Whether your Green Industry Business focuses on customers who need irrigation services, landscaping, or lawn care management - or all of the above, you need to set goals for improving efficiency in the office as well as out in the field where customer service happens. One of the key methods of improving efficiency is reducing paperwork handling, and increasing customer service care.
- Set SMART Goals - You have goals for your business, develop them with a memorable acronym - make your goals Specific, a goal isn't useful unless it is Measurable, realistic goals are Achievable, this is about what you want for your business so make your goals Relevant, and you want your progress to be definitive so attach a Time frame to your goals.
- Set Long and Short Term Goals - Develop your business plan and marketing plan with long term goals and attach ideas of how to meet the goals over time, be specific. For the short term goal process, break up a big idea into small steps. Use check up dates to make such each step is mastered on a soft or hard time schedule.
- Track your Goals - Using a software system that allows you and your employees to enter information like scheduling customer orders by location, giving field employees street by street directions, even inputting service hours and work hours into the software through any digital device from smart phones, tablets, laptops, or personal computers, keeps one software system tracking everything in one place. At the end of each day, you can get a snapshot about everyone's activities, completed customer orders, those that need next step service, and those ready for scheduling the next day. Work time information automatically recorded into the payroll component and billing information tracked for invoicing.
- Display your Goals - Set up specific Green Industry Business goals for your staff and employees to work on as a team. When displaying your company’s goals like Punctuality, Professionalism, Work Quality, Customer Service, and getting clients to Recommend Services to neighbors and friends, the entire workforce is set toward the same priorities and they will function with your company goals in mind. Start a bulletin board with encouraging phrases and data to let your people know progress is happening.
- Make Goals Relevant to Each Department - The best possible management software for your Green Industry Business will include the goals for each department to function efficiently. Scheduling new orders, tracking field employees, monitoring job flow, and saving time by assigning jobs by field employees' current locations. Using a paperless software system puts all the information in front of the employees who need it.
- Make Goals Relevant to Each Employee - As your employees become more efficient, you can track their strengths and apply their skill sets to specific client's needs. Having customer preferences and concerns at your fingertips means you can make job assignments from wherever you are, no longer tethered to your desk.
- Take Busy and Slow Seasons into Consideration - The slow seasons are the best times for staff training and development, budget for equipment purchases when there is extra setup time. During the busiest seasons you can anticipate the supplies you need in stock for your landscaping and lawn care crews in advance to ensure timely deliveries. You also need to track your workloads during vacation schedules and unexpected employee absences during flu season.
- Give Incentives - Keep accurate records of employee performance for your Green Industry Business management, have consistent upgrades on how your office staff and field employees are meeting the needs of your customers. Simple recognition like employee of the month, and achievement prizes for work crews who get referrals from the neighbors and friends of their customers improves morale and motivation to achieve company goals.
- Be Proactive - It is difficult to keep ahead of your industry if you do not have up to date information, the quality and consistency of your communications between your customers, staff, and on site workers keeps you informed and ready to react accordingly. The more useful your data, the more quickly you can respond unexpected events.
- Be Realistic - Growing your Green Industry Business is a step-by-step process, having the right tools keeps your business moving forward consistently, keep your staff focus on what they can do - day by day.
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