Technology isn't your solution.
When you break down what I do to its barebones, I sell technology.
So here me when I say,
Technology isn't the solution to your problems.
You can't purely technology yourself out of;
Pipeline deficit
Culture crisis
Lack of Engagement
1) Think.
Honestly, I'm not looking to explain something as basic as thinking to someone.
However.
I see too many people rushing to a solution rather than thinking about the problem.
The more different angles we can see a problem from, the better informed we'll be when implementing a solution.
2) Process
Process-driven decisions are crucial for growing and scaling our team and business.
A new 'thing' needs a process before we implement it.
Let's take a basic example;
'All new customers/members will receive a physical welcome pack'.
Sounds simple enough.
Consider the following;
Where are new people marked as customers?
Are we collecting personal data such as addresses?
If so, how is that stored safely?
What are we sending? Does it reflect our values?
Who's printing the shipping label?
Who's putting the pack together and shipping it?
Have you considered any dietary requirements if you're including food?
Where are you going to store the items for the welcome packs?
The list goes on.
What sounds like a small task, a well-meaning idea has turned into a mountain of questions and responsibilities that need to be processed and ideally automated.
Get processes out of your head and onto 'paper'.
3) Test and data
The Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono
Each thinking represents one lens/perspective/style of thinking. Try "wearing" different hats and look at the decision through each.
🟡 Yellow hat is about positivity. Try seeing the benefits of this decision and what opportunities it opens.
🟢 Green hat represents creativity. Let your mind run free and generate ideas without censoring them.
🔴 Red hat is about emotions. How do you feel about this?
⚪️ White hat makes you focus on the data.
⚫️ Black hat represents looking at the downside.
🔵 Blue hat is for controlling the process.
(https://untools.co/six-thinking-hats/)
Sometimes as leaders of businesses and communities we lead with our yellow, green and red hats. These points of view are incredibly important, but without data none of them can be proven.
I may think our members want a physical welcome pack, but if Churn sky rockets, and our surveys show that they're actually intrusive, then a well-meaning idea has turned into a mess.
4) Automate and platform
Once we have a solution and process in place, now is the time to look to technology to automate and solidify that process.
We built a bespoke CRM system for one of our clients in the leisure industry. They had unique needs in that the police, insurance companies, customers, and many other stakeholders all needed to have various levels of access.
The technology we built helped solve their problems, however only after previous iterations were tried, tested and improved upon. A huge amount of thinking went into their 'data recall' tools, before we jumped into UX.
The tool designed and automated many reports and processes, meaning what could be handled by a person can now be streamlined.