You Get No Points For Operating An Overly Complex Firm

When we set up our management structures, our onboarding process, our branding and our outreach, we can often feel as though we’re making huge strides in developing our business. Well, this is true. But it’s also true that it’s never the measure of a good business to celebrate just how complex things are. In fact, a business able to streamline and bring services or processes together, without reducing their operational efficiency, is where the golden standard lays.

What example can illustrate this? Well, it might be that you have many different means of sourcing skilled professionals for high-level jobs within your firm. But how streamlined, effective and worthwhile is their onboarding process? Is it comprehensive without remaining overly verbose? It’s worth asking those questions, because you never know just what efficiency you’re losing out on otherwise.

You get no points for operating an overly complex firm. But you do get points for assessing how you can make things better, and simplify without reducing the capacity for the desired affect. ‘Doing things right’ and ‘doing things quickly’ are not necessarily diametrically opposed, as understood by the ‘work smart, not hard’ mentality.

Let’s explore some concrete examples:

Make Support & Correspondence Simple

It’s important to make sure that when people need to contact you, they can, and they shouldn’t have to feel like they’re mounting an obstacle course to reach this goal. This is why many companies streamline their correspondence with an online business address and support networks (sometimes even through social media suites), that enables them to reach out and be reached out to more easily.

Keep Your Mission Statement Digestible

Keeping your mission statement digestible is as important as ever. Not only do your customers need to know your stated purpose, but so do your staff. If they have no purpose to rally behind, their work can often feel listless and aimless. It’s very easy for corporations to become ‘too corporate,’ and this dissolves the contributory goodwill of those who staff it over time. Don’t make your ideas too complex. Keep it simple, yet effective. The same goes for excellent marketing. No one should have to struggle remembering what it is you do, even if you offer a wide range of specialized services. It’s all about good framing (and reframing if necessary).

Pricing Should Always Be Clear

Pricing options, no matter if standard or through a subscription service, should always be clear. How much do subscriptions cost? When do they renew? What service charges do you add, and how are you including the tax calculations? Furthermore, it’s important to note that things aren’t always clear regarding your payment policies, such as what cards you accept, if you’re willing to take PayPal, or if you’ve made your business compatible with a growing number starting to accept cryptocurrencies. Pricing should always be clear, and the more you can operate with this in mind, the better.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily operate your firm as you intend to. After all, overly complex systems help no one in the long run.