Operations Archives - Page 3 of 12

Manage, Match and Meet Customer Expectations

Managing and Matching Customer Expectations

Customer expectations aren't getting met. Customers aren’t happy and we need to get them roped back in. Can customer delivery problems be addressed productively? Is there a cookie-cutter approach? THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Exceed customer expectations. Deliver exactly what the...

Operations

Summertime and the work isn’t easy

Work isn't easy. Last year, we should have maxed out August. Ended up being one of our lowest months because of vacations, one guy on light duty didn’t come in, the second guy struggling with shoulder problems. We were counting...

Operations

Prioritize the workload and distribute it fairly

Our ability to prioritize the workload is lacking. At certain times of the year, we need people in the field to work harder. When things pick up, we find certain people who are doing a lot more than others. This...

business forcasting Brace yourselves, grow the business growth ceiling

Operations

Brace yourself, business growth is coming

A major referral source for us is gearing up for a summer of business growth. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they are worried if we can keep up. This is a great problem to have, but...

Sell things for what they’re worth in your business

Operations

Act now to stop a roller-coaster reactionary work style

Our company has a reactionary work style. We end up working late at night to fix things that got out of hand during the day. Then we jump from one crisis to another. “Don’t worry, it will turn around,” we...

Staying on top of projects requires communication and accountability

Operations

Stay on top of project management

How do we stay on top of project management? We found out projects that we thought were done, weren’t. Other projects weren’t done profitably. How do we get control of this? THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Use project management tools to...

Operations

Managing the workload

My two top guys are worried about managing the workload. It regularly goes from too much to not enough. I think part of the problem is one unreliable guy, but they tell me they can’t survive without him. I have...

Operations

Warehouse management equals profits

Our warehouse management is substandard. Inventory is too high. Things get lost. We can’t find what we need when we need it. We know there are related issues. How do I fix it? Thoughts of the Day: Think warehouse management...

Operations

Manage the Workforce Through Business Cycles

I don’t know how to manage the workforce in the slow months. Trying to hang on to when we’re slow has left us stretched for cash. Now we're going into the next busy cycle. But it’s getting harder to...