Intuitively you know that minding the details of your business is a surefire way to retain current clients and attract new ones, but often you are too busy tending to the big picture to deal with the little things. Even “hands on” managers have to create enough distance from routine operations to maintain perspective on the many forces shaping the organization, balancing the needs of investors, employees and customers while anticipating and responding to changes in your industry and competitive environment.

• While you are refining your vision and revising the strategic plan, who is on the front line paying attention to the small stuff? The training of employees, the type of stationery you use, the music customers hear when placed on hold, the font style on your printed materials and clean glass on your front door are all small details that leave big impressions. If you consistently do the little things right, the result inevitably will be a high quality customer experience.

• To make the management of details the norm at every level of your organization, you must generously distribute responsibility for decision-making and accountability. Every operating unit should have someone with authority to be right and responsibility for being wrong. It then becomes everyone’s job to pay attention to the particulars. Quality work and an appreciation for the importance of details benefit not only your customers; these attitudes and habits also bring satisfaction to those performing the work. To know how to do something exceptionally well is to enjoy it. So why do so many errors occur due to inattention to details? There are many answers to that question, but common causes include lack of organization, absence of defined processes and simple boredom.

• Disorganization causes you to ignore or completely miss many details. Who hasn’t moved a stack of papers only to find a document that needed a response last week? Having an organized, clutter-free work area will help your employees pay attention to details and prevent things from getting lost or misplaced, increasing productivity and lowering stress levels.

• Uniformity in performing tasks is the key to accuracy. Standardizing your processes, whether it is a complex manufacturing process or a simple procedure for paying invoices, will help everyone be attentive to detail, increasing efficiency and your bottom line.

• Many routine jobs are, well, boring, but that doesn’t mean that they are inconsequential. It is a red flag if an employee says, “I can do this in my sleep.” This conveys a feeling of expert mastery of one’s job duties, but it can also mean he or she has become careless. Employees at all tiers need to understand why their specific job functions are important. Each task deserves utmost attention, no matter how many times an employee has done it before. It takes hundreds of small, seemingly insignificant details executed flawlessly every day to create a superior customer experience. A pervasive commitment to quality and meticulous attention to the small things will translate into long-term rewards for your business.

© Great Reach Communication 2009