%20(250%20x%20250%20px)%20(3).svg)
Use this checklist as a guide to document and optimize the core areas of your business. Whether you’re just getting started or ready to scale, organizing your operations is the first step to freedom.
Look, every business is different, every system, every process, and every person. This is what makes your business special and unique, and it is all part of building your company culture and the part of your business that keeps people returning! However, different isn’t always better. Different sometimes means not efficient, every business needs processes, you are not ‘unique’ because you live in chaos. If your business efficiency depends on how much sleep you got the night before, it is time to put some systems in place! I say all of this as a preference, because this checklist will be a good guide to get you started and start making up your processes, but it should look different than this 10 years from now when you define your processes and systems. Some of these work for some people, but not everyone, and not every business.
________________________________________
Everything from onboarding to offboarding should feel seamless—for them and for you.
o Lead intake form or CRM system- The client journey starts with the lead (Usually). When a potential client first finds you, fills out a form on your website, meets you or a team member in person, or gives you a call asking about your services, the next step should always be the same- PUT THEM IN YOUR CRM. I hear all the time people say, “But I don’t need a CRM because I only deal with a handful of clients!” While that could be true (Probably not) now, it should not always be the case! If you ever want to grow, very quickly client journey will start to become a very big part of your business, and you do not want to start searching for a CRM when you have thousands of clients on top of trying to remember/input all the previous clients you never put in at the beginning. Find an easy and cheap CRM now, and then you can always update or transfer to a better one later… much easier than transferring from your head.
o Client onboarding checklist- Write this down! Everything from: welcome email, contract, invoice, kickoff call, client folder setup, etc. This is all important and while it might be a quick and easy system in your head because you invented it, it might not be ‘quick and easy’ to your employee/replacement. Systems like these you do not realize there is a problem when something breaks on day one, you realize it 6 months later when it's harder to fix.
o Welcome email sequence- I will say this a hundred more times: WRITE IT DOWN! Get a tool like Notion, Monday.com, or ClickUp and use this productivity tool to write things down. Put these systems on paper so that it is a simple checklist that becomes standard procedure. When a client signs up, what information do they need? Is this in an email template/newsletter? Does it automatically send? These are all necessary steps to their onboarding and customer experience.
o Contract & invoice templates- This is simple; most businesses do have a system for this. But you would be surprised (or it's you) how many business owners sit down and write out every invoice and every detail to every client. While each industry is different, and I have worked with companies in the past that this was a very necessary step in their business. However, most of the time, most businesses have specific products/services that can be customized into templates on almost every accounting software. Save hours of work a week and have these templates ready to send seconds after the client signs up.
o File/folder structure for each client- Every client in every business is going to have information that you need to remember, even if its just who referred them or how they heard about you (The source), but in my opinion the more information the better! While you may not be doing anything with filling in the 1st time they contact you, or what city they are from at the beginning, I promise you if you keep these records, 5/10 years down the line you will find a reason to use these in some kind of data analytics, marketing, etc.
o Offboarding checklist (deliverables, feedback request, follow-up): Not every client will be there forever! There are millions of reasons a client leaves, such as no longer needing your service, moving, switching to a new company, etc. These reasons are not always bad, but you do need to have a plan for when this happens. Make sure you are ready when it does before the first client asks a simple question like “What happens to my passwords/info after I leave?” Be ready with an answer, be ready with a review link, be ready with the full process prior to them walking out the door, so you do not have to send them countless follow-ups over the next couple of weeks.
Tools to consider: Dubsado, HoneyBook, Google Workspace, Notion, Quickbooks
________________________________________
No more chasing info across email, Slack, text, and post-it notes.
o Central communication hub (Slack, email, or project tool)- You need a place where communication happens, even if it’s just a group text (Not scalable), but info needs to pass through one channel. If you are having conversations with certain managers in person, group texting others, emailing others, and then expecting everyone to be on the same page, they won’t be. When you come to ask someone why they haven’t done something and they say, ‘you never asked me to’ have the proof, no ‘he said, she said,’ have a platform where you can go back to prior conversations, and everyone is in the know at all times that needs to be.
o Shared inbox or customer service process- This one is especially important for certain industries, but not necessary for others. For example, we at Buzzy Work Pro have clients request tasks from us and use a support email that automatically adds to the do list in our task management system. No searching our emails, no calling clients and asking them again, no forgetting. Having one place where all tasks and requests come through and are maintained is a necessary step for most industries.
