When you hear about the importance of defining processes and sticking to them, the focus is typically on the benefit of the company. It creates flow and consistency, allows for less confusion, and is beneficial when training an employee. This is all true and important, but there is another side to it; the ability to empower your employees. Accountability influences culture. You’ve probably heard that before. But that doesn’t only mean a culture where everyone has responsibility and is comfortable holding co-workers accountable to their responsibilities. It also means your company has a culture where employees are provided all the tools they need to succeed.
"Why does accountability and processes empower my employees?"
Good question. Let’s look at some examples.
Account Manager/Client Relation Manager
When your Account Manager has been trained a specific process to ensure they know your companies standard for processing price increases for renewal, they are empowered to get signatures more often. As long as you provide them the tools (through role-plays and continual conversation) they will know how far in advance to start the conversation, how to leverage the price increase, and overall have an idea of the clients feelings before providing a final price increase. They are empowered because they have the tools to make them more successful.
Estimator
When your Estimator has been trained to estimate jobs by identifying the materials and labor required to perform a job, they will not be influenced by the price. This is something we talk about a lot when providing Estimation Training. By incorporating this standard, your Estimators are empowered to do their job well, and not be influenced by a sales rep regarding the price. Price is determined by mark ups, not scope of work. Meaning, if an estimator is pricing a job to be performed, the only way to adjust the price is to adjust the margin or adjust the scope of work. We don’t adjust the price by reducing the hours to perform the task
Crew Lead/Foreman
When your Crew Leads have been trained a specific training process (we often encourage the Train the Trainer method), they are empowered to train their team. This is important as your company grows, as it allows for management to spend less time training new hires because they will get up to speed quicker.
"How can I empower my employees?"
Another good question! Here are some options:
Weekly Checklists
Create a weekly checklist which holds the roles specific tasks, as well as instruction on how to complete the task. This is great for new hires who need a reminder on how to complete something more often. It is also a reminder for tenured employees.
SOP's
Create and implement SOP’s (Standard Operating Process) for tasks. If you use a software system, this might look like “Opportunity Renewal SOP” or perhaps you create an SOP which dissects the process of clocking in and out as a frontline team member.
Client Checklists
For any process that requires multiple roles to do specific tasks, such as onboarding a new client or processing a cancellation, you should have a checklist that indicated what needs to be done and who needs to do it.
Role Specific Meetings
Hosting role specific meetings, even just once a month, is a great opportunity to provide reminders to your team, train them on new processes, and promote a space for collaboration and conversation.
Role Specific Metrics
Identify KPI (Key Performance Indicators) for each role. For example, an Operations manager should know how many Site Audits they need to complete every week. A sales rep should have a Sales KPI. By identifying the expectation and reporting the progress, employees have clarity on what is expected and experience some pressure to perform to that standard.
All these items are areas Two Twelve specializes in strategically identifying and implementing into landscape companies just like yours. By implementing these tools, you are empowering your employees with more information, training, and confidence to ensure they can produce to your companies’ standards. If you’re interested in how we might help your company, send us a message.
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