Slack More if You Want to Do More
Do not be alarmed by the headline, we have not changed to some sort of demotivational blog. But, I’m really excited to talk about why I’m a Slacker.
Tips and News
How, When, and Where to use Hashtags on Social Media
Did you ever see the hashtag video with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake? (If you haven’t seen it, watch it here.) In the video from the Late Night Show, the guys were hilariously poking fun at the over-use of hashtags, but I’m here to tell you that hashtags are actually a very useful tool in your social media toolbox.
Managing Processes
We spend a lot of time talking about writing processes and documenting procedure. But we haven’t talked much about managing processes.
When you first write an operational or project management process, a lot of thought goes into every detail. It is a tedious and challenging exercise. You have to think through every single little thing that you do to execute tasks. And, then you have to think about all the issues that might arise and include how to prevent them as part of your steps. Plus, you have to try to throw out the “one-off” scenarios that might add unnecessary complications to what should be a straightforward, step-by-step procedure to execute specific tasks.
Another challenge during documentation is to decide what goes in as a process document and what goes in as a procedure. When we set up templates for our clients, we have both process documents (prose that explains how and why you do things) and procedures (step-by-step tasks that are part of the templates themselves). We think through when the process ends and the procedure takes over as part of that setup.
Managing Processes
After you’ve worked through all that, you still have the challenge of managing processes for the future. Processes and procedures are intended to evolve as your company grows. But, after you’ve put in all the work to document everything, how are you managing processes for the future? What do you do if things change? How much evolving is happening without you re-documenting?
Standard, Regular Review
First, you should definitely have a review process as part of your operational tasks… something that reminds you every 6 months (or time period of your choosing) to read through your processes and clean them up. You need to decide:
- is this process still necessary?
- is this still how we do it?
- what are people changing that isn’t included?
- have any major issues arisen that we should include in the process so that we can prevent it in the future?
- is part of this process obsolete?
- have the players or the technology changed?
Changes
Second, as changes arise in your daily use of your tools, you should consider that as part of managing processes. For example, if you switch from Asana to Teamwork, it is going to affect how you open projects and potentially how you use a template. The tools work differently, so don’t expect your team just to “know.” This is especially true when you bring new team members on board.
Problem Prevention
Third, one of the beauties of managing processes is that you have a place to note any problem prevention that arises for your team. For example, if your client is continually frustrated by typos in your copy, your creative team can mark all non-proofread copy with a “draft” stamp so the client is more forgiving. Adding the step, without adding it to the process, defeats the purpose of the process. Something like that, added to both the process and the procedure, avoids future issues with that client, and likely others.
Storing Processes
Storing processes is as important as managing processes. You need to put them in a centrally located place, where only authorized people can edit them. Here are a few examples:
- as Text documents (Basecamp), Notebooks (Teamwork) or the equivalent in your project management software in the main company project, which will show an audit trail
- as Google Docs in Google Drive, with edit access only provided to the authorized individuals
- in SharePoint Online
- in Confluence (if you are using Jira)
Using Processes
No post on managing processes would be complete without brief instructions on how to use them.
Storing them in a centralized place allows access to your whole team. I recommend, for processes that are often repeated, you perform the steps one-by-0ne as you read along. If it is something you do every day, you will quickly get the hang of it. That familiarity prevents the need to refer back. If it is something you do only occasionally, then I recommend that you read along as you work every time. In a small company, on-boarding a new employee is an example of something you might do once a year at best.
One of the most important parts of using processes is making sure that new hires read them and know where they are. Thereafter, they should definitely read through them as they work.
A large part of managing processes is holding the team accountable to them. While you always want improvements brought to your attention, you should stand behind your process firmly. Those processes should become part of your brand – how you do business. And it gives you, as the small business owner, peace of mind that your employees are executing properly for your clients. That’s the only way to build repeatable successes.
For more great tools and resources see our Management Courses.
Customer Service is Not a Department
“Customer service” is an overused phrase that has little meaning any more, but customers still want their needs met. To accomplish this requires that customer service is the responsibility of every employee, whether they have direct customer contact or not.
Customer service is different from any add-on service you offer for sale. If you charge money for a service, it’s part of your product mix. Customer Service is free.
Customer Service enhances your main offering – it’s not your main offer – but a pleasantly unexpected bonus that reinforces your message that you care.
It may include services such as free educational seminars. It may be the offer of free setup or an introductory period of technical assistance or maintenance. It could be the availability of credit or financial services, or simply a routine follow-up call that confirms a customer’s satisfaction. Whatever it is, it has to fulfill your customers’ deepest needs.
Customer Service opportunities are endless. It is a major area that can give you a competitive advantage – especially if you are seen as a commodity with numerous competitors. So, when you start thinking about the customer services you might offer, think beyond the obvious.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What attributes of your business lend themselves to better customer service? Don’t be afraid to experiment and then elicit feedback from the people who know best – your customers.
See our Customer Service Course for more great tools and resources!
A Pocket Dictionary of Basic Financial Terms for Small Business
Studies show that many Business Owners are not reviewing their Financial statements … WHY? It’s because they do not understand all of the financial terminology.
Manufactured Motivation: 5 ways to ‘Do It’ to do when you just ‘Can’t Do It’
There are always those tasks that we really don’t want to do. But whereas most of us can see the benefit of completing these jobs and will therefore just “suck it up” and get the job done, for people with AD/HD, these tasks can become impossible to achieve.