In 2014, we talked a lot about making changes to keep your small business ahead. From process mapping to implementing new technology we had lots of suggestions for ways to improve your bottom line. We hope that you’ve followed our advice and found some new ways to achieve success with your small business. If you have made some big changes, you may have run into a few snags along the way so we’re back today with some hints regarding your staff and customer re-education needs to help you out. Re-education is something we strive for and it's a part of every developer's regimen that helps to build out our online inventory system.
If you’ve done any appliance shopping recently you’ve noticed that things have changed significantly in the last few years.Stoves featuring coil heating elements with traditional ovens used to be the norm, now they are regulated to the back corner of the showroom replaced by shiny ceramic topped ranges with convection ovens. Washing machines with agitators are old school, now laundry is all about front loaders or agitatorless top load machines and steam dryers. If you read the industry reports they’ll tell you that these are improvements, allowing you to do more in less time. Sounds great, right? If you read consumer reviews you’ll often hear a different story. People are complaining that their new appliances aren’t working and bemoaning the loss of their old trusted appliance. Not the outcome anyone is looking for when they update/upgrade something. If you’ve heard any mumblings from your staff or customers about new things you’ve implemented recently you know exactly what I’m talking about. We pay careful attention to feedback from you all as we evolve our online inventory system. After all, our greatest asset is the companies that use our product. Your feedback is worth its weight in gold!
The problem with the new appliances and the software/solutions that you’ve put in place have a lot in common. More than likely, the problem isn’t with the new element that’s been introduced. It’s most likely the fact that people are using it incorrectly. The bake sale queen who suddenly can’t produce a decent batch of cookies is trying to bake them the way she always has. The washer that isn’t getting the clothes clean was loaded incorrectly or filled with the wrong detergent. We often make the mistake of expecting our new things to work just like our old ones, only better. We forget that new technology sometimes requires a new way of doing things to make it work properly.
Here’s an even simpler example. I went out to dinner the other night. We sat down, opened our menus and ordered drinks. The waitress came back with our sodas, took our order and left without laying straws on the table. Uh oh! Then I looked down at the silverware roll on the table and there, poking out of the top of the napkin was my straw. I wasn’t expecting it to be there, but it was a sensible change for the restaurant to make. Most people order drinks that they would use straws with and this saves the waitress from having to carry a supply in her apron and remember to leave the appropriate number on each table that she serves. The problem was in the fact that we, the customers, were uneducated about the new procedure. Over the course of dinner, I heard numerous tables call the waitress back to ask for straws because they didn’t see them in the napkin. If this happens in your business on a daily basis, it will wreak havoc on your efficiency. Worse yet, it can be frustrating to both your employees and your customers. So how do you avoid this? We do it by communicating changes to our online inventory system via this blog. However, this doesn't work for everyone so we're exploring the idea of in-app notifications so that you know when our online inventory system changes and how to make the most of it.
First and foremost, take your technology (or other new solution) for a test drive. This is the best way to identify the areas where people are running into issues. Ask not only staff members, but friends, family and trusted customers to try things and let you know what they find awkward or confusing about the new processes. Keep in mind that some people may be hesitant to speak up. Many people are self-conscious about their lack of comfort with technology. Employees, in particular, may be resistant to change because they fear learning a new way of doing things. For more tips on how to deal with this challenge, revisit our previous post. Once you’ve identified the areas where help is required you need to devise a way to re-educate everyone. A quick review of our post on learning styles can help you come up with fun, creative ways to get everyone to speed.
lf you’re experiencing some growing pains with your new software or solutions, don’t give up. Chances are with a little re-education you, your staff and your customers will be cruising right along enjoying all the benefits that your new solutions promised. It's the whole reason we built and continue to update tutorials for our online inventory system. As we change, so should our documentation and your knowledge of our product.
Have you tried our online inventory system?
When you switched to our online inventory systemyou probably had to change the way that you did a few things. Hopefully you accessed our tutorials or contacted customer support with any questions that you had and now you are finding inventory management is one of the easiest tasks on your to-do list thanks to our powerful, easy to use solution. Haven’t started using Stockpile yet? What are you waiting for? Stockpile is quick and easy to implement and best of all, it’s free! Get started today!!
