If you have read our previous blog, Why You Must Have Systems In Place, you know how important they are for your business to continue functioning while you deal with life outside of your day-to-day business operations. And you know, life will happen whether you want it to or not.
So, what do I mean by “systems?” Systems are the procedures you have in place to keep your business running. Think of it as standard operating procedures (SOPs) you give your employees as checklists so they can implement them, even without training.
You implemented these systems or hired someone (hello! Hire a VA to help!) into your business for better functionality so that you don’t have to be the only person to run your business. But there can still be problems.
Businesses can experience a few pain points surrounding SOPs.
- You don’t have systems in place in the first place! Go back and read the blog mentioned above.
- Your employees aren’t following your systems because they don’t want to.
- Your systems are so out of date, your staff doesn’t use them because they are no longer effective or efficient.
So what can you do to ensure that your staff follows the systems you put into place?
First of all, make sure YOU are using these systems. As a leader, you must commit and lead by example. It trickles downhill!
Secondly, make sure the information for your system’s processes is accessible! Where can your staff find your system’s processes? Are you using a specific software? Do they have log-in capabilities? And does your staff understand all your system’s processes and procedures that you put into place? Are you sure?
Thirdly, if you are implementing new systems for your business make sure that your entire team is involved in the roll-out.
How do you do that?
- Collaborate. Work together to problem solve. Use your team’s expertise, skills, and workflow knowledge to fine-tune your systems.
- Train. Make sure the whole team is available for group training sessions. This might be a great time for some team-building fun as well.
- Survey. This is an efficient way to collect honest feedback, opinions, and responses from employees.
- Revise. Use what you learned from surveying your employees to improve your systems and make necessary changes.
- Clarify. Make sure everyone is on the same page and answer any system questions your team may have.
How do you keep your team engaged in following the systems you put into place?
- Use your processes and procedures in the daily management of your company.
- Regularly review your processes.
- Accountability. This is not only pointing out when someone is not doing their job correctly but also rewarding them when they are. Make sure your consequences and rewards are clear and consistent.
Using these strategies together will ensure that your team follows the systems that you have in place and will continue to do so in the future.
One of the services we at Life By Design Virtual Solutions offer is to help create and implement systems in your organization. If you are interested in learning more about systems/SOP please reach out to us at https://lifebydesignvs.com/.
