Internal processes are the name given to the sequence of activities that lead to a result . For example, to build a bag, a sequence of steps is executed. We call this sequence a process.
The processes, however, are not only related to the company’s core business , but mainly to the sectors and activities that support the business, such as Finance, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Human Resources and many others.
Continue reading and see the action plan we created to improve your company’s internal processes and make the entire team’s routine easier!
Why worry about internal processes?
By improving processes within each of these sectors, your company gains in productivity, motivation and excellence .
Imagine the Human Resources sector, where there are a series of activities that must be carried out by the sector, including monitoring employee time records , which, in many companies, is done in conjunction with the Finance department .
We are talking about a fundamental process to guarantee the payment of employees’ rights and also for the company’s financial health (everyone knows the impact of payroll on cash flow).
An error can cause countless losses to the organization, including problems with the Labor Court.
And that is why a lot of time is invested in ensuring correct monitoring of the company’s timesheet and yet errors often occur.
Considering improving internal processes by implementing, for example, online time tracking ensures greater efficiency for two strategic sectors of the company (HR and Finance).
This way, they waste less time on issues related to this topic, increases the productivity of the sectors and increases the effectiveness of control, ensuring safety for employees and also for the company.
This was just one example, but in general, when you worry about improving your company’s internal processes , you will have access to benefits such as:
- increased security;
- increased productivity;
- better use of team time;
- increasing the quality of process execution;
- minimize failures;
- greater employee satisfaction;
- less chance of errors and more.
How to improve internal processes in 5 steps
As we said above, by internal processes we can understand the sequence of activities that lead to a result.
All sectors of the company have processes and all of these processes impact the achievement of the company’s strategic objectives .
Among the factors that are related to the perception of service quality is the speed with which it is performed.
Having a low average service time directly impacts the quality of the customer experience , which in turn impacts customer satisfaction and retention rates.
By improving internal customer service processes, you not only make the process faster, but you also make it more efficient in achieving the goal of achieving customer satisfaction , and all the benefits that come with it.
1. Map all processes
Before improving any area of your company, it is important to understand what is being done today .
Internal processes are not always clear and putting them on paper is essential to have a vision of the whole and be able to identify which steps need to be adjusted .
It’s important to clarify that you don’t need to change the entire process at once.
By organizing the process as it is today and having this overall view, your team is able to identify where there is a bottleneck that needs to be resolved.
2. Identify the biggest problems
With the current process described, managers and staff must identify the biggest problems and flaws in the process. Where is the most time spent? Where do the biggest flaws come from?
Some indicators in the company will help in this evaluation process.
By identifying the biggest flaws and potential bottlenecks in processes, your company can focus on resolving them first.
3. Apply new processes
The next step in improving internal processes is to introduce new processes and eliminate old ones that are not working properly.
For this replacement to be positive, it is important that managers and staff are constantly trained to identify new methodologies that can help optimize processes.
4. Invest in technology
In an internal process improvement project, it is unlikely that the adoption of technology will not be considered .
We are in the age of technology and the use of systems and software contributes to ensuring the speed and organization of various processes.
Imagine what reality was like inside companies 15 or 20 years ago , without computers.
All processes used to take much longer to complete and today, with technology becoming increasingly accessible, businesses have gained efficiency, speed and quality.
In this sense, with the aim of improving internal processes, looking for technologies that facilitate the execution of some stages of the processes can make the company gain in savings and agility.
Within the service and sales sector, for example, CRM software works with the objective of organizing and integrating data and information from customers, prospects and leads, to make the entire relationship more fluid and offer a higher quality experience for the customer.
Not to mention the facilities it brings to the sales and service sectors, ensuring more efficient management of these contacts.
5. Monitor the results
When identifying processes that can be improved and applying solutions to this end , your company must monitor whether what was planned is actually happening.
Are the improvements that were planned proving to be a reality?
Monitoring the results of new processes or new tools will ensure that the process has actually become more agile and efficient, or whether another solution should be found.
Over time, new technologies and tools may appear on the market, requiring processes to be reviewed once again.
Monitoring the strategic indicators of each sector will ensure the continuous improvement of your company’s processes.
