For a business owner, SOP is not just about how to do something; it is his/her gateway to focus and freedom. It is not common to see the correlation of SOP with such intangible benefits to business owners. But there are strong reasons to believe why this correlation exists.
System-driven over People-dependent
When SOPs are in place, business processes and operations are more system-driven and less people-dependent. With defined business processes, business owners can remain more confident that with planned operational roadmaps in place, their business activities now have directions to follow. Any businessman will know how big a relief that is. Now whether they go on a vacation or a business trip, they will know how their business activities back home are ought to be executed.Ease of Scalability
A well-operated business carries an edge in growth and expansion. Business owners can be more confident about replicating systems that have worked for them. For seamless scaling and expansion, businesses need a base of proven and defined business processes and operations which can then be easily replicated. SOPs provide that foundation for businesses. In the event of an expansion project, the operational roadmap will be already there to plan and kick start the operations.Supervising and Monitoring
SOPs define the work and its flow in detail. It covers the – what, who, when, where, and how of a task/activity/operation. Supervising and monitoring performances get easier when an operational roadmap is there. Any deviation at any step could be instantly detected. Business owners are dependent on managers and supervisors for reporting and ensuring that things are going on track. As monitoring and supervising get easier with SOPs, this benefit eventually passes on to the business owners.Consistency & Uniformity – Brand Building
Maintaining consistency and uniformity in delivering superior customer service throughout the customer journey is critical for businesses to create and sustain brand loyalty. But what happens at the fore is a projection of how the related processes are executed in the back-end. Again, the focus shifts to having robust processes that can deliver the intended customer experience every time. SOPs can ensure that the sequence of the due activities is followed and every task takes place on time following all the other specifications as planned. This will ensure that the standards of service promised to customers are consistently fulfilled across branches and regions. The marketing policies and strategies for better customer experience and journey need to find operational definitions in the form of SOPs.Author Bio
Nikhil Agarwal
Chief Growth Officer
Nikhil is a calm and composed individual who has a master’s degree in international business and finance from the United Kingdom. Nikhil Agarwal has worked with 300+ companies from various sectors, since 2012, to custom-build SOPs and achieve operational excellence. Nikhil & his team have remarkable success stories of helping companies scale 10X with business process standardization.
