Have you dreamed about your business running smoothly day-to-day without having to oversee or correct every single task?
Having systems in place frees you from doing everything yourself or having others do it they way they think it should be done. Working this way is clearly inefficient for everyone. As your business or practice grows, you will need to create new additional systems to stay productive and ahead of the curve.
While having systems in place is mandatory for a successful, efficient and profitable business, implementing a new system is often delayed to prevent perceived downtime or because it can be daunting to create systems for every process in the office.
However, creating and implementing one system at a time is an excellent way to produce almost immediate results without any downtime.
Create a New System
Start by thinking about one simple office procedure which would benefit from having a system, such as:
- Opening/closing office
- Copy room procedures
- Drafting Proposals / Pleadings
- Opening new client files / archiving closed files
Mentally walk through each step of the new procedure, listing each step in order.
Remember to include any contingencies next to each step, or tasks that can only be completed by specific persons in your organization
Test Your New System
Use your new instructions to perform the task or, better yet, ask a staff member, who is unfamiliar with the procedure to do so. You’ll most likely encounter necessary tweaks and revisions to your procedure during testing. The test will also show you if the instructions are clear enough for another to follow.
Document Your New System
Finalize your new procedure in writing and be sure to publish it where staff can access it readily – especially in your absence.
Your business or law firm needs systems in place with clear instructions or procedures on several items pertaining to the office. A step-by-step “Office Procedural Manual” or “Work Station Manual” for each category of work will eliminate a lot of questions and interruptions.
Further, this procedural manual will represent a “blueprint” of your business/law firm’s system operations and help you deliver above your competitors in providing excellent customer/client services.