Article: Simple Tips To Reduce Errors (December 2012)

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Article: Track, Conversion & Measure  (April 2012)

To really know the success of your business you should track its health. To do this you need three sets of information. This could be done for a website or for face to face sales. You will need:

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Article: Written Guarantee (February 2012)

Stand out from the crowds and offer something to your customers that either your competitors can’t or haven’t thought of yet.

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Article:  Improving Systems (November 2011)

Always try to find better ways of doing things. If you are able to cut down a process because it is going to save you time or it is going to make the process more efficient then do it.

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Article: Reducing errors in your business (October 2011)

Errors happen - it is a simple fact when the "human factor" is involved. However, in business, errors cost money and careless errors can also cost the business it’s reputation and our client's future business.

To eliminate errors, we need to consider how they arise. We have grouped these into Policy - Procedure - People:

1. "Policy" is about errors arising from why actions are taken, for example: misinterpretation guidelines. These errors can have a significant impact and while the action itself may be correct, the reasoning behind it is flawed
2. "Procedure" is about errors that have arisen due to how actions are completed, for example: following a procedure or checklist
3. "People" is about any errors that have arisen because of what was done by the person completing them. These could include errors from oversight, omission or carelessness.

It is common, when finding an error, for a manager to immediately look at the "People" aspect of the error. It's the most common place for problems, has the greatest degree of risk and is the area that is the least consistent in your business. It's a case of 3-2-1 problem solved!

In fact, one of the simplest ways to reduce errors is to turn this approach on its head. Instead of looking first to who made the error, start by asking why the action was taken. This technique teaches us many lessons:

Unfortunately, none of these measures will address the impact on the client as a result of an error being made. While they will assist you in uncovering the cause of the error, effectively reducing errors is more about prevention than reactive treatment. In other words, you need to work ON your business to eliminate likely, potential and actual sources of errors in order to reduce their frequency.

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Article: Tracking Jobs Within The Business (October 2009)

Article: Writing Effective Emails (June 2008)

To put things into perspective - it is only in the last 20 or so years that we have been able to enjoy the multiplicity of communication channels we now have. Before the advent of emails and mobile phones, we either wrote a letter to our customers/clients, called them on the phone (during business hours), met with them, or, if we were being a bit casual, we may have sent them a fax. Urgent messages were communicated via telex or telegram or sent via courier if the client demanded it.

The unique point which drew all these pieces of correspondence together was the formality of the message. Each piece was carefully constructed and (in most cases) meticulous in its presentation, punctuation and grammar. Unfortunately (depending on your point of view), some of this professionalism has been lost with the increasing use of emails in our daily business lives.

It is true that we tend to deal with our clients less formally these days which has helped to create stronger and longer lasting relationships. However, one thing we continually find saddening is the number of business people who have allowed "less formal" to become "less professional" in their email communications to clients.

The following is a sample:

"JB, have got back some info back from the ato about GST which may be of interest. I will folow later on the other issues of BAS and unit trts etc"

On the face of it, there is seemingly little wrong with this message - it is informal but understandable and provides the client with what they need to know - just as if we were face to face with the client. But that is exactly the problem; emails are not a substitute for the spoken word and therefore require just as much attention as we would pay to a letter. This email has no greeting, is overly familiar with the client, is full of grammatical and typographical errors, is poorly punctuated and ends with no sign off from the writer. And these are the types of emails that are probably being sent from your business every day. What does it say about this business?

So here are some simple suggestions for writing effective emails:

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Article: Contact Lists / Databases (May 2008)

If you are looking to gain further leads for your business, you may consider purchasing a contact list or database from a company who makes it their priority to collect personal information about people.

These contact lists or databases will include the peoples names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, mobile numbers, etc and can be adjusted to your personal requirements of the business.

There are many companies who do offer this service and they concentrate on collecting data.

Research companies annually send out questionnaires to residents/business owners etc and ask them to fill it out. The survey isn’t compulsory as it collects general personal information about you and your lifestyle. Once the person fills out the survey, they send it back to the company where they insert and up date your information. When doing this survey it actually specifies that your information will be made available for purchase for business use by external companies and hence doesn’t breach the privacy act.

When a business uses one of these lists they are required to include an opt in or opt out decision and advise your sender that you purchased their details from the Research company.

Each company who sells these lists may require you to do different things, for example use it only for direct mail campaigns and the database is only available for use once.

When you purchase a database you will be able to specify the type of people you are wanting to attract to the business, the ages, lifestyle habits, etc.

For example you maybe a cosmetic store who is selling high quality products at a wholesale price. The cosmetics are mainly perfumes for men and women. Through your research and previous knowledge you have determined that women between the ages of 18-35 purchase perfume for both themselves and for their male counterparts. You are also aware that these women normally come from a salary job and earn between £20K – £50K per annum, adjusted accordingly to their ages. Because you have defined specifics about your target audience you are able to provide this information to the database owner in which they will be able to design the database to your needs and requirements.

