automate your army

Automate your army.How to create an efficient workforce without becoming a micro-manager.

Imagine if you could do more with the same amount of staff.

Without working longer hours.

And without micro-managing.

Imagine if each staff member worked in a predictable way that you and your customers could rely on.

It’s possible.

It’s possible. But first there are some problems you need to address.

Chapter One.Defining efficiency.

Automation just means being more efficient,

Automation just means being more efficient, right?

Source: UXMag

https://uxmag.com/articles/efficiency

Source: UXMag

No.


Attempts to improve business efficiency can often lead to a poor customer experience.

An efficient team will get you there faster.

An efficient team will get you there faster.

But isn’t this what the customer asked for?

For example…

In 1998 the Victorian government replaced tram conductors with ticket machines.

Source: UXMag


Source: UXMag

The machines were efficient but were they what the customer wanted?


Source: UXMag


Source: UXMag

Another No.


Source: UXMag

• Conductors made patrons feel safer• Conductors were a fare evasion deterrent• Conductors helped passengers alight• Conductors were unofficial tour guides


Source: UXMag

Conductors made patrons feel safer• Conductors were a fare evasion deterrent• Conductors helped passengers alight• Conductors were unofficial tour guides


Source: UXMag

Conductors made patrons feel safer Conductors were a fare evasion deterrent• Conductors helped passengers alight• Conductors were unofficial tour guides


Source: UXMag

Conductors made patrons feel safer Conductors were a fare evasion deterrent Conductors helped passengers alight• Conductors were unofficial tour guides


Source: UXMag

Conductors made patrons feel safer Conductors were a fare evasion deterrent Conductors helped passengers alight Conductors were unofficial tour guides


Automation should be about creating the most efficient way to deliver the service your customers want.

So…. How do you find the

So…. How do you find the balance?

#1 Rethink how you measure efficiency By measuring effectiveness alongside efficiency you will obtain a deeper view of the quality of your service.

So instead of focusing on efficiency measures like:


Response time


Response time Time to finish a task


Response time Time to finish a task Work in the queue

Focus on effectiveness measures.


Customer satisfaction


Number of customers



Number of customers


Number of errors


Number of customers

Number of complaints vs jobs completed


Number of errors


Number of customers



Number of errors

Staff turnover

#2 Lock it in with your customers Service Level Agreements built around quality, efficiency and effectiveness measures hold you accountable and reasonably manage customers expectations.

Make them short.

Make them short.Make them meaningful.


Make them measureable.

What about your staff?What does efficiency look like to them?

62% of employees wastebetween 30 minutes and 1 hour of work time daily.

Source: Salary.com

#3 Lock it in with your staff Once you know what efficiency looks like, work with your staff – one on one if possible – to set some real KPIs.

Remember these guys?

Number of customers

Efficiency Measures

Response time Time to finish a task Work in the queue



Number of errors

Staff turnover

Effectiveness Measures

They’re the things you need to measure for each and every staff

member.

And just like SLAs…

Make them short.


Make them measureable.

And once they’re set in stone…

Benchmark

Review

Repeat

So let’s review the first step – Defining efficiency.

Define what an efficient workforce looks like

Establish metrics for measuring efficiency

Create SLAs with customers

Create KPIs with staff

Automation Checklist #1

Define what an effective service looks like

Establish metrics for measuring success

Create SLAs with customers

Create KPIs with staff


Chapter Two.Automation.

Managing what your staff do creates bottlenecks in itself.

Your employees don’t think they have the time to be more efficient and

more effective.

You don’t think you have the time either.

There’s too much paperwork, log books, inventory ordering, logistics, calling around, driving around, waiting around.

Your time is already stretched…

t h i n

So how do you create a more efficient workforce and maintain a consistent quality without turning into a micro-manager?

Solution: Stop micro-managing and let technology take the load.

Start by identifying where your inefficiencies are.

We’re not talking BIG PICTURE like…

“Jobs are taking too long.”

We’re talking specifics like…

“There’s a fifteen minute lag between jobs because the driver has to call in for another job, we’ve got to call around and see who’s available, then we have to send an address and any special requirements for the job.”

Then, once you know what’s not working… Automate.

When your most time-consuming admin tasks are automated or easier to do, you and your staff are free to focus on the jobs you’ve been hired to do… efficiently and effectively.

Here’s how…

#1 Move to the cloud

#1 Move to the cloud With smart phones and the cloud, most essential business tools can be accessed remotely – dispatch details, customer orders, email, time sheets and more.

#2 Install GPS tracking for your fleet

#2 Install GPS tracking for your fleet GPS tracking is one of the most powerful tools for any business with a mobile workforce.

With GPS you can automate:

• Job dispatch• Inventory ordering• Time sheet recording• Logbook recording• Invoicing• Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch• Inventory ordering• Time sheet recording• Logbook recording• Invoicing• Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch Inventory ordering• Time sheet recording• Logbook recording• Invoicing• Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch Inventory ordering Time sheet recording• Logbook recording• Invoicing• Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch Inventory ordering Time sheet recording Logbook recording• Invoicing• Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch Inventory ordering Time sheet recording Logbook recording Invoicing• Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch Inventory ordering Time sheet recording Logbook recording Invoicing Time on Job reporting• Vehicle maintenance history


Job dispatch Inventory ordering Time sheet recording Logbook recording Invoicing Time on Job reporting Vehicle maintenance history

#3 Explore Bluetooth Beacons

#3 Explore Bluetooth Beacons Fast moving into the operations management space is Bluetooth Beacons. The beacons work by emitting data at regular intervals to a receiver, essentially saying “Hello! I’m here!”. They are discreet, cheap and aren’t reliant on the internet.

If there is a replicable task your staff do, involving moving, cleaning, shifting inventory…

… a beacon is an excellent tool for tracking exactly when and if the task

was completed.

So let’s review the second step – Automation.

Find your efficiency pain points

Automate what you can

Introduce cloud based systems

Introduce GPS systems

Introduce Bluetooth Beacons


Chapter Three.Automating the unpredictable.

It’s 3pm. Do you know where your staff are?

A new job has come in and you need to know who’s available to

work on it.

Have your workers knocked off for the day?

What is really going on, on site?

Even with KPIs and SLAs in place, you need a way to monitor and

measure the work your staff is doing.

GPS live tracking gives managers unprecedented access to workers daily

activities.

If your staff head to the beach

If your staff head to the beach – you’ll know straight away.

When a vehicle breaks down

When a vehicle breaks down – you’ll know straight away.

When a job is complete

When a job is complete – you’ll know straight away.

Chapter Four.Review.

Think back to your benchmarks and what ‘success’ looks like for you.

No.Not yet.

The KPIs and SLAs.

For a good review process, you need to…

#1 Create a formalised KPI and SLA review

system.

#2Create KPI checklists for staff they can

use on their phones.

#3Track customer satisfaction with fortnightly, monthly or quarterly

meetings to ‘check in’.

#4Create an annual customer survey with

programs such as Survey Monkey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/

So let’s review the last step – Review.

Implement Benchmark Reviews

Create Checklists for staff

Review staff performance every 6 months

Book in weekly customer calls

Book in quarterly customer meetings

Create an annual customer survey


And that’s how you

And that’s how you Automate your Army.

Austracker.Insights, even when they’re offsite.

www.austracker.com

http://www.austracker.com/

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