A COMPANY’S LARGER SUCCESS DEPENDS A LOT ON its abilityto repeat the small successes. Customers return to get more of what they got the first time around. They expect the same thing, or better, when they come back to your company.
Clearly defining how each process and system in your company operates will help you to streamline and delegate more effectively. It will also empower you to train new staff effectively (including cost-effectively!) on how your company works, and how to do what needs to be done the right way.
Crucially, establishing clear and repeatable processes and systems allows you to replicate your business in other geographical areas while maintaining the exact same quality standards, culture and experience that has shaped your first business. If you have expansion in mind, this ability will lie at the core of your activities in the future.
Another important factor to consider is that clear, well managed processes and systems are vital to building an effective team. They allow each team member to bring the benefit of all their skills to the business. They also remove many of the biggest obstacles to effective teamwork, which is increasingly hard to facilitate when the team itself is confused as to what each memberneeds to do, how, when and where.
In summary: A business only qualifies as process-dependent when all its business activities occur consistently, regardless of whether a particular staff member is present or not. In a process-dependent business, every one of your team members knows:
THE FIVE BIG BENEFITS OF A PROCESS-DEPENDENT BUSINESS
What is a Process?
LET’S START BY BEING CLEAR as to exactly what a business process is:
A business process has three elements:
The process is essentially the steps required to convert an input into an output (what the customer wants):
KEY COMPONENTS OF A BUSINESS THAT MUST BE DEFINED BY CLEAR PROCESSES INCLUDE:
Every business is unique and will therefore need to define a unique set of processes. Think about it, then think again. Then start defining your processes.
WHAT DOES A COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
FOR A PROCESS TO BE COMPREHENSIVE,practical, and easy to use, it must contain the following elements:
Example of a business process
What is a System?
A SYSTEM IS:
• a method of doing something.
• a set of connected things working together as parts of a machine or device.
• a combination of interconnected business process- es, people, information, physical infrastructure and business software.
1. Sales and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL, a great majority of businesses face the following challenges:
• They are unable to generate leads and to convert enough of them into customers.
• They are unable to maximize the value of existing customers.
• Their marketing and customer service are inconsistent.
• Their clients don’t give them many referrals.
• Customer complaints don’t get attended to on time (and sometimes never at all) which results in a declining reputation.
CRM systems, as discussed previously, allow your business to address these issues.
2. Accounting System
MOST BUSINESS DECISIONS ARE (or should be) driven by your financial status and context. Having vital financial information readily available will help your company to make informed business decisions. This means it’s important that you have a robust accounting and bookkeeping system that provides you with all the critical financial information you need timeously and accurately. In today’s fast-moving world, not having access to quality financial information, when you need it, can leave your operation cash-strapped with low or non-existing cash flow, which is one of the biggest killers of small and big businesses alike.
A robust and comprehensive accounting system means you can:
• Automate quotes, invoices and receipts.
• Improve financial data accuracy and cash-flow levels.
• Implement internal controls.
• Gain access to reliable and up-to-date financial information when you need it.
3. Human Resources & Payroll System
Your management team and staff, which are also called human capital, are easily the most important component of your business’s ability to produce quality products and services as well as to deliver a delightful customer experience. This is why your HR and PAYROLL SYSTEMS ARE IMPORTANT, for several reasons:
• They ensure effective management of shifts, performance management, compensation, people training and organization development, staff motivation, safety and wellness, employee motivation, employee leave, etc.
• They are critical in managing a healthy workplace culture and environment.
• They assist in ensuring your company’ legal obligation to comply with revenue and employee tax collection regulation as well as with employee unemployment insurance
Equally important is the ability to generate pay slips (wage slip) that mean both your staff and creditors can take your business seriously and interact with it easily.
Whether you outsource your HR and payroll management or run it in-house, the system must be legislatively compliant, period.
4. Technical Support Systems
MOST BUSINESSES REQUIRE A LEVEL OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT, especially in the realm of computers, digital technology and the internet. A lot of valuable time and money can be lost when staff within the business are forced to find answers, one by one, to computer hardware and software problems.
Technical support services on software and business-related queries (provided via telephone, email and even on site) can be very valuable to a business. Key benefits include:
• Your company maintains core focus and productivity – by having someone else solve technical problems.
• You enjoy ongoing access to the latest technologies.
• You have peace of mind – you know your company wheel will keep turning.
