The success of your business depends on how efficiently the information flows between the different departments. When we say efficient, we mean without any leakages.
You may think, “My teams communicate with each other daily; my business has no leakages.”
We’d say, think again!
The more people there are talking to each other, the more likely it becomes that something would leak during handovers. Take a look at this figure:
If you have as few as 10 people in your organization who are communicating with each other, there are 45 possible lines of communication and that means 45 instances for potential leakages.
This effect is compounded by the fact that most of your business communication is still pen-and-paper based. Landscaping is an outdoors activity. Almost all job related communication is tied to a specific location on the property and it is very difficult to explain “where” with just words.
What is the solution then?
Communicate where it matters - on the maps!
Imagine this scenario. If all your teams could be on all the properties at all times, it would be so much easier to communicate job-related information. All you’d have to do is point to the location you’re referring to and the other person would know. Well, that is just not possible though, is it?
Then here’s a better alternative. You place notes/photos on living, dynamic maps! SiteRecon has created an app for landscapers called Plato that lets them do this with ease. It looks something like this.
By having notes literally on the map and not next to the map, your teams can communicate smoothly and seamlessly with each other.
Consider this scenario, for example.
Your Business Developer goes on site to do a site inspection. He pulls up the Plato app on his phone and documents site conditions on the map. He can then export a detailed report containing all the notes and photos and share it with the client and Account Manager.
Since all the information is documented on the map and both the BD and AM see the same map and the same information, there is no leakage.
Similarly, when the Account Manager goes on site to see how the job is being carried out, he can document service issues, enhancement opportunities, etc., on the map and share them with the Operations Manager.
The Operation Manager can then convert the very same data (notes, photos) logged in by the Account Manager into job tickets and give the handover to crew leaders. The crew leaders can then assign tasks to the individual crew members on those very same notes, photos.
This way, everyone sees the same things and makes decisions on the same data. The map acts as a canvas upon which all your teams can come together and collaborate seamlessly. It plugs the leakages that happen during handovers at different stages of a property’s life cycle and helps you run your business profitably, smoothly and efficiently.
Want to learn more about this? Book a 15 minute call with our experts.