Similar to building a house, a small business needs a strong foundation to be solid. In other words, small business success is built from solid operating procedures that include sales and marketing, finance and accounting, and administrative functions.
As we mentioned in the February blog, every business needs standard operating procedures (SOPs) as the team expands and revenue (and most importantly, profit) grows. But what are the most useful SOPs for a small business to have, especially if they do not have SOPs currently? This month’s blog explores just that!
Five SOPs Every Small Business Needs
Keep in mind that every business is different, and your immediate needs might be slightly different. However, these five SOPs lay the foundation. An operations expert, like an online business manager (OBM), operations manager, or executive assistant, can customize these to fit the needs of the business.
Client Onboarding
Purpose: acclimate new clients to your products and services so they know what to expect in the short term and long term.
Why It’s Important: you or your sales team have made a great impression. The goal is to keep that positive momentum going as a client officially begins their business relationship with you. Having a “kick-off call” or even emailing a customer about what to expect sets the stage for success.
What to Include: points of contact for initial meetings or “kickoff calls”, contracts / terms of service agreements, and client onboarding scripts/outlines.
Client Offboarding
Purpose: outline steps when a client leaves or stops using your product or service.
Why It’s Important: business needs ebb and flow, so it is not entirely unusual to have clients leave. We hate to see that happen! Give your departing client a pleasant and professional farewell. They may decide to return someday.
What to Include: client exit interview, customer satisfaction survey, any proprietary information that belongs to the client and how to deliver that information, ways to stay in touch with the client, and internal points of contact going forward.
Team Member Onboarding
Purpose: acclimate new team members to the role they play in your organization
Why It’s Important: setting the stage for team member success is critical to growing any business. These team members essentially represent you as the business owner in every transaction. Every. Single. Transaction.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Making a good impression is critical when a new team member starts. And it makes sense to share how you want customers to be treated and the team member’s role in the success of your business.
What to Include: job description, employment agreement / contractor terms of service, existing SOPs relevant to their role, a point of contact or mentor, logins/passwords for any technology that they will use. If on-site, make sure that the desk and technology is set up prior to starting work.
Team Member Offboarding
Purpose: ensure all proprietary information is secured when a team member leaves.
Why It’s Important: it’s normal for team members to enter and exit your team, and when they leave, business assets must be protected. Plus, leaving things on a positive note is ultimately good for your business. You want to be seen as an employer of choice in your community and beyond. Employees. Contractors, and customers alike check reviews on Google, Yelp, and Glassdoor to learn more about you. It shows how you conduct business with both internal and external customers.
What to Include: removing access from all technology, securing client information, exit interview process (if applicable), team member debriefing, obtaining keys, files and other items (especially if on-site), determining final pay.
In Case of Emergency (ICE)
Purpose: document who and how to reach emergency contacts for all team members, including the business owner. Document what to do when a natural disaster, hospitalization, or other emergency takes place.
Why It’s Important: As we stated last month, according to Business.com, natural disasters can close the doors of up to 40% of small businesses. Even the personal emergency of the owner can negatively impact operations. Who will steer the ship if the owner is out of commission.
Having a detailed outline of who to contact and what to do only makes sense. Clients will be unaffected. It will be business as usual to them. And that is the goal of an ICE standard operating procedure.
What to Include: organizational chart, point of contact or designee for the owner, back-up contacts for all team members, and emergency contact information for all team members.
Do these standard operating procedures make sense for your business? How will you implement these SOPs into your business going forward? We would love to hear your feedback on these SOPs. Leave us a comment below.
And as an added bonus for reading this month’s blog, you can download the FREE “In Case of Emergency” SOP template. Let’s chat for 20-30 minutes on how you can best implement this freebie, and the other SOPs that we discussed this month. Schedule your no-obligation discovery call with LaRinda today!