The document discusses the importance of systems and processes for sustaining business growth. It states that the second pillar of sustainable growth is having systems and processes that ensure consistency, efficiency, quality customer service, compliance, and continual improvement. It provides examples of key processes like procedures for customer interactions and quality standards. It defines a process as a set of instructions to achieve an outcome and a system as multiple consistent processes working together across a business. The document emphasizes that effective systems allow for transparency, minimal mistakes, analysis of improvements, and consistently good results.

1. Systems and Processes:
the nuts and bolts

2. Recently, I wrote an article called Three Pillars of
Sustainable Business Growth…
The purpose was to describe my thoughts on
sustaining business growth and why the structure
for this rests on three foundations.

3. The second pillar in my three
pillars is about systems and
processes.
This is what will ensure
consistency, efficiency, customer
service, quality, compliance and
continual improvement in your
business.
When it comes to sustaining
business these are all critical.

4. To grow your business, you need to provide a high level of
customer service and satisfaction.
Having a set procedure for customer interactions ensures
this.
With the right systems and processes in place, you can
ensure that all quality standards are being met…
and where they’re not, you manage the process.

6. A process is essentially a working instruction
in order to achieve a particular task/outcome.
For example…
Think of a chef cooking
something

7. The recipe they use is their
process; it tells them the
ingredients they need, the
order of mixing, the
temperature to cook it at.
It’s essentially a step by step
guide how to achieve their
outcome.

8. When these processes are used together
consistently across your business,
that’s when they become a system – more
specifically, your business’ system.

10. In any business there are key procedures that
form the bedrock of your business.
In order to sustain your business and its growth,
you need to be able to provide excellent
customer service, ensure quality, and manage
your compliance in order to reduce risks to the
business.

11. An effective system is the easiest and
best way to ensure that the work you
produce is the best it can be.
Why?
Because having an orderly system
allows you to achieve the following
things:

12. Having a routine system of processes means your
workflow is transparent, easy to follow, and expected.
This minimalises the risk of confusion and mistakes, not
only from an individual perspective, but team-wide
where a system is properly implemented.

13. Going through the motions is a slippery road down to neglect.
Having a clear set of processes to make up your system allows you to
analyse each step in its own right and develop the areas that need
improvement.
I mentioned this in my earlier post when talking about the
steps Appraise, Amend, Approve, and Apply.

14. • Appraising your system identifies any
pitfalls.
• This should be followed with making
amends to your process where
necessary…
• …then approving it through testing.
• The final step in cultivating a great
system is to apply the changes, ensuring
the best system you can.

15. Cultivating your system is the best way
to achieve our next step, which is…

16. And not just consistency, but consistently great
results!
A routine way of doing things (and doing them well)
means you’ll achieve routinely good results. Simple
really, but oh-so important.

18. This depends on a multitude of factors, including your
business, your goals, and what type of tasks you’re doing
on a daily basis.
However, some widely applicable and key examples might
be: a diary of issues, a CRM database, phone scripts, or
timesheets.

19. How would you use some of these, and why?
Let’s take a look at one example.

20. One of the processes for a CRM database might look something like this:
Input lead > make contact > record interaction and result > refer to information
when needed > repeat
When this is implemented as an effective system, your
whole team will input, use, and refer to the
information over an extended period of time.

21. This is a good thing because:
• Emails are decentralized and in some respects, fairly transient.
• A CRM database not only shares the information so that it’s
available to the whole team, but saves it somewhere
permanent and widely accessible.
• This will help you achieve quality customer service which,
crucially, is consistent across your team.

22. This example shows how having the right systems in
place and reviewing them to suit your needs can
positively impact the results you get from everyday
actions.

23. Systems and processes protect and reduce
your exposure to risk, allowing your
business to grow.
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