What a first assessment looks like
Here we show you an example of how we work. This is an illustration of a typical first assessment of one business process. It is an example, not a client case.
A distribution company with about 80 staff. Customers wait three to five days for a quotation, and the owner feels sales are being lost.
1 · Listen
We start with conversations with the owner and managers. A few of the questions we ask:
- Which result matters most to you this year?
- Where do customers wait, or complain?
- Which tasks take the most time, and which are repeated every day?
- Which numbers do you look at, and do you trust them?
- What has been tried before, and what happened?
2 · Go and see
We then sit with the people who do the work and draw the process as it really runs, not as it is supposed to run. In our example, the map looks like this:
- Customer asks for a priceBy phone, Zalo or email
- Sales assistant checks stockIn a