o Internal response time policy- This gets rid of ambiguity and reduces problems. If you are in the middle of a performance review and say, ‘you take forever to respond’ when it only takes them 2 or 3 hours, then that is not their fault because they had no idea what the expectation is. However, if you have a WRITTEN policy that says “respond to company Slack messages within 30 mins of receiving while on the clock,” then you can absolutely mention this lack in the performance review and show data to support this evidence. Employees should not have to guess what is expected of them; show them. They might think they are being an awesome employee by focusing on their work and avoiding looking at the phone but then getting told off in a performance review is very demotivating.
o Client update schedule (weekly check-ins, milestones, etc.): Have a process for clients to see what is done and what is needed: This could be in form of monthly meetings, email/text reminders, etc. But do not just text/call your clients at random intervals requesting needed info for a project you are working on that day. It is not their fault if they do not respond. Have a system ready to go, so you have everything required from the client when the work is being done. This is beneficial for you by maintaining a consistent workflow, and for the client by giving them this seamless experience and treating their schedule with respect.
o Template library for common replies: While most business strategist will tell you otherwise, I actually prefer to write messages without copy and pasting. Too many times have I sent the wrong message or forgotten to address something because I copied and pasted. However, there can and could be a need for this. Especially with employees. Avoid the constant phone calls from employees asking the same questions because you didn’t have a prewritten answer. When starting a business, if you get the same question over and over, make sure to write it down somewhere easily accessible by the employee.
Tools to consider: Gmail, Slack, Front, HelpScout, Notion
________________________________________
If your visibility depends on how much energy you have this week—it’s time to systemize.
o Core brand messaging documented (mission, values, elevator pitch): This all needs to be written so everyone is delivering the same message. If your sales staff and marketing team are all delivering different messages, then that will deter certain clients if they hear 2 conflicting views, “we do this”, “we don’t do this”, which makes the client feel like you do not know what you are talking about. Have unity. Hold practice sessions, have the message WRITTEN DOWN, and take turns saying the mission statement during weekly meetings.
o Social media content calendar- While this is good to have a system in place for, it might constantly change as well. Writing and designing a month's worth of content can be very helpful when posting. How often do you go to write a post and lose all confidence in posting it write before you do (Or maybe that’s just me!) Scheduling your post WILL solve this; put them on a schedule to auto-post for you, avoiding any kind of second-guessing. However, if your content is not working and you are not getting engagement, this, more than any system, needs to be adjusted relatively consistently.
o Blog publishing process- How do you come up with your blog topics? How often do you write? Do you use any tools? Any policies? These will all be important, while you may not write with ChatGPT or other AI tools, some of your team will definitely be tempted if it is not policy. Do you have an editor? Just use Grammarly? These all may seem obvious, but it becomes less so when other people are on your team. Systems=Consistency.
o Email marketing sequence for leads: While I believe this can and should be tailored per client, you should definitely have some kind of standard. Just like Response Time ^ if you are going through a performance review and mention you only follow up one time per lead, if this is not the PREWRITTEN standard, then it doesn’t matter. They may think that is what is expected or write for every client. However, if there is a standard in place and they do this every time, then you are in a much better place to argue that not every new lead deserves this kind of response.
o Lead magnets + delivery workflows: at the end of the day, the best businesses try to be helpful, to ADD VALUE. This is a simple solution to being successful, but how you add value and adding value are two very different things. Make sure to instruct on where to add the value and how we go about doing so. Like offering this FREE BUSINESS STRATEGY DOWNLOADABLE CHECKLIST, like below.
o KPI tracking dashboard (engagement, reach, leads): How are you tracking your Key Performance Indicators? Are you just telling people what is expected and waiting till the end of the year to get mad at them for failing? One must have some kind of system or process for reviewing this (And reviewing once per year is NOT a system). Have weekly reviews to go through these KPI’s, have clear numeric values that is a pass/fail grade and discuss how to do better next week.
Tools to consider: Canva, Buffer/Later, Mailchimp/Flodesk, Monday.com, Google Sheets, ClickUp
Bonus: Read Traction
________________________________________
You can’t grow what you don’t track. Let’s stop winging it.
o Bookkeeping software connected to bank accounts: Be honest with yourself, if your budget is in your head? Now, be serious and GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD! This does NOT work for anyone. Write the budget on a piece of paper, a spreadsheet, an accounting software, or a budgeting system. No guesswork. There is no actual way you really know what you bought at Walmart for $12.99 6 months ago was for. You need monthly bookkeeping, and for bigger companies, you need a bill tracking system.
o Weekly revenue + expense review process: Do not just put on your list of KPI’s spend less than $1000 a week (Trust me, I have tried it, it doesn’t work). Spending does not work like that; if you pay insurance once a year, you have already failed that week. Figure out for the year how much you are spending on all predictable expenses and make a budget, based on your remaining expected revenue, to give yourself a number to shoot for, for the unexpected (coffee with clients, random tool breaking). These are the expenses you should be addressing, along with hitting your sales goals.
