eliminating the little frustrating things that hold everyone up while making them question their life choices. And presently, sticky labels are near the top of that list.

Shaun Carse, Director, Trackershop

AI-Based Deal Aggregation System

Workplace productivity is negatively impacted by manual searches for the best deals across numerous platforms, which workers perform extensively within the e-commerce and deal-hunting realm. Employees lose valuable work time through the process of price comparison, coupon searching, and offer verification, thus affecting their productivity.

The implementation of an AI-based system for aggregation and customization of deals would address this business need. Real-time data scraping running on AI algorithms enables this system to locate suitable deals, which it verifies and implements specifically for each person based on their shopping behavior and interests. Automatic searching through this system would eliminate the manual work, thus improving performance at every step of the process.

This solution simplifies purchasing operations at reduced expenses while improving the general shopping journey to transform workplaces dependent on deal searching and e-commerce enhancement.

Bhavin Swadas, Founder, Mine My Deal