A business owner's primary goal should be to give employees the tools and resources to complete their job successfully. Step-by-step processes and videos give your employees the tools to complete tasks based on your company's requirements. These tools allow employees to complete tasks faster and completely as established by you. Systems and processes guide your employees to success. Knowing how to achieve what they're aiming for, they're more likely to accomplish the goal.
Creating a business foundation, a system, and processes can take a tremendous amount of work, but they are the building blocks of your business. Have you built the foundation, system, and processes for your employees to follow? Remember, you have to start right to end right! Remove the challenges from your business by documenting your processes, your employees will be far more productive, and you will experience greater satisfaction with your customers.
No matter the size of your business, systems and processes will help your business grow bigger and faster. This article will discuss the importance of systems & processes that you can apply to any business or industry.
What is the difference between systems and processes?
Businesses are a system made up of many smaller processes.
Your business should have processes for anything you complete more than once. Examples may include the following.
New Hire Process
The onboarding process for new hires
Training protocols for each department or position
HIPAA Training
OSHA Training
Cyber Security Training
Systems and Software user guides
Office procedures for answering the phone
How to convert calls into appointments
How to convert leads into appointments
How to schedule appointments
How to collect payment or call for collections
IT Support guides for the Help Desk
Office Workflow guidelines
Content creation for Social Media
Every business is different and will need systems and processes based on their specific requirements. In addition, systems and processes will help your business run smoother since everyone acts according to guidelines.
Here's a simple process a marketing company might have for marketing on Linkedin.
Go to Linkedin
Create the post/write the copy
Choose your audience
Click Post
A few steps may be missing in my outline, but you get the idea!
Simplicity is key.
Have you attempted to run a business without a business plan? A business plan outlines your goals and how your business will function. Unfortunately, you are setting your business up for failure without the necessary building blocks. So slow down, and create the foundation for your success!
Many businesses open their doors without establishing step-by-step guides to running the business. Then, as new employees come aboard, they begin putting their processes in place, which may cause failure for you as a business owner. Is your business struggling financially? Have you tested your system or processes to ensure they work effectively in your business? Have you updated any software or systems? Did you edit the process afterward? They are living and breathing documents that require updates as things change within your business.
An example of this might be a large outstanding balance in your accounts receivable department. Have you asked yourself why this is happening? Do you have a process for notifying your patients that they will have a co-pay due at their appointment? Do you have a method in place for collecting at the appointment? Do you have a strategy for offering credit assistance to patients with costly procedures? Other examples of systems might include the following.
Process for presenting treatment plans. Do you have a comfortable office where you make presentations rather than the front door or desk?
Do you have a process or list of questions you ask new callers? For example, do you have a process asking for their name and phone number?
Is there a process in place if someone tells you they have a child with Autism? For example, how do you make them feel comfortable scheduling an appointment with your practice? Do you have a unique protocol or process for managing special needs children or adults?
You can scale quickly and increase your client base by following the processes when you can fully systemize your business. Systems and processes will help you achieve success like a well-oiled machine.
Systems and processes will require continuous improvement as your business evolves.
Creating a simple and repeatable process makes it easier to make continual improvements as needed. Remember, they are living and breathing documents that require updates as things change within your practice.
Excellent systems and processes.
A perfect example of a well-run system with processes is McDonald's. You get the same food and service no matter what part of the country or location you might be visiting. As we know, McDonald's is one the most successful businesses globally.
Test your systems and processes to make sure they are simple enough for anyone to understand, test them with a friend or employee and see what happens. If they have difficulty following the process, it may be too complicated. However, if it's simple enough, you can use it as a template to replicate the rest of your processes. This system creates consistency in your workflow management. A system of processes will give everyone in your organization the power to succeed in their roles and responsibilities. They will understand their job roles and responsibilities and what they must do to achieve. A strong foundation, a system, and the processes are the power behind your business.
Hiring Process.
Hiring is one of the most critical skills needed as a business owner. As a business owner, you must identify the right people to support and align with your business's goals, vision, and mission. In addition, the right employees with the right attitude have the power to supercharge your growth opportunities.
When you hire new people, show them a description of their roles and responsibilities to be successful in the position—creating processes streamlines the onboarding process, as they can follow the systems and processes outlined to learn about their position within the company. In addition, this process minimizes the number of questions because they can refer to documentation as needed. Finally, this system gives new hires a straightforward onboarding journey, knowing their role within the organization.
Instead of going through a long and tedious onboarding and training journey, The systems and processes we create can make it faster and more efficient. Of course, this doesn't mean you should hire just anyone; you need to ensure your new hire has the necessary skills for the job and aligns with your culture. However, these systems and processes reduce the work required to onboard new employees.
Are you ready to scale your business?
This subject is one of my favorite topics and is crucial for your business. An essential part of systems and processes enables you to scale your business, reduce operating costs, and expend more money scaling your business.
However, this is only a part of growing and scaling your business as it is a piece of the giant puzzle.
To scale your business, you first need a solid foundation that allows you to grow and scale your business. A company has different aspects, such as your product or services, marketing plan, sales plan, and hiring employees are essential areas of focus when launching your foundation. We could imagine these critical aspects as a car with four tires. What if one of your tires were flat? Essentially, you could not drive the vehicle with a flat tire. The method applies to a business, all systems much be functioning, or your business will not run properly, and it is likely to fail.
Next, you need to prepare to scale your business. For example, you may be a small company with only two clients, which is your limit until you systemize your business.
Once you have suitable systems and processes, you can hire and train the right people, and suddenly, you can handle five clients. This process allows you to replicate your processes, hire additional employees and continue to scale your business. It simplifies your sales cycle as everyone is doing business and offers consistent services based on your business plan, systems, and processes. Systems allow everyone must be on the same page!
You can achieve unlimited growth by establishing a robust and sturdy foundation, systems, and processes. Remember, you can update the system and processes as your company continues to grow and scale.
Businesses with an online presence or service-based usually start seeing tremendous growth. However, as a business owner, you may experience times when you must slow down, make some significant changes, and keep growing and scaling. For example, have you added virtual consultations to your practice? Do your employees understand the process of managing virtual consultations and or inquiries? Virtual consultations could be an opportunity to expand your offering to new clients and patients outside of your practice. Is it time to make this part of the daily routine? Let's create, document, train, and test their knowledge through the platform.
Do you better understand the importance of a strong foundation and the business system and processes that every business requires to succeed? Have you begun to think about how your business can implement your systems and processes?
Please get in touch with Glenda Acevedo to learn more about the exclusive services we provide for Bridging Foundations for success. Visit our website at glendaacevedo.com or contact Glenda@glendaacevedo.com.