Following on from last week’s 8 Things Small Businesses can learn from Big Businesses, we’ve compiled a list of complements for larger companies. Smaller companies have just as many advantages to their size particularly with their natural ability to stay nimble, cohesive, and engaging. This list highlights several action points we can all start implementing today.
1. Employee Engagement
A lot of times, larger companies can get stuck in the formalities of employee engagement rather than the actual engagement itself. I.e. performance reviews, surveys, and emails don’t count as actual engagement although they may be a step towards effective measurement of employee satisfaction. Where small businesses excel is in their more personal, hands-on approach to employee support.
Think about the last time you truly felt valued and appreciated – did it come from an email? Or when you were checking off a box on a survey? Probably not. The sincerest form of a thank you, appreciation, or just general engagement doesn’t come electronically; rather, it warrants a personal touch. A one-on-one meeting, an impromptu gratuitous desk chat, or small group feedback session are all examples of healthy employee engagement and are more likely to evoke authentic conversation.
As for measuring a company’s engagement, drop the surveys altogether and ask your employees in person. Avoid generic “rate your job from 1-10” questions and prompt more telling ones instead. “Would you recommend job openings here to your friends and family?” “Do you tell strangers about your job and the work that you do?” In some cases it may even be a good idea for these questions to come from an impartial party, instead of a direct manager.
Every company will have their own style and way of doing things and it’s important to find the best fit for yours. However, companies who want genuine employee feedback and whom want to show genuine employee support should walk away from the computer and initiate in-person contact instead.
2. The Power of The Huddle
When a conflict arises in large corporations, it’s common for emails to fly, conflicting phone calls to follow, and miscommunication to ensue; less common is actually tackling the problem at hand. A powerful strategy that small businesses regularly administer, if only by default of building size, is the act of a ‘huddle’.
What we mean by a huddle is - inviting several heads into a room, huddling them together, and fleshing out a problem or issue to find the solution. Problems are fixed a lot faster when (again) things are dealt with in-person. Having key decision makers together in a closed room - facing the problem head on - can prevent further miscommunication, finger pointing, and unnecessary wasted time.
Next time you have a conflict at work, no matter big or small, give this one a try: take a walk around the office, find an empty room, grab key decision makers, and huddle.
3. Put Away the Keyboard
We have an unwritten rule in our company of a 2 email policy. It usually goes like this:
I send an email.
He sends one back.
I send an email.
He sends one back.
Time to stop emails.
After two rounds of emails back and forth, it’s usually better to finish the conversation in another way. Picking up the phone or walking around to someone’s desk will usually help define an answer more quickly and clearly. Emails are great for the day-to-day, one-off question and answers; however they become a problem when they replace all other forms of communication.
Next time you need clarity or efficiency at work, just try putting down the keyboard.
4. Staying Nimble
Small businesses have a great advantage in their ability to stay flexible and agile. Without the bureaucracies and corporate policies of a larger corporation, the changing of plans or tactics is much more feasible. However, larger companies can take advantage too, just in a slightly different way.
You’re never going to be able to change policies, strategy, or even habits right away in large businesses; however, the ideals behind change should still flow habitually . The best way for companies to do this is to make sure they have an open door policy in place. Make it easy for employees from every level of the business to voice their opinion and give strategy for improvement. After all, it’s the employees on the ground, not their superiors that see first-hand what needs changing. Change will never occur in organisations that are too conventional to accept different ideas, constantly look for alternatives, or ask for feedback from every level.
As for the actual change itself, don’t forget that starting out small – changing things in just your department for example – can spur greater change than you think. Never underestimate the power of small decisions or subtle action. After all, it’s the little decisions, people, and actions that bring about the revolution.
5. Customer Proximity
Close customer relationships are one thing small businesses inherently do better due to the size of their customer base. In addition, they tend to develop and nurture more personal relationships with their clients, which leads to greater customer loyalty down the road. However, large companies can invoke the same sense of care and support with just a few tweaks.
One great way to implement greater customer care is through two way communication. Our company issues a compiled newsletter once a month that includes…well, all of our news for the month. However, it’s not only a list of product offerings but rather interesting industry topics, thought leadership insights, and other useful information that our customers want to hear. It’s not possible for large companies to have one-on- one contact with every customer about every product but you can keep the customer readily informed and engaged.
We’ve also found that the most sought after articles are the ones that open up the conversation. As important as it is to always keep your customers informed, it’s equally as important to make sure your door is always open; that it’s easy for customers to respond, give their opinion, ask for more information etc . Sometimes a simple form or a “Chat Now” option is all you need. In our company, we plan to take customer interaction even further in 2015 by implementing a Newsroom that will centralise all of our product releases, thought leadership pieces, industry insights and more into one easily accessible spot. Stay tuned for exciting new updates around the Pentana Solutions Newsroom early in the New Year.
If you’ve enjoyed these tactics and feel that you can implement one or more of them at your company today, we’d love to hear about it. If you have any you’d like to add to the list, we’d love to share those as well.
