outsource initiatives

Internal Communications August 2009

A common misconception is that marketing has nothing to do with internal operations. In fact, effective office communication often results in higher customer growth and retention.

Being a small company is no excuse for failing to employ tools and resources that can track and document every aspect of your business. For some small companies it's a leap just to put their sales and finances into a Quick BooksTM program. Without documentation and historical data any efforts to grow the business or make capital investments are futile and foolish.

Using the power of computers coupled with the accessibility of the Internet a small company can easily employ simple tools that improve internal communications with very little effort and relatively no expense.

Building and maintaining a company database is one way to improve several internal functions. More than a glorified account list, a database can isolate and track unique trends among customers. An efficient database can handle billing, correspondence, inventory management, payroll and client trends all in one place. A successful company will often find a database to be its single greatest asset.

Another simple yet powerful tool is 'Event Tracking'. Since our college days we haven't put much thought to the term 'science' in relation to 'business'. However, business is a science that can accurately predict profitable and dangerous trends; that is as long as the documentation exists to support these findings.

Start with an event tracking system and religiously document every conversation and every transaction with every client. This information is truly indispensible for a company that expects to grow. Within six to eight months data will emerge that can be used to identify wasted time and resources, define potential new markets and capitalize on more sales with existing customers.

Large companies maintain a Human Resources web site including company policies, employee handbooks, insurance benefits, profit sharing and a company wide social and charity event calendar. Typically this information is conveyed weekly in a company newsletter.

Small companies should maintain the same level of internal communications making documentation and information quickly and easily available to company employees anywhere at any time. It's simply smart and efficient.

Smart decisions can only be made by recording and tracking business activities. Stupid mistakes and costly adjustments can be avoided by maintaining and monitoring trends. Needless to say, when documentation is at our fingertips we waste less time gathering information and invest more time in applying that knowledge.

These suggestions are some of the best places to get started. While they may seem daunting to consider initiating, there is nothing more profitable and valuable you can do for your company than to establish and maintain an information library. After all, written knowledge is the springboard that has propelled the advancement human society.