Maintaining standards – not of the poodle type, mind you – is essential for your business to succeed. It’s not simple, since there are several types of standards that may apply to your business.
Companies must uphold standards defined by local, state, or national government or a statutory agency. A business does not have a choice with these since the specifications are enforced by law.
Also, companies may align themselves with proprietary standards developed by a firm or an organization. And then, too, businesses may govern themselves with voluntary standards established through consultation and consensus around the table at an executive meeting. All of these standards establish guidelines for quality, safety, testing, performance, and other business functions.
Pushing other standards aside, a business should also have its own specific standards to govern both internal and external interactions and other details needed to run the company smoothly. That makes good sense. How does one get started in establishing standards for the processes and procedures for a business?
Determine Various Activities
For your business to run smoothly, you and your team must complete various activities. These tasks rarely add to the bottom line and are usually done behind the scenes. Because of that, you will want to complete them efficiently and effectively so your team has more time for sales and marketing.
Once you’ve established a list of these essential activities, nail down the process for each with a detailed procedures document. In this way, you and your team will learn how to complete the tasks in a timely way. Documents like this are useful in training your team or as a resource to review should the task not be tackled often.
Your team will be more independent when a manual spells out what needs to be done. That way you can use the time you used to spend managing the details on other things.
Set Up Benchmarks
When policies and procedures are in written form, whether on paper or in a Google doc, you can emphasize the standards to maintain your business. For instance, customer support agents take care of an issue. Those details are helpful when logged and then applied for future support questions or challenges. Tell your team how to do that.
Create a checklist of standards for this process. Then your team knows exactly what they must do to keep customers happy with their issues resolved and questions answered. Your support team can use the checklist to keep the standards in mind. You can also use the checklist to provide them feedback.
Apply Them Throughout
These standards must be applied throughout the company and reflect your vision for the company. Those in management positions need to exemplify what is expected so that others on the team will follow suit.
Standards should be written in such a way that they are positive and empowering. Too often operating procedures are created as if it is expected that they will not be followed. Instead, aim to inform and retain those on your team rather than to chastise and constrain them.
Allow for Feedback
No matter someone’s title on your team, everyone wants options. People want to make comments about the way things are run so that they have a sense their feedback is important.
Often the procedures completed in the background are essential to the company’s success. Too often the people on the team working on those are not the folks who compiled the tasks step-by-step. By using their comments in revisions of the details, the procedure manual becomes more relevant and valuable.
Discussing the business standards regularly at team meetings will keep everyone in the loop. That way, the folks who are focused on these tasks will be aware of revisions and any process improvements. By giving them an active part in creating the standards, they will be more likely to uphold them.
End Results
By setting your own business standards, you are structuring the company the way you want it. Maintaining these standards help sustain business momentum. Streamlined policies and procedures stamped with gold-star standards increase a pride in working with a stellar team.
Not only that, everything goes more smoothly when all is in place. That way, people can focus on their part in the cogs and wheels of a successful business and get a sense of real accomplishment.
Goal-setting is not just essential for individuals aiming for success; business standards also work for you and those on your team. As you know, success is the aim of any business. Maintaining standards for each of your key business activities supports success throughout the company.
The Next Level
Another way to boost the success of your business is to streamline your marketing processes. A gold-standard way to do that is to use Online Sales Pro to build your subscriber base and your sales.
This powerful software platform includes both a web and mobile app, so you can actually monitor your sales campaigns from your phone! Using OSP takes your business standards to the next level.
OSP is well known for generating leads for its clients – 20 million total leads in all over the past few years! Build your business by growing your email list with Online Sales Pro. In this way, you will be maintaining yet another standard for your business.
