The only “efficient” thing about an efficiency apartment is your ability to cook dinner while sitting on the sofa, which is also your bed and probably your dining room table, too. The all-purpose living-dining-bed-and-rec room concept doesn’t work well for most of us, at least once we’re out of college.

So what is “efficient,” anyway? Let’s use this as a working definition: maximum output with minimum input. Something that works without wasting time or energy.

Ms. Jones demands efficiency. She wants to see it, tweak it, buy it – Ba-da-bing! A wide selection, customizable choices and knowledgeable service are a prerequisite. But an inefficient shopping experience that drains her instead of energizing her is an anathema.

Write down every step Ms. Jones has to take in order to buy your top-selling item. Record every decision she must make, from options to upgrades to pricing. How can you make those decisions easy for her? Are the directions simple? Do you present the options in an organized and easily understood manner? Is the pricing clear? What information does she have to provide to enter a sale? Is the paperwork organized? Is there follow up? Does she know what’s next at every step?

A wise man recently said, “Efficiency is the new Service.” Do you provide it?