How Should We Think Of Business Maintenance?
A business is a machine, and like any machine, it must be maintained. Of course, that’s a relatively simple manner in which to think. A business is more like a complex system rather than a machine, but the metaphor is apt, because systems can be easily ignored if they are effective. Yet effective doesn’t necessarily imply that it’s operating in the most optimal sense.
For this reason, it’s important to consider how we review and re-review our business systems or ‘machinery’ as regularly as we can. If we fail to do this, then we can find ourselves struggling to move forward, as, like any machinery, it will slowly start to degrade at its weakest point. In the worst circumstances, this can mean something completely failing to operate at the moment when you needed it most. Think of how many businesses (as of this moment, Ubisoft), reveal toxic workplace culture after staff take the time to whistleblow it. That’s a failure of the HR systems being able to deal with internal issues in a responsible and ethical manner.
So, how should we think of business maintenance? Let’s discuss:
Replacing Fundamental Production Fixtures
Replacing fundamental production fixtures is important. What does this mean? Well, consider how you replace and manage your waste oil, for instance. It’s not a piece of equipment, but still an essential component of your functioning, and thus, your wastage handling is a part of that. It might be that you use oil pumps to help you caretake this most essential of requirements, or move forward using services that collect and ethically dispose of such waste. Production fixtures are the small details that make up the operation of a brand, and so it’s important to perfect them as much as you can.
Maintaining Our Staff Turnover
Managing our staff turnover is important. We must understand that lower is better, provided staff are being well-trained and are performing satisfactorily. How are you keeping them around? Have you maintained the office and given it a new coat of paint? Are you keeping the ventilation systems well-repaired, and the computer terminals they use up to date with the most modern of tasks? When you can ensure that the people (otherwise known as the engine of your firm) happy, the rest will follow.
Managing Our Brand
Brand maintenance is important. The image our brand is tied to will affect our success, one way or the other. This is why many companies are directly taking to social media to handle support requests, or refer them to official channels. It shows them being pro-active, and gives them the chance to more easily discuss or post alerts and announcements regarding certain goings-on. In some cases, with the aid of reputational management and PR services, overcoming difficulties may be an essential component of brand care. Having those options geared for use is important, and may help you save face one day.
With this advice, we hope you can think of business maintenance in terms rarely stated. With this effort, your operation can keep ticking over another year.