Another example could be that you are trying to promote shares in a new company and you are looking for investors, so you consider purchasing a list which will target people who are likely to buy shares. Through the questionnaires it will determine people who are in the share buying division, if they have an interest in shares, what their financial income is, if they already have shares, etc and therefore pin point your target market without wasting valuable time or money on other marketing campaigns that may not be directed specifically to your audience.

Lists are a sophisticated database of potential customers for your business.

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Article: Performance Measurement System (April 2008)

A performance management system allows you to collect, analyse, define and make decisions based on how the business is operating through efficiency, effectiveness and cost performance indicators.

Implementing a performance system enables you to understand your business, where it is currently situated, what improvements have taken place, which improvements need to be made, acknowledgement of its processes, whether decisions are being made on facts and whether targets are being met or not.

Each department or business activity has a process such as, invoicing, getting products ready for delivery, etc which all have performance indicators which can be measured. To identify these you will need to consider what product/s or services do you produce, who your internal and external customers are, what your processes are, what do you do and how do you do it and what is at the beginning and the end of the process.

Once you have determined this then you can identify the activities that need to be measured. These could include efficiency, cost effectiveness, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, safety, etc. These activities can then be given a performance indicator. A performance indicator should be realistic, include any legislative information and requirements where necessary, clear and precise, economical, adaptable and of course measurable.

When you make your performance indicators measurable you will need to determine what it is you are actually measuring. For instance is it time, money, number of sales, etc. You will also need to decide how and when you are going to make the measurement and how accurate or precise the measurement needs to be.

You should always compare your actual performance against you indicators so that you will have a clear understanding where items are failing or winning. It should also be set so that it starts and finishes in the same month or year so that you have a clear period of time in which the performance indicators are being monitored and measured.

Performance systems are ideal for ensuring your business is on track and is going the direction in which you want it to go. It is important however that you don’t underestimate the time or cost for implementing one of these systems.

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Article: Are Your Administration Processes Affecting your Customer Service? (March 2008)

Think about your administration system. Is everything documented and filed. Is there an efficient, working procedure for all customer enquiries, complaints, sales, after sales service, personal details, etc.

Could your administration be effecting the way that you are doing business and therefore reducing the amount of sales walking through your front door and returning for seconds?

Effective and efficient administration should be a priority in your business. Streamlining regularly carried out procedures by using standard forms and systems will help you to not only improve your initial contact with your customers but keep your customer service going for much longer than the first purchase.

Setting up clear and defined administration systems in your business will prove to your customer that you are professional, you have a systemized measure to deal with their wants and needs, and you have the time to assist them with their purchase.

Some forms and systems that you might like to set in place to improve your customer service would include:

Remember that when you implement a system into your business it must be easy for your team to administer. You want to improve your customer service, not decrease it. 

Article: The secrets to e-mail management (February 2008)

E-mail is an established, and often preferred, communication channel among consumers that, when managed effectively, can lead to increased customer satisfaction, improved agent efficiency and reduced operational costs. Here we outline how to provide an exceptional e-mail customer service experience.

Over the last decade, e-mail has not only evolved into an entrenched medium for personal and business communications, it has also been widely adopted as a channel for customer service and support.

However, while the cost-effectiveness of e-mail offers an attractive option for companies looking to manage an increasingly demanding customer base, it does put the onus firmly on the organisation to deliver an exceptional service via this channel.

There is a vast array of best practices, strategies and techniques that customer service and marketing teams need to take into account when looking to optimise their e-mail management. However, these can be distilled into a number of key principles.

Always respond!

One of the often unspoken, but critical rules to e-mail management is that every e-mail that requires a response must receive one. Sound obvious? In fact, it was one of the biggest failings in an independent audit conducted among UK retailers in 2007, with 45 percent not responding to an e-mail enquiry at all.

Speed of response also has a direct impact on customer satisfaction and although practices vary by industry, a simple e-mail enquiry should take no longer than 24 hours to answer. Some e-mails may require a single automatic acknowledgement and some may not need one at all, but it’s important that each type is accurately identified and handled appropriately.

An auto-acknowledgement can be an effective way to inform customers that their e-mail has been received, and also prevent you from receiving repeat e-mail from the same customer on the same issue. Intelligent tools can also scan e-mail content, understand the specific request, and suggest appropriate responses to an agent or even automatically respond to the customer.

Effective routing practices

Managing the path of an incoming e-mail can be the fundamental element to managing e-mails effectively – or a significant point of failure. Routing e-mails based on departments and queues rather than individuals is critical. In the absence of a particular agent, routing logic based on individual agents will result in e-mails that either remain unanswered or have to be manually moved from one agent’s inbox to another.

Instead, appropriate queues or mailboxes should be created, as well as roles and departments, and rules configured based on these parameters so routing is always based on the “best available agent”, opposed to a predetermined named agent. Intelligent routing can also be carried out by using information gathered via the e-mail web form, the incoming e-mail address, or via intelligent e-mail content scanning to identify the sender.

Personalise all communication

Unlike a branch visit or a counter at a high street store, e-mail doesn’t offer the live, real-time interaction of a face to face encounter. As a result, companies must work hard to engage with customers in order to initiate and develop a lasting relationship.

