We asked our customers what are the ways they increase efficiencies in their business , and here is what they told us.
1. Advance planning.
• We schedule our deliveries more than a week in advance with the work and labor load figured in. We have two operations specialists who coordinate with sales staff to plan the schedule.
• Moving jobs from the peak day to the next available to spread out work load.
• Syncing take-downs with set-ups to eliminate additional handling.
2. Rent extra trucks or buy trailers to double our fleet and allow one set of trucks or trailers being loaded each day with a second set making deliveries each day. Trucks are ready to roll first thing every morning regardless of the time crews return from the previous day’s work.
3. Have only one person per truck being loaded to double-check all items and quantities when they go on the truck. Properly specified orders with expectations managed in advance. This is a responsibility of the sales department.
4. Project managers (salesmen) mark tent sites prior to install. All stake, pole and leg positions get marked with spray paint dots. Project managers will also advise clients of install and removal scheduling.
5. Have well-trained foreman and installers. This is a year-round practice that pays off huge when busiest.
6. Plot our delivery schedules in the GPS to validate addresses.
7. Throw a tent bundle in the machine to wash while the crew is at the installation job, allowing for less manpower to wash.
8. Communication, communication, communication eliminates mistakes, assumptions, and unreasonable expectations.
9. Manage overtime – tired employees become less productive. Pay close attention to deliveries and dispatching. Re-direct traffic to our website. Occasional bonus for job well done.
10. Pre-staging kits or assemblies such as fittings, ratchets, etc.
Would you be willing to tell us about what ways you find efficiencies in your business? You can post them below.
Q: Why do we offer a variety of free ideas on our website?
A:Yes we sell machines and certainly look forward to doing business with you some day. However it is our hope that by sharing our free ideas of implementing systems in your business that you can start to experiences the great reward of doing so (for free). Once you get the taste of this success, you may be ready to implement systems we have developed that include machines to “mechanize the manual “. After all you do manage a very people intensive business. And usually people struggle to produce predictable results and consistent cost. Predictable results and consistent cost are the lifeblood to a healthy business.
Do you have any other ideas that you use to increase your efficiencies?