bly:Optimize Brochure
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This document outlines the importance of business process optimization (BPO) for organizations of all sizes, emphasizing that effective processes are critical for achieving business objectives before implementing technology. It describes the Blytheco's BPO service that aims to enhance operational efficiencies, align teams, and ensure that technology investments are fully utilized while maintaining a focus on ongoing training and adaptability to change. Through detailed assessments and collaboration, the service provides actionable recommendations for improvement and offers a money-back guarantee if clients do not find value in the findings.
bly:Optimize Brochure
- 1. Increase Your Company’s Performance by Fine Tuning Your Business Processes
- 2. PROCESS BEFORE TECHNOLOGY Whether it is a small, mid-sized or large organization, the need to understand business processes as a driver for achievement of objectives remains the same. We should take the systems out of the equation and define the processes. The old truth remains: “a bad process will still be a bad process even if it is automated.” Technology is simply the means of enablement of the business strategy. In this white paper, you will learn: • What is a business process? • What are the benefits of Business Process Optimization? • What happens in a Business Process Optimization? • What are the deliverables of a Business Process Optimization? Mitchell Caplan, CEO, E*Trade Group Inc. 2 process produces performance
- 3. WHAT IS BUSINESS PROCESS? • The activities a business needs to do and the order in which it needs to do them to achieve a defined business outcome in the most effective manner. • A set of logically related activities performed by a business to achieve a defined business outcome. • It describes the ‘what’ not the ‘how’. • It has customers - internal and/or external. • The activities cross organizational boundaries. Blytheco’s Business Process Optimization (bly:Optimize) is one of your most effective tools for keeping your company’s technology in tune with your goals. The bly:Optimize service allows us to understand your business, so that we may help you do your job better, faster, easier, and more effectively. We can help you give your business system a “tune-up” and help you evolve as your goals and environment adapt to changing business realities by identifying inefficiencies in current processes and offering cost-effective options to maximize your technology investment. We are so confident in this process that we offer a money-back guarantee! WWW.BLYTHECO.COM/OPTIMIZE 3
- 4. WHY bly:Optimize? Strategy first, technology second--If executives learned anything from the Y2K tech wreck, it should be that technology is not a good driver of a business strategy, but reorganizing business process efficiencies and bolstering revenue are. Technology is a pillar of business success, but it’s only one pillar. There are other things that are just as important. Align teams vertically and horizontally Often there is a disconnect between what the C-level believes is happening in the business and what is really going on. A dialogue on business process can help get everyone on the same page when it comes to with business strategy and associated processes, and can help identify process gaps where the “C” players believe a process is done one way, the managers think it’s being executed another way and staff is actually doing another process. This gap between what management thinks is happening and what staff is doing is a major risk area for breakdown in company controls and disconnect from company strategy. This also affects morale when staff members can see that their daily actions are not in alignment with company goals, mission or values, and becomes even more acute when there is regular turn over in staff or management. Disconnect can happen across business units as well. Each department has its own requirements and goals. They are also, however, all part of an entity that should be working toward a set of common goals. The Business Process Optimization can help expose any inconsistencies and create a path toward reconciling them. This doesn’t mean your business is failing; in fact this is a normal occurrence. When technology is implemented in a business there were ideas and thoughts that created the need for new software. Along with that technology came new processes and extensive training. Through job turnover and shifts in business goals, processes can become more relaxed or misaligned to the new business strategy. Our role is to point out those inconsistencies and give your company a new framework in which you can examine those needed changes on an annual basis to keep your business moving in the right direction. 4 process produces performance
- 5. Plan for disruptions Companies change. They make acquisitions or they get acquired, sections are sold off or outsourced, and executives get replaced. These are changes that management must be ready for. A firm can reorganize its sales territories or replace its project leaders, which can have a significant impact on its strategy. Strategy doesn’t exist in a vacuum – frequently “checking in” with your processes and your people to be sure they are not at odds with new realities means that you are more agile and responsive, and there’s less risk in your business. As your business changes, your people change, and your processes change. Technology gets upgraded, infrastructure evolves – all these changing elements mean that your training plan does not stop when your technology goes “live.” Work to put an ongoing training program in place so your team is not remaining static while everything around them is evolving. Keeping the team up-to-date and regularly addressing their daily challenges will increase user adoption and efficiency and minimize risk of errors and waste. Overcome Implementation Fatigue After most companies deploy ERP, CRM and HRMS systems, they are tired and burnt out after the initial deployment and never go back and refine the business process after the initial approach of “Get it in and make it work so employees can do their job”. Companies rush through implementation to minimize business disruption as well as costs and time of implementation, and it’s important to go back and refresh the system and the processes to be sure they are aligned with current business objectives. WWW.BLYTHECO.COM/OPTIMIZE 5
- 6. WHY bly:Optimize? Leverage the existing investment One of the common results of the bly:Optimize service is the Executive team discovering that the company could reap easy benefits simply by getting a higher level of utilization on the system they already have. Most companies are only using about 20% of their software’s capabilities, while the remaining features go unused and in some cases unknown. User training is a big part of that – often users simply are not aware of features that could help them be more efficient. Perhaps a post-Optimization recommendation could be establishing “Lunch & Learns” for the users, or set up recurring monthly or quarterly training sessions. Uncovering beneficial functions in the existing system is another common post-Optimization discovery. For many companies, a majority of what they want to do is already available in the software they own. For others, there may exist the capacity to automate manual work flows or balance work between departments – again, already in the system as it stands, but not previously implemented. Ask the expert When faced with a problem, whether it’s customization, functionality, or deployment strategy, companies who have not partnered with business technology experts often assume a new product needs to be purchased or another module integrated. Instead, look to leverage current applications to gain new functionality or services, and be sure that your technology is aligned with strategy to avoid many of these mistakes. Experts with many years of business experience, like those at Blytheco, know what questions to ask to fill in these gaps. 6 process produces performance
