Today’s business owner has so many obstacles to tackle each and every day. There are phone calls to return, meetings to attend, appointments with clients, training, follow-up customer contacts, and so much more. Time Management is as important now as ever before. The problem we face as business owners is that all of these tasks are a part of what it takes to complete each job successfully. Most of the tasks of satisfying a customer are “invisible” to that customer because they take place behind the scenes. The customer could often care less about your daily problems, as long as the job you do for her or him is done right and on time.

One of those invisible challenges is to recognize and reduce waste in our operations. Wasted time, wasted materials, wasted trips, wasted opportunities, and more affect our businesses every day. Where do we start and what can we do? We must first identify what processes we have in place and how effective they are. Where is the opportunity for improvement? Once we have identified the problem (your new opportunity) we must consider what solutions will deliver an improvement – either to our profitability or to the customer’s overall experience. Becoming more efficient, for example, does not necessarily lead to employee layoffs. It will likely lead to more jobs being completed in a shorter time frame – improving your profitability. This is the very definition of a “win/win” for both the company and its employees.

Processes, procedures, and systems are critical for efficient operations. These need to be consistent to be effective. These systems need to be constantly calibrated for improvement, and, most importantly, communicated to everyone involved.

Ask yourself some questions about how your operation functions. For instance, when a potential customer calls asking for an estimate, what are the systemized procedures that are put in motion to make sure this task is accomplished efficiently? If the call is taken live by an employee, is there a standard list of questions on a form that are asked and recorded? If there is a message left on the phone answering machine, is there a policy in place that makes sure the right person gets the message? Do you have a system that assures that all calls are returned that day, the next business day, within 24 hours, or some similar policy? Are appointments then made to do the estimate within 24 hours or at the customer’s convenience? If the work is scheduled is there a policy that all jobs are scheduled within a certain time period such as 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or within a month?

It is easy to see how goal setting for the company also plays a role in these processes. Once these questions are addressed and the proper systems are put in place you will see a new efficiency in your business. All of these functions are now measurable. All the goals you set for your company must be measurable to be successful.

What happens if you fail at meeting one of these policies? Will you give a discount for not returning a call as promised? What will your policy be for not submitting an estimate within 24 hours? These items will help in applying a measure of accountability that is also required for a successful operation. Accountability is an amazing tool in business, as in everyday life, that helps get the job done. Without a measure of accountability you create a breeding ground for excuses and weak performance.

Once you have established the right procedures, you must communicate these to all parties involved. These communications will help place accountability on the proper person for completing the job successfully. When all employees are aware of these measures they will work in an effort to complete them in a timely fashion and with quality in mind. Employees will feel much better about there individual jobs when they know there are standards and procedures that a company always adheres to. If these procedures are not communicated to all levels within your company, your employees are left to “create” their own policies, procedures, and timetables that will ‘zap’ any goal of efficiency and measure of quality you have in mind.

Now that we have taken a look at handling a call from a potential customer we are really just getting started. This same method must be applied to all areas of our business from training employees to handling customers, from human resource issues to scheduling, from estimating to billing to collecting, and every task in between. Eventually this process results in creating an “Operations Manual” for the company. These written systems should be read and referred to often by you and your employees. Once everyone is working from the same page, your efficiency will continue to improve as the processes and procedures are updated.

Pay close attention to employee and customer feedback on how well your company is performing. These comments will lead to re-calibrating your processes continuously. There is a Japanese term used in business, “Kaizen” which means continuous improvement. Continuous improvement is essential as it will keep you always ahead of your competitors (who often either do not have processes in place or run a process until it no longer works).

Efficiency is now easy to measure. What outsiders will see as your “overnight success”, your company will suddenly be in a position to do more estimates or jobs in a day and may even have to add employees! Look at your average job today and multiply that by the increased number of quality jobs you will be able to get and complete during the year. You will see more dollars falling to your bottom line while improving your customer’s experience. The company will see both customers and employees more satisfied. The customer will not always be aware of the company policies and processes but they will notice the level of professionalism your team exhibits. More jobs will be completed, more customers will be pleased, and more positive word of mouth will be generated. In conclusion, by developing processes for efficiency you create a winning formula that will lead to long term business success.