Choosing Between a Computer or Paper System
To serve your customers, you need to track their purchases and needs. There is no efficient way to do this with paper files that even comes close to the power and efficiency of the computer. To maximize your time and your sales, you'll have to move away from paper and use either contact management or database software. Some well-known brands are Act, Outlook, and Goldmine.
People suffer needlessly by postponing tasks until the last minute. A lot of tasks we race to finish at the 11th hour could be completed with ease if started early enough.
Action files enable you to unclutter your desk yet still keep reminders and current papers close at hand. Also known as working files, these files are usually separate from -- and in addition to - client, project, or reference files. Action files are for current or pending activities and miscellaneous things you must act on.
If you go to the doctor with a headache, do you demand a particular treatment before she examines you? Of course not! Well then, why do managers send their employees for customer service training -- before they know what the problem is? Another common mistake is to bring in a motivational speaker to talk to staff that has to fight dysfunctional work processes day after day. It's like putting a band-aid on a cancer. Even the best employees can't do their jobs if the job itself is an obstacle course!
In setting up a new office, your first decision is where to put your desk. Computer equipment must be close enough to an electrical outlet that you don't need extension cords to plug in that equipment. Ideally, your computer should have its own electrical circuit to shield it from fluctuations caused by other electrical equipment going off and on. At the minimum, don't put the computer on the same electrical circuit as the air conditioner or heater. Also, your computer, monitor, printer, and even the phone line that goes into your modem must be plugged into a top-quality surge protector.
No matter how computerized you are, there will still be paper -- memos to discuss at a meeting, proposals to review, things to read, bills to pay. Most of us have piles and piles of current paper on our desks. We leave papers in plain sight for quick access or to remind us to follow up. Obviously, we can't file this stuff because it's still active. So we leave it out on the desk, in plain sight, so we don't forget.
Henry David Thoreau once said, "Things are in the saddle and ride mankind." Today, INFORMATION is in the saddle and it's riding us into the ground! We are just overwhelmed with information. We fear that if we don't read it all, we'll miss something really important. So we pile it, unread, and the piles keep growing.
Post-mortems-- Much of our work is repetitive. Post-mortems will spare you having to re-invent the wheel each time. Upon completing a project, think over what you learned and how you could make it easier the next time. If you run training sessions and the materials often arrive at the last minute, analyze why -- are they compiled at the last minute? Is your printer unreliable? Decide how you can prevent a recurrence, make a note of your decision and file it conspicuously in the front of your training file.
1) Aim for effectiveness, not neatness. Neatness as an end in itself can even be risky: Putting things away just to clear off your desk can cause you to lose or forget them.
Much incoming e-mail can be read once, then promptly deleted-this means less e-mail clutter to wade through. At the least, do a clean-up once a month.
iEntry 10th Anniversary
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