D-Tools Podcast #11: What's the Buzz About Establishing Operational Processes
In the D-Tools Podcast #11, industry consultant Jason Sayen emphasizes that as technology installation companies grow and face technician shortages, they must establish structured, process-driven operations—starting with translating informal knowledge into standardized procedures and addressing bottlenecks like the sales-to-production handoff—to improve efficiency, onboarding, and capacity for handling increased demand.
Demand is way up for technology installation services and systems integrators are producing more proposals than ever. However, they often face the challenge of not having enough skilled technicians to perform the installations. While being swamped with work is a “good problem to have,” it can be frustrating. As integrators look to hire new talent, the need for a structured onboarding and training process becomes clear.
In this episode of the D-Tools “What’s the Buzz” podcast, Jason Sayen of I Am Sayen, an industry consultant and process expert, discusses the steps integrators should take to establish a process-driven business. This approach leads to high efficiency not only during onboarding of new employees but throughout all operations.
“From a high-level perspective, if you’ve outgrown your systems and processes, it’s time to relook at them,” advises Sayen. “For the single person operation… as soon as they hire their first employee, they have outgrown their processes. Now they need to take what’s in their head—because I am sure they don’t have checklists and standard operating procedures for themselves—and translate that to the person they have hired.”
Sayen points out that a telltale sign an integrator needs processes in place is when they feel they can’t sell more projects because the company can’t handle the workload. Refusing sales due to potential overburden is not a positive situation.
He identifies common bottlenecks that most integration companies encounter and need to address:
- The first bottleneck is the handoff from sales to production. Most companies sell the project, get the deposit, then immediately start ordering equipment and scheduling. Technicians arrive on the jobsite and may spend a day or more just figuring out what needs to be done.
Sayen uses a Lean Six Sigma process called Value Mapping to capture a company’s current processes and map them to a future state. This process allows him to evaluate the needs of a company. He has also developed programs called the Client Journey and G.U.I.D.E. (Great Utility and Documented Experiences) Workflow Activation System. These programs provide a step-by-step approach for integrators, manufacturers, and distributors to get started in creating refined processes.
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