Business Processes Keep Your Company In Check.
Let’s talk about processes. What processes do you have in place to keep your business running smoothly?
According to an article posted by Villanova University on September 9, 2022, “a business process is a repeatable collection of steps a company uses to accomplish a goal. Good processes are crucial to making progress toward your goals and improving your business’s operations. The purpose of a business process is to help your company reach a specific target. If you want to accomplish things as a business, processes allow you to take repeatable, consistent steps forward.”
As a newer company, I have been constantly reevaluating my processes and how I can improve them. Companies more senior than mine should consider reevaluating their processes at least yearly. Below are some of the processes I have in place to ensure things run smoothly.
Once a lead contacts me, I offer them a free 30-minute discovery call. This is where we can quickly learn if we are a good fit for one another or not. I have a series of questions I ask them that will help us both decide if we want to move forward. Once we decide to move forward, I will send them an estimate of the services I am to provide for them. After they approve and sign the estimate, I will create our contract. Once both parties have signed the contract, we start services. I have an onboarding process that generally consists of a welcome letter, adding them to all my software and programs, connecting with them on social media (preferably LinkedIn, and finally sending a welcome gift to their office.
This process (a mere blip in the grand scheme of things), ensures my clients feel welcomed as well as confident in my role in their life. Ensuring your client/customer feels confident in your services and/or product as well as your company is imperative. This keeps them coming back and spreading the word about your reliability to their colleagues and friends.
Approximately two weeks to one month before the contract ends, I’ll set a meeting with my client. I prefer to do it over video chat or in person (if feasible). This meeting ensures my client knows how we will wrap things up and so forth. I will also send them a survey once the contract ends. A survey can help you learn more about yourself and what you can improve on as a business. Finally, I’ll send them a thank you note (via snail mail) for doing business with me.
Today I challenge you to schedule a time in your calendar to review your processes. Never stop evolving.
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