Let’s face it most of us are in business to make money and one of the best ways to make more money is to increase efficiency. Even if you are not in the business of making money, such as a charity or not-for-profit, being as efficient as possible is still a great way to ensure your organisation thrives. In order to increase efficiency you need processes and systems. If you have been wondering ‘How do I establish clear processes and systems to streamline operations and increase efficiency?’ here are some key things to consider.
Priorities
All businesses have basically 5 key areas:
- Operations – what you actually do
- HR – managing your people
- Finance – managing your money
- Marketing – getting leads
- Sales – converting those leads to business
The bigger the business gets the more complex the areas. Your first job in establishing systems is to decide on your priorities. Is it Time, Team or Money? If it is Money, is it the management of money or is it getting more sales…?
Once you have established your order of priorities you can start on your most important one (because establishing systems is not an overnight exercise).
Break it down
Now lets day you have decided Time is your focus and you are going to get your Operations in order. Start by breaking down each part of your Operations into the Products or Services you deliver and once again prioritise – this time by your highest revenue earner – you’ll want to start there.
If Money was your focus and you were going to look at Finances, you would break down all the parts of your Finances – Quotes, Invoicing, Debtor Chasing, Cashbook etc.
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Start at the beginning
Again, let’s take an example – let’s say you are an electrician and your highest revenue service is PAT Testing. Ascertain where the process starts – this could be when you win the job (that is the end of the Sales Process). Now figure out where the process sends – probably when you issue your invoice (the beginning of the Finance Process).
Now join up the start and end of the process including any alternatives or places where a decision has to be made and more than one alternative can be pursued. Check for any unnecessary steps or actions that could be combined to make the process simpler.
Ensure you have created any documents, forms, resources or scripts that are required at each stage.
Now read back through and imagine you are a completely new team member. Does it make sense? Would you have all the information you need to complete the PAT Testing to your company standards? If you refer to scripts, forms or documents ensure these are easy to access with their location clear.
Try it out
Once you are happy with your draft system or process give it to a Team member to try…or more than one if you have them. Ask them to feedback to you about whether it was clear and easy to follow or if there are any aspects which they felt were missed.
Implement
Once the process is ready ensure it is released to all team members. Make sure that the whole team understands why you have these processes and are onboard with implementing them. Ensure that everyone knows who to go to if they have problems and questions.
Test and Measure
You’ll move through the various aspects of your business creating processes for every element. This will result in improved efficiency, productivity and profits. It will also make onboarding new team members much easier and customers will be delighted to always receive exemplary service from every member of your team.
You can’t rest on your laurels though, you must always look back at your processes and systems and try to find ways to improve them and ensure that any improvements that are implemented are accurately documented so team members don’t use the old system by mistake.
I hope this helps you to put in place systems and processes in your business. If you have a specific question about productivity or efficiency why not join one of our regular Group Coaching sessions which are included FREE for members and ask a question.
By Duncan McKechnie
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!