- 7. WHAT IS bly:Optimize? bly:Optimize is designed to allow us an opportunity to understand your business so that we can work with you as a team to avoid the mistakes above. We want to understand your process not from a theoretical viewpoint (i.e., how things are supposed to work), but from the nitty-gritty, day-to-day viewpoint. Often we find that significant gains can be found within the system you own today, without the need for additional products! We want to understand what it takes to do your job today, so that we may assist your organization in moving forward with your software to help you do your job better, faster, easier, and more effectively. For us to best understand how to advise and assist with enhancing your software, and improve current processes, it is important that we understand how you do things, why you do certain things the way you do, what is unique about what you do, what areas are the most important to address. We spend time getting entrenched in your business. We also want to understand your goals for the near future and longer term, so that we can keep those visions in mind when assisting with the current goals to accomplish - what you want to get out of the software “today” while looking ahead at what you will need to get to your desired future. bly:Optimize (usually) consists of a on-site visit interviewing key personnel in each department to discuss and document business processes. We will learn how and why certain tasks are performed, what is unique about your processes, and some of the most important issues that must be addressed. Depending on your business needs and complexity you require, the one day engagement can be expanded to as many days as necessary to get the desired outcome. WWW.BLYTHECO.COM/OPTIMIZE 7
- 8. METHODOLOGY Blytheco will interview members of the management team and employees of each department to discuss and document their business processes. These interviews with key personnel are designed so that we can fully understand their job functions, needs and challenges with the current system. By stepping through each department’s daily process, we are able to better understand how the system can best help your company achieve its goals. The focus of bly:Optimize is typically centered on your business’ functional areas, for example: accounting or finance, operations, sales, marketing, service, human resources. During the service: • Interviews are conducted with key personnel from each functional department. • We talk to the staff about how they perform their jobs today and the tools they use, such as reports, import/export jobs, or web interface software. • We gain an understanding of your goals and recommend any tools you may need for future growth. • We document the process of each functional department and provide recommendations to business process, work flow, system controls. In addition we identify if you may benefit from additional training, the addition of a new module, or an upgrade to a more current version so that you can take advantage of new features that enhance your business model. Sample high level objectives for bly:Optimize include: 1. Review changes needed to current system so all 4. Address user training needs and overall requirements personnel in sales, support, marketing and accounting for user adoption. departments can better utilize it. 5. Plan for the future, for example, increase sales growth, 2. Provide a solution for visibility and metrics into the reduce costs, increase leads, or streamline operations. important decision-making data of the organization. 6. Identify disconnects between the objectives and 3. Identify changes to eliminate wasted time with processes intended by management compared to double data entry, data integrity issues, and improve the actual processes underway and recommend communication between departments. optimizations to ensure alignment, efficiencies and desired results. 8 process produces performance
- 9. Blytheco Process Optimizations can be conducted for specific functional areas in your business, such as: • Sales – are you maximizing the leads and your pipeline with proven sales strategies to close business effectively? • Marketing – are you spreading your brand messaging effectively, utilizing Social media and driving enough qualified leads to your sales team to generate new business? • Accounting – are your day-to-day processes as efficient and secure as possible, and are you getting the information you need to make business decisions? • Operations – are you able to serve your customers at the level they expect, and keep costs manageable? • Human Resources – are your team members productive and happy, and are you compliant with important rules and laws? WWW.BLYTHECO.COM/OPTIMIZE 9
- 10. DELIVERABLES bly:Optimize Summary of Findings documentation will provide valuable information and be an essential tool as we implement the business objectives of the management team. It will include the details of our analysis, identified pain points, recommendations for improvement, and a checklist of next steps for your team and ours. The Summary of Findings is a guide for moving forward and keeping your company out front of risk. We analyze your company in the context of its industry and of the business and technology environment as a whole and identify key areas that require attention in order to position you to remain competitive now and in the future. The outcome of the service will be using your system as a proactive business enabler, and may include analysis of: • Metrics – existing and needed • Extended Customizations • Process Definition • Embedding Workflow - Turning reactive processes to proactive processes • Operational issues resolution This is where the true return of your system comes from! Without it, your system is simply software. 10 process produces performance
- 11. IN SUMMARY We hope you found this paper valuable, and discovered: • What is a business process? • What are the benefits of a bly:Optimize? • What happens in a bly:Optimize? • What are the deliverables of a bly:Optimize? At Blytheco, we believe so strongly in the power of bly:Optimize to create positive results in your business that we offer a money-back guarantee on the service. If you tell us that you don’t find value at the end of our Summary of Findings meeting - we’ll give you 100% of your money back. We have the confidence of thousands of successful client relationships behind this promise to you. We look forward to working with your company to help you meet your goals. When you are ready for your business to get the full benefits of a system that works with your processes to help you meet your goals, let us know. Visit www.blytheco.com/optimize to begin the first step in your company’s new future. WWW.BLYTHECO.COM/OPTIMIZE 11
- 12. Increase Your Company’s Performance by Fine Tuning Your Business Processes turning dreams into productivity www.blytheco.com/optimize 877.462.5984 blyOptimize-WP-v1_5-3_13.innd