Standardization is the new sexy.
There, I said it. We have gotten so far away from having standards and doing things in a consistent manner that what I used to consider boring, I now consider sexy.
What is sexy? Something that’s desirable. Attractive. Fetching.
Over the past 20 years, technology has allowed us to increasingly customize our experiences. My Facebook feed is mostly full of friends, family, and groups filled with people that perceive the world like me – groups that I’ve chosen to join.
My phone is full of apps that I have selected. My streaming music portals give me only the songs that I want to hear. I binge-watch shows without commercial interruption.
What does any of this have to do with business? It means we can easily connect with our customers and automate their selections.
But it is not sustainable to treat each customer differently. We’d quickly feel overwhelmed and sink if we tried. Now I will say this – treating each and every customer differently is more possible when we’re small.
Consider this example: Starbucks cannot put every customer’s personalized order on the menu – it isn’t a sustainable option. But you can still go to Starbucks and customize your drink order to your liking. This is made possible because Starbucks has a set menu in place with key ingredients that their audience can choose from. This is part of Starbucks’ standard process
Individual special treatment without standard processes to support them across the enterprise are not scalable. It is one thing to configure a system to handle specialization; having 1:1 treatment is not possible if you expect your business to grow and scale.
So, how do we make sure we are keeping our sexy when it comes to standards? I’ll tell you how:
- Document. You learn so much about your business and opportunities to improve when you lay out the basics.
- Periodically experience the process. Is it functioning as you expect? Are your intentions for the customer happening as you expect? Correct any flaws and document as you go.
- Diagnostics and workshops. Should be in place for the places where you know your existing processes are not scalable. Consider leveraging a problem-solving workshop where you address the root cause of the gap between where you are and where you need to be. Determine the best process updates to improve your product and/or services. Put the changes in place. Train the troops. And of course, don’t forget to document.
Holloway Consulting Group would love to help you standardize your processes – because your business deserves to be sexy – desirable, attractive, and fetching, too. Schedule a complimentary discovery call to learn more about how we can help you and your organization.