Starting with the acknowledgement, personalise every e-mail by including the customer name in the greeting, the agent’s signature, and other pertinent customer information. Making use of web forms that ask for first and last names will help to automate this process.

Empower your e-mail agents

So far, I’ve discussed the importance of e-mail communication from the customer’s perspective, but it’s worth us spending some time looking at how you can help your e-mail agents manage the incoming e-mails and streamline the response process.

E-mail management systems offer an array of features to help provide value to the process, such as automatic spell-checking in multiple languages, the ability to personalise messages using templates for parts of the e-mail, preview e-mails, or use pre-configured responses. Train your agents to use these tools effectively; it will not only increase productivity, but engender a greater sense of confidence and satisfaction within your team.

Improve and evolve your e-mail communication

As with any other ongoing process, it’s critical to gather metrics, measure performance and make continuous improvements to your overall e-mail management initiative. Real-time statistics present a live snapshot of the system and agents, for example the number of e-mails in a queue, number currently within service levels, agent workload and response times.

Metrics should be gathered on an ongoing basis and analysed to monitor trends, identify issues, evaluate agents, and escalate product or service problems to other departments in the organisation.

E-mail: an efficent communication tool

E-mail is generally accepted as one of the most efficient communication tools, but overlooking its vital role in any multi-channel customer service strategy can be extremely detrimental to any organisation.

Article: It is a common misconception that checklists and procedures are a waste of time (January 2008)

"It is a common misconception that checklists and procedures are a waste of time - why use them when you know how to do the job? They just slow you down and create too much red tape over what should be a simple task"

The problem with that view is that it assumes every person does the job the same way every time and that everyone has the same level of knowledge, skill and experience when completing the job. As we all know, that's not the case.

You may be working in a business that has, or is in the process of systemising and introducing checklists and procedures. You may have also received training in how to use these checklists or procedures but may not understand why it is important to use them.

Understanding why checklists and procedures are important in your business is the first step to encouraging you to use them every day. Rather than being designed to make your life more difficult, checklists and procedures serve a number of critical purposes in the business:

The transformation of your business is about building a business which continues to grow and flourish into the future. A healthy, successful business offers opportunities for personal development and career progression. Checklists and procedures not only assist in managing workflow and setting priorities, but help us build a business that is focused on delivering consistent, accurate and timely service that exceeds our clients' expectations.

So contrary to the belief that checklists and procedures are a waste of time, they will help you to do your job more efficiently which will actually save you time. That time can be used to expand your relationship with your clients.

Article: Policies and procedures can help your organisation? (January 2008)

“Why do we need policies and procedures?”  Have you heard that question before?  Perhaps you were even the one asking it.  How happy were you with the answer you gave, or with the one you received?  Frequently people struggle to give a clear and meaningful response to such an obvious question.  It is, however, probably one of the most important questions to answer before starting or updating a system of  policies and procedures.

There are page-long lists of why policies and procedures are necessary, but, of course, such long lists lose meaning and value.  By the time you read to the bottom, you don’t remember what was at the top of the list.  Plus, such long lists have too much overlap and repetition.  A simple approach may be more useful.  The purpose for creating an internal control system through defining and documenting processes with well-written procedures boils down to a few very basic reasons:

Policies & Procedures Can Improve Compliance

Complying with laws and regulations should be the most basic function of an organization.  Even the smallest of organizations must comply with tax laws and with state and local regulations (i.e. zoning, licensing), while some organization must cope with a myriad of federal and state laws and regulations.  Other compliance issues may deal with quality standards like ISO 9001, ISO 22000, or UL. 

While procedures themselves may not demonstrate compliance, well-defined and documented processes (i.e. procedures, training materials) along with records that demonstrate process capability can make evident an effective internal control system and compliance to regulations and standards.

Let’s face it; if your organization is having trouble in performing the rudimentary function of obeying laws and regulations, then it is likely struggling even more at being effective and successful in fulfilling its core missions.  If compliance is an issue in your organization, then creating well-defined processes documented by procedures in order to meet your legal and regulatory requirements should be a high priority.

Ensure Operational Needs Are Met through Policies and Procedures

What is really important in your business?  What is fundamental for its success?  Are practices associated with them being steered by top  management. How much visibility and transparency is there into the effectiveness of these key processes? 

This brings us to the next important role of procedures; to ensure processes fundamental to the organization’s success are properly guided by management, are performed in a consistent way that meets the organizations needs, and that important related information and data are captured and communicated.

For example, if regularly introducing new and improved products is essential to the success of your business, shouldn’t you be in control of your sales and marketing cycle that captures customer requirements and desires so they can be translated into your product design?  Shouldn’t there be well-documented design review and product launch processes?  Policies and procedures are a way to document such key activities so they are executed consistently and implement the best practices for the organization.

Compliance and meeting operational needs are two very important reasons for implementing a system of policies and procedures.  But it is still only half the story.  Next week, we will discuss the role of policies and procedures in managing risks and in continual improvement.

Learn more about developing policies, procedures and processes, or improving your organization by getting in touch.

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