Solving a Business Frustration Starts with Identifying the True Problem
A number of years ago during a booming economy, I was working with a client who owned a mortgage company and was very frustrated by the many mistakes that his team was making throughout the complex mortgage qualification and initiation sales process. We needed a solution to reduce the number of errors, improve the customer’s experience and maximize the company’s sales and reputation for good customer service.
The company already had all the forms needed to complete the transaction but mistakes kept happening. Their process for taking a prospective client through their sales process wasn’t working, and we didn’t yet know why. We needed to know where the process was breaking down to understand what was needed to fix it.
We looked at all the mistakes that had been happening and came to understand that there wasn’t enough detailed information in writing to guide the team successfully through the process. Business frustrations always point to missing pieces of business infrastructure needed to create a seamless customer experience. In this case, the solution was a missing system that laid out the specifics of the mortgage qualification and initiation sales process.
Building the Solution
I worked collaboratively with the business owner to document the process via telephone and computer, using a screen sharing technology. The system we built detailed the step-by-step process in a simple way and included standards, “who bys” and “due bys” to create accountability and ensure that the process was done up to company standards and in a timely way. When completed, the system we built had a total of 80 steps. It was no wonder that his team had been making mistakes with no documentation in place.
Putting this system in place greatly reduced the number of recurring errors. By not having this system in place, the business owner had been counting on the memory of his team to get it right. When the owner saw that the system had 80 steps and a lot of standards that needed to be met each time, he realized that his expectations had been unreasonable. Building the system gave the owner and his team the tool that was necessary for his team to be more successful and deliver the result with a greatly reduced margin of error.
Training the Team
Once the documentation was completed, my client trained his team and quantified the outcomes. The documentation created shared expectations with the team. Once the process was in writing, he got his team’s agreement to abide by it. Then he was able to hold them accountable and offer help when they needed it. The result was less frustration on his part, fewer interruptions in his work day, more predictable outcomes and a consistent customer experience.
It is the responsibility of the business owner to provide the solutions needed for business success. What system is missing in your business that would improve your business outcomes significantly? Call Janice at 707-326-5681 for a complimentary conversation to identify your missing pieces of business infrastructure.
