Small businesses have a unique advantage in the business world. That advantage is nimbleness. A nimble business is agile and can adapt to change with more ease and speed. It’s the type of business that can handle growth without buckling because its infrastructure allows it to.

Unfortunately, many small businesses are not nimble, which causes them to miss out on major cost-savings and opportunities. Their lack of agility often prohibits expansion, causes burnout among workers, and impacts customer satisfaction. What small businesses need is what most large firms have: process improvement strategies and quality departments. This is why we offer process audits for small businesses. 

What is a Process Audit?

Before you can understand what a process audit is, you must first know what a process is. According to the book, The Basics of Process Improvement, a process is “a sequence of linked tasks or activities that, at every stage, consume one or more resources to convert inputs into outputs”. They are essentially the building blocks of a company. In fact, the success of a business is largely based on how they carry out their processes. 

Process Audits for Small Businesses

To put it simply, a process audit is just an evaluation of the current processes in your business. As stated on ASQ, a process audit “examines the resources used to transform the inputs into outputs

[…]and checks the adequacy and effectiveness of the process controls.” Many large firms have a dedicated and full-time quality department devoted to things like this, but most small businesses do not. 

Why Do Small Businesses Need a Process Audit?

When building a business, oftentimes we don’t think about the most strategic way to do things. You’re simply trying to produce products or complete the services your customers need in whatever way you can. This works for a little while but as your business grows, those same processes likely won’t work. 

What worked for a business of 1 cannot work for a firm of 10. Build your business for where you want it to be in the future…not for where you are today. 

What Poor Processes Lead To 

A small business that fails to review and change their processes, could stunt their own growth. You don’t want the processes in your business to lead to the following: 

  • A business owner that works 60+ hour weeks 
  • Customer issues as a result of product defects or bad service
  • Bottlenecks
  • Frustrated staff 
  • Constant reinventing of the wheel (e.g. duplicated work) 
  • Inability to expand 
  • Missed business opportunities 
  • Wasted resources 
  • And more!

The Benefits of Process Audits 

Process audits for small businesses offer several benefits that have a direct impact on business performance. Some of those benefits include: 

  • Increased productivity 
  • Happier customers (which become repeat customers) 
  • Improved product quality (as a result of fewer defects)
  • More satisfied employees and/or contractors
  • Reduced risk 
  • Agility – (nimble businesses can adapt to change easier)
  • Competitive advantage 
  • Better cost management 
  • Less waste 

How We Can Help With Process Audits

Process Audits for Small Businesses

We are most known for our virtual assistant and personal assistant services, but we also do process audits. If you’re a small business owner, a process audit could save you thousands of dollars per year. While an assistant can remove much of the workload from you, that doesn’t mean you’re automatically maximizing your resources. Business owners that pass poor processes to their team are spending unnecessary money that could have went into business expansion. 

For instance, your current processes may require an assistant that works 40 hours per month, but after a process audit, you realize you only need someone for 20 hours per month. Imagine how much money you’d save! This is exactly what our process audits aim to do: help you maximize your time and money. 

Our Process Audits Will Help You:

  • Reduce people effort 
  • Identify non-value added steps 
  • Reduce unnecessary spending (that software you love so much might not be the best one for you)
  • Suggest automation 
  • And more!

You Deserve To Take Your Business To The Next Level

We know you didn’t build your business to operate in a subpar way. You built it to help your customers but also you too. Your business has the potential to take you places you’ve only dreamt about and we want to help you get there. Let us evaluate the steps and interactions of the processes within your business BEFORE you hire a virtual assistant. Our goal is to help you reach new heights without the longer hours and extra stress. 

Click Here To Learn More About Process Audits!