o Budget forecast spreadsheet: Mentioned this above, but it deserves its own line item. Predict what you're going to spend and shoot for that. Do not just go through the absolute essentials and say you are ONLY going to spend that. You need a margin for error, you need a budget for unpredictable costs as well.
o Profit margins tracked per offer: Know what you are making for every job, each product/each service. Job costing is essential to know how you are doing. If you are losing money selling a certain job, you not only need to know this, but you need to know HOW to know this.
o End-of-month financial review checklist: Do a quick weekly checklist during your KPI meeting, but during monthly meetings, do a detailed review! Averages are important. If sales failed miserably one week but skyrocketed the next, this is where that comes into effect, and you see what went right and wrong.
Tools to consider: QuickBooks, Wave, Xero, Excel, Notion
________________________________________
A sticky note is not a strategy. Get everything out of your head and into a system.
o Task manager with due dates and ownership- Every task, every project, every thing that is discussed needs someone to be in charge of. Maybe that is just you, maybe that is a full team of people, maybe that is a Buzzy Worker! But each task needs a person in charge of it. If no one is responsible, the task will not get done. Use project management tools like ClickUp or Monday.com to make sure every task has a due date and an owner.
o Project templates for recurring work: ANYTHING REOCCURING CAN BE AUTOMATED SOMEWHERE these days. If you do anything more than twice, consider automating it unless you know for sure that it is the last time you will do it. There is a tool for almost any recurring work. Whether you want to spend that money on a system that is a different thing, but make sure you are taking advantage of free tools, and if they cost money, make sure it is worth it to spend the time rather than the money.
o Team roles and responsibilities documented: Job descriptions are great for new hires, however, I don’t think any job in history has been perfectly captured on a job description. It is just not how work works these days. Systems and software change constantly, so make sure to keep employees updated on what is expected and required of them.
o Meeting rhythm (weekly check-ins, monthly reviews): When are you meeting? I suggest weekly manager meetings, monthly company meetings on a small scale. The size of the business and the feasibility of this are going to change for larger companies. But on a small scale, that is easy enough, just make sure you have people assigned for bringing things to the meeting, so you are not just talking blankly, because you will lose interest. Meet in person if you can.
o Project close-out checklist: Maybe this is simply marking something done. Maybe this involves the client. Maybe this involves the full company. Depending on your company and practices, make sure you know how employees are supposed to submit or finish their projects.
Tools to consider: ClickUp, Trello, Asana, Notion
________________________________________
Ready to grow? Then you need more than “Can you help me with this?”
o Org chart (even if it’s just you—for now): What is the hierarchy? I have known employers to purposely avoid this to not create any disconnect, but a disconnect is created by not knowing who is in charge. Make sure to make this chart so people know what and who they are responsible for.
o Job descriptions for all roles- As mentioned about every employee needs to know what they are going to do and what is expected. Make sure it has the right amount of work in it. If you give someone 10 hours of work a week for a full-time job, they will fill those 40 hours with 10 hours of work. If you do the reverse, they will (Most likely) finish the 60 hours in the 40 if it means going home on time, but the quality of work or retention of employees might be affected.
o Hiring funnel documented (job post → interview → offer): What is the process? Is it a recruiter? Does the manager do the first interview, and you do the second? Is there an exam or background check? Make sure steps are required (and properly completed) for every step.
o Onboarding checklist for new hires- By finishing this checklist, you will have a perfect onboarding checklist or resource for a checklist for your new hires! Record trainings, have databases for material, have them sign up for systems and payrolls, and assign them to a mentor. Make sure your process is Unique and systematic.
o SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for key tasks: Yes, this is a system to, and maybe your system can be reviewing this checklist once a year, which is downloadable below!
o Training materials or Loom walkthroughs: As mentioned, record trainings or at least make sure they are standardized. Make sure trainings are done correctly and similarly for every employee.
Tools to consider: Notion, Loom, Google Drive, Airtable
Thank you for reading this Paper… We mean blog! As mentioned, every company is different, but use this as a starting point to get your systems and processes in place! Want help implementing any of it? Have Buzzy Work Pro knock off this checklist with you! We are your task-based operations manager, and we can help with any high-level administrative task, such as writing and implementing systems and processes.
Want our Free Checklist? Just put in your email below! We won’t spam you, just send you occasional tips and updates! Don’t worry, we have a system!
Mission: Next Gen Small Business Workforce
