We've been playing our own version of Undercover Boss this summer. Executive Errands® is having a transitional year which is exciting and maddening all at the same time. Changes of any kind can be quite disruptive but there is always a greater purpose, even when it isn't obvious in the beginning.
To fully understand the predicament we found ourselves in this summer, you need to understand what created the predicament in the first place. You see, we have a unique business model in that we assign our concierge (employees) a suite of clients and their goal is to make each of those clients feel like they are our only client. They do this by providing exemplary customer service, following a clearly documented set of policies and procedures and by being proactive in the care and service of their clients' homes and the clients themselves.
This business model works quite well - the clients like it, they come to trust and depend upon their concierge and they enjoy the extremely personalized attention we give their specific needs. But, if the concierge assignment changes, there is always the risk a client might object or become dissatisfied.
For the last several years, we've had stability in our concierge base which keeps the clients happy and keeps disruption at bay. That all changed this summer.
First, as most of you know, Mary, my rock and right hand person for the last five years, retired leaving a gaping hole - for the clients, yes, but more so for me personally. She did all training of new concierge and was the liaison between our employees and me, answering questions and providing a motherly guidance. She interfaced with our vendors and deftly dovetailed appointments and implemented any necessary corrective actions. She also covered for me so I could get away from time to time - a luxury I didn't have the first seven or eight years we were in business.
Mary didn't have a full suite of clients, but even still, losing Mary meant the clients she did have, had to be reassigned. Then we lost another employee due to family demands so we shuffled people around again. And then it was summer - and vacations loomed on the horizon, causing more shuffling and exacerbating the client assignment disruption that we work very hard to avoid.
Then the worst happened. Robin, who stepped up to fill Mary's shoes (and she is doing an AHHHHMAZING job, btw), unexpectedly fell ill and had to miss five weeks of work. That meant yours truly had to step in and do her job. [Sidebar to Robin's clients - she is fine and will be back soon!]
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing the concierge job, but if I'm doing that, then who is doing my job? Who is marketing and networking, writing these newsletters, creating proposals, meeting with potential new clients, attending to finance, speaking at various events, managing our presence on social media, doing new business development, etc. etc. etc?
So without a disguise, I find myself being an Undercover Boss, auditing Robin's homes, doing what she does, working hard to ensure each of her assigned clients feels like our only client. And in the process, something wonderful happened!
The first week, I realized ALL of our procedures are accurate! That, in itself, made this challenging situation worthwhile. Having documented policies and procedures is critical for all companies, but especially for small, entrepreneurial companies. They allow your business to grow without compromising the quality of your services. They make your training easier and ensure your new hires do the work exactly the way you want them to do it.
But even more exciting than the realization all our policies and procedures are accurate, is the insight I gained into refining our reporting tools. Remember, the software we use to manage our data collection and to provide transparency to our clients is a proprietary system I personally developed.
As we've grown over the years, we've added more and more features and more and more automation, all designed to improve our efficiencies so the time we charge to clients is all about the time we actually do the work and not on data entry or planning.
In the course of working through Robin's suite of clients, every time I found myself having to research for information or otherwise not be able to push a button and have the data I needed, I revised or added new reporting tools in our software system, aka Essential Elements.
The result is even better than I could have anticipated. Future new hires will be able to learn their routes so much faster with far less zig-zagging around town. Knowing which clients are arriving or departing over the course of a user defined period of time is available in seconds instead of many minutes researching and hand writing the information. Far less time will be spent on planning our work week than ever before.
All this translates into a greater ability to focus our time which automatically means enhanced customer service. It is so exciting!
So even though Executive Errands® is clearly in a transitional period; without this challenge we would have gone along with the reporting tools we were already using. They were all fine, but the bigger we grow, the more critical it is to refine the way we access the data we need to do our job.
I had no idea, when Robin took ill, that this would be the result. I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason". Soon, vacations will be over and Robin will be recovered and everyone will be back caring for their clients. In the meantime, I gained valuable insight into how our business needs have evolved and discovered new ways to innovate. I also gained a new appreciation for the value we bring to our clients and renewed my passion for this company.
The next time you find yourself or your business in a transitional period, look closely for the lesson. It is there even if it doesn't seem obvious at first. And if you do own a business, become your own Undercover Boss! You'll learn so much more about your company than you ever thought possible....
