How Often Should You Update Systems?

It bothers me when I read marketing copy that claims “do it once and you’ll never have to touch it again” or “set it and forget it!” because in most cases that’s simply not true.

Just like maintenance on your car, updating your systems is a critical part of keeping your business running smoothly. If you ignore them for too long, then you’re going to need to invest a lot of time and money into getting things done right.

Here are 3 triggers to update your business systems:

1. When your business grows

In this case, it helps to think of your business like a child. When it was brand new you had tools you needed (bibs, onesies, bottles) to nurture growth. If you did those things well then the business grows and many of the tools become ineffective. Not all the tools are useless, just inefficient. Instead of feeding your teenager with a bottle, you give him a cup. You stop trying to force your 2 year old into a 6-mo onesie and get her some toddler clothes.

Your business needs the right tools to grow, both in terms of team and systems.

Maybe it worked to have you schedule all your calls in the beginning because you had 3-5 per week. Now with 3-5 calls a day, sometimes with much busier clients and colleagues, your calendar should be run by an automated system or dedicated assistant.

Action Step: Look for benchmarks like starting a new type of program, reaching a financial goal or filling up your practice. These are great times to schedule a few days to really look over the systems and give them a little update.

And don’t be discouraged and tell me “I’m too busy!” – you don’t see the parents of young children avoiding shopping and swapping out clothes and I can assure you, they’re busy too!

2. When team members come or go

I try to remind my team and clients that no employee-employer relationship is contracted “til death do us part”!

It’s much easier to manage if you accept that at some point your team will change and you will need to bring in a new employee or do the tasks on your own. While this can be frustrating (and it’s a good idea to build systems for your team, it’s an important time to reassess.

Maybe it’s time for the team to shrink because you’ve automated some things and no longer need a VA to delete blog spam – Askimet handles that now. And you don’t need someone to spend 10 hours a week on your calendar, just 2 because you have Time Trade. Maybe the team needs to grow in other area but now is the time to review so you can move forward.

Action Step: When a team member gives notice schedule time immediately to go over their job duties. Then answer the question in private “what needs to be eliminated, done better and what can stay the same?”

3. When something isn’t working anymore

Sometimes there’s no big event or change that precipitates a need to update your systems. In your business, you’ll get a feeling that something isn’t fitting anymore.

Maybe it’s a simple thing like you’re tired of using your video hosting service because they have so many glitches that a 2 minute video takes hours to upload. Then it’s time to update the system for how you host and post videos.

Maybe your graphics are a few years old and tired, so you determine it’s a good time to refresh them for a new look. Then your branding and graphics system will be getting an update.

Maybe you’re tired of doing something on your own because your team doesn’t do the highest quality work and you want to stop picking up the slack.

Action Step: Pay attention to the moments when you feel frustrated – when you’re ready to scream or cry or give up. Find out what isn’t working in that moment and update the system to find something that works better for your business.