Part 3: Putting the “Management” Back into Records Management
Ensuring Your Department’s Relevance

 

The first column in this series explored the need for active cost control and customer service; the second column reviewed the need for well-designed processes to deliver both. This final column will look at ways to ensure your department continues to add value to your organization.

 

Bill Ainsworth

Let’s assume you have a strong customer focus and the mechanics to deliver what is expected in a cost-effective way (inexpensively with quality). What’s next? You may think nothing else is needed. After all, everyone knows there is a records department and it’s likely they know your name and your staff. But, that is not enough to ensure they know the value of your services as they relates to the needs of your organization. Marketing your services is crucial.

 

Marketing, in its most basic form, has two key components. The more important of the two is knowing what your customers really want in terms of service. The other is presenting your department’s capabilities for delivering those services. Don’t make a presentation about available services before you know what your customers want. Otherwise, you may look like a typewriter salesman in the age of the personal computer.

 

Executing an Effective Marketing Survey

 

An effective marketing effort should begin with a survey – nothing fancy – just a purposed way to receive feedback and suggestions. This can range from a paper questionnaire to lunch-and-learns with small groups. Or, it may employ a combination of methods. Because honest feedback is what you expect, one of the survey methods should provide for anonymous comments. Along with having a component that will provide you with a performance review, the survey must be designed to encourage the presentation of all needs and wishes. Everything ranging from blue sky dream lists to requested minor changes in daily activities is encouraged as part of the feedback.

 

Organizing and Categorizing Survey Results

 

The results need to be sorted first into two categories: 1) the tasks currently performed that your customers do not know about; and 2) the tasks not being performed.

 

Review the “currently doing” list and ask this fundamental question, “Why don’t our customers know of this service?” Then, compare this list to the “how are we doing” feedback. Note needed improvements and implement the appropriate changes. Communicate to customers they have been heard, their requests considered, and the resulting services now being offered – or why they will not be offered. Closing this loop begins to establish a collaborative environment.

 

The “things we don’t do” category is a bit more complex and time consuming to work through. All suggestions need to be regarded as having merit, even if they are unnecessary or impossible to provide. Improvements never come from maintaining the status quo.

 

You should arrange all recommendations in the following order:

 

1.      A request that can be grafted easily onto an existing service

2.      An existing service that can be changed easily

3.      Service additions that would have the broadest reach

4.      Service additions that would have the greatest impact

 

Once grouped, all recommendations need to be filtered by asking the following questions:

 

1.      Will it fit into our core offerings with no additional strain on existing resources?

2.      Will it produce metrically quantifiable improvements?

3.      Does it provide a return on the investment of time (e.g., the change makes life easier for the customer)?

 

It’s easy to decide to add a service when the answer is “yes” to all three questions. Deciding to implement a recommendation with only two “yes” answers is a judgment call. Typically, recommendations with only one “yes” answer are discarded.

 

Telling Your Story

 

Now that you have verified your services are (or have been adjusted to be) relevant to your customers, the hard part is done. All that’s left is to tell your story by addressing small groups, using informative e-mails or internal websites, and personally addressing those customers who made the suggestions. After all, your customers’ feedback improved your department. Showing your customers that they have been a part of the improvement process gives them a sense of ownership. And, typically, no one owns something they do not value.

 

Bill Ainsworth can be contacted at William.ainsworth@bipc.com.