| Identifying, analyzing and making changes to business | | | | results in time saved. That time saved my result in the |
| processes takes time and effort, and incurs expense. | | | | need for less people or more often it frees up time for |
| Changing how things are done impacts roles and | | | | existing people to focus on higher-value and revenue |
| responsibilities and can trigger employee resistance. | | | | generating work. Looking for efficiency involves looking |
| Before embarking on process reviews and changes, it | | | | for unnecessary hand-offs, storing of information |
| is wise to consider the types of benefits you might | | | | never used again, unnecessary approval processes, |
| gain. | | | | processing rules that made sense once but are no |
| Each organization is different and the actual benefit | | | | longer of value and of course ways to use technology |
| numbers will vary, but below are some common | | | | to reduce manual handling. |
| benefit areas to be aware of and better yet to plan | | | | - Get rid of invisible reporting processes. Over time, |
| for. | | | | requests from management for information or reports |
| Revenue generating benefits. These are opportunities | | | | can lead to tremendously time consuming efforts of |
| to change current processes and practices to directly | | | | questionable value. What reporting and information |
| or indirectly increase revenue. These benefits are | | | | gathering is done in your organization? Are the reports |
| often the hardest to achieve as the changes needed | | | | used anymore? Is the method to create useful reports |
| usually break current mindsets and can fundamentally | | | | as efficient as it should be? |
| change roles and responsibilities. They often also have | | | | - Onboard and train people faster. Documentation that |
| the highest payback. Here are some examples: | | | | makes processes easy to find and easy to use |
| - Upsell opportunities. A telecom company wants to | | | | reduces the training time for new people and the |
| have its call center staff sell more products to existing | | | | people that have to train them. Getting new hires up |
| customers whenever they deal with a customer. The | | | | and running faster means they are also working on |
| process review, analysis and design work will focus on | | | | client revenue activities that much sooner. |
| building in the analytic processes (and technology) | | | | - Reduce key-person syndrome. Improve the ability for |
| necessary to ensure call center staff know exactly | | | | the office to function effectively if one or more of the |
| what products the client has and what products might | | | | team is away. Small businesses are particularly hard hit |
| be of interest, as well as adjusting the training | | | | when a team member needs to be away. Good |
| processes and performance management processes | | | | process documentation makes it far easier for |
| necessary to skill and incent the call center staff. | | | | someone else to step in and handle their work. |
| - Improved products and new product opportunities. In | | | | Risk reduction or risk reaction benefits. There is little |
| this example a retail organization believes its own | | | | doubt that this is a growing area of process work. |
| customers hold the key to identifying improvements | | | | Benefit areas include: |
| needed in the current products and in identifying new | | | | - Security of data, premises and people |
| product opportunities. Given its target markets, the | | | | - Ensuring privacy of customer/client data |
| organization knows it needs to include social networks | | | | - Meeting regulations |
| in its product development strategy. The process | | | | The ultimate benefit to risk reduction or being able to |
| review, analysis and design work will focus on how | | | | react to a realized risk, is maintaining the organization's |
| best to expand its current engagement processes to | | | | reputation. Fines can hurt but rarely kill an organization. |
| leverage social media. The organization has proven in | | | | But if customers, clients or funders lose faith in your |
| the past that customer-focused product changes and | | | | ability to provide the product or service they expect, |
| development leads to getting higher revenue per | | | | you may never recover. |
| product and getting it faster. | | | | Process review and redesign to build in the needed |
| - Client experience and business reputation. In this | | | | controls, checkpoints and governance are often |
| example, a financial services organization wants to | | | | required. The trick is to balance the cost of the |
| ensure its target market of high-wealth clients receives | | | | process work, and the ongoing execution of the |
| exemplary service. In their target market there is a | | | | changed processes, with a realistic assessment of |
| strong correlation between the experience of the | | | | various risk scenarios actually happening. It is far too |
| customer and their willingness to do and grow their | | | | easy to paint emotion-laden pictures of horrific |
| business with the organization. In this case the process | | | | happenings that sway leaders to build in process |
| review, analysis and design work are focused on | | | | controls that are just too heavy and ultimately hurt the |
| identifying the business processes from the customers' | | | | organization's ability to run efficiently. Worse, |
| perspectives, ensuring that all customer touch points | | | | processes heavy with rules and controls are the ones |
| are identified and that the internal functional processes | | | | people most often don't follow, defeating the purpose |
| are seamless from the customers' perspective. The | | | | of the process work in the first place. In some cases it |
| organization needs a reputation of service excellence, | | | | is better to have a process to react to a risk when it |
| effectiveness and efficiency to attract and keep its | | | | happens than to have a heavy process that tries to |
| target market. | | | | eliminate or reduce the risk. |
| These are just 3 examples. What examples can you | | | | Measurement benefits. Process reviews and |
| imagine for revenue generating process improvements | | | | improvements provide an opportunity to define and |
| in your lead generation processes, your product | | | | build in key metrics for processes. It really is true that |
| placement processes or your sales processes? | | | | you can't manage what you can't measure. More |
| Cost saving or cost avoidance benefits. These are | | | | importantly you can't improve if you don't know how |
| process and practice changes that allow you to | | | | things are currently working. Having the ability to |
| remove costs from the organization or to delay or | | | | measure current reality sets the stage for continuous |
| avoid new expenses. This is where process | | | | improvement. As with process work to reduce risk, it is |
| improvement efforts are often focused. Every | | | | necessary to carefully assess what needs to be |
| organization should be looking at running as efficiently | | | | measured and ensure it can be done efficiently without |
| as possible. Remember though that no organization | | | | adding unnecessary weight to the process. Beware |
| has ever cost-cut their way to roaring success! | | | | the seemingly endless human desire to create and |
| Here's some benefit areas to look for: | | | | consume statistics whether they add real value or not! |
| - Improve the efficiency of work in the office. Any | | | | Process review, analysis and redesign work can and |
| changes and improvements to your business | | | | must result in benefits that surpass the cost of the |
| processes that make it simpler and faster for your | | | | work to change the processes. Make sure you are |
| team to get their work done or to coordinate on tasks | | | | looking in all the right places for benefit opportunities. |