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It’s often said
that McDonald’s isn’t successful because they
offer the best hamburger on the market, but rather
because they offer a consistent product time after
time. Whether you are in Paris France or Paris,
Texas, your Big Mac is likely to taste exactly
the same. This scenario illustrates just one of
the many benefits systems bring to a business.
While consistency,
such as at McDonald’s, is a great benefit, there
are many others that can truly transform the way
business owners view and work in their businesses.
Within a company, almost every function that has
replicated actions can be improved through systems.
Once you start looking at your business with a
systems eye, you will never be the same again.
Increased Productivity
and Efficiency
A growing real
estate company found that its realtors were spending
a great deal more time than needed on paperwork.
The solution was to develop a paper flow system
that enabled realtors to touch the paperwork fewer
times and that resulted in more complete files
for the support staff. The solution also provided
much-needed forms that realtors had been developing
on their own and in many different formats. This
system increased the time realtors had to be productive
and the efficiency of the whole sales process
and support staff.
Improved Customer
Service and Quality Control
A local carpet
retailer wanted to corner the market by offering
incredible customer service while keeping costs
competitive. The company developed a system that
detailed every client interaction from the order
to the follow-up survey. Nothing was left to chance.
Every department uses a detailed guide that outlines
the department’s part of the client service system.
The salespeople have a system to follow that allows
them to focus on the customer – not on paperwork.
The order fulfillment group has a system that
enables them to contain defects to less than one
percent. Within a very short time, the company
earned a strong reputation and a corner on a major
metropolitan carpet market. The bonus for the
company came when the owners decided to open a
new store in another city. The systems transferred
easily and aided new staff training. The store
opened in a record 30 days, and enjoyed the same
success the original store did.
Cost Savings
and Self-managed Employees
Systems also offer
structure to a business and its employees. Employees
require less supervision, and can manage themselves
while increasing productivity. Waste from mistakes
often decreases, defects from an error in judgment
decline and consistent work quality ensures clients
receive what they want – the first time. Companies
like CIGNA have put systems to work and cut costs
by over $100 million dollars in a five-year period.
Improved Business Performance and Experience
Ask any business
owner and s(he) will tell you that s(he) spends
too much time answering questions and attending
to details that do not add to the bottom line.
Implementing systems can give a business owner
his/her life back. Systems eradicate the need
to reinvent the wheel and alleviate repeated questions
by staff. Systems allow you to improve a gap in
performance quickly and proactively. Most importantly,
systems empower an owner to work on the business
instead of in it. Owners who spend more time strategically
planning and systematizing the key activities
around the business will improve their business’s
performance. Those that move away from a systemless,
reactive environment often cite improved quality
of life and increased enjoyment in their business.
There are many
other ways systems benefit a business. We’ve highlighted
some of the most potent advantages of implementing
systematic processes. From a three-person flower
shop to a Fortune 50 manufacturer to the local
movie theater, all businesses can benefit from
designing and implementing systems. If you are
a business owner who is too busy to make an appointment
to learn how you can improve your business and
your life, chances are, systems implementation
is for you. To learn more about how you can transform
your business’s systems, give us a call today.
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