Waiting for Systems and Processes

I hate waiting. Now I confess that my impatience sometimes shades my perception as to what is a “normal” wait time and what is not acceptable, but I think everybody experiences an abnormal wait time that soon leads you to believe that something is askew. That little something that’s wrong probably points to a breakdown in systems and processes.

Aside from the occasional, “oh I’m so sorry our computers are down,” most of our time as consumers-in-waiting can be chocked up to a breakdown in the process of a business to simply conduct itself in a such a way that the patient finds it a satisfying experience. That’s not to say that we humans aren’t a forgiving bunch, but we know the difference between waiting due to an act of God and waiting because the business fell down and it can’t get back up. We generally don’t give broken businesses a second chance.

It’s amazing how many broken businesses there are all around us. If your business doesn’t seem to be running on all cylinders, it’s time for a gut check. Start at the beginning. A patient walks through the door, or calls on the phone or contacts via the web and wants your products or services.

Does the employee that first touches the patient know exactly what to say to make the patient feel valued? Has the employee been trained on how to do that? If not, that is one of the most crucial parts of any process. Is there even someone that manages that employee that can ensure they have everything they need to do their job well and that their performance can be assessed on a regular basis?

Patient service aside for a minute, do you have a process in place for quality control of your service or products? Does everyone that is part of this process know exactly what their job is and who to report to? The best way to totally frustrate employees and have a mutiny on your hands is to have the process break down in the delivery portion of the process, ala the hysterical runaway chocolate conveyor belt scene from the old “Lucy” show.

The most common manifestations of broken processes or lack of processes are seen in businesses like a doctor’s office, a restaurant, a retail establishment or even worse government agencies like the DMV or the VA Hospital.

If your business processes need fine-tuning, please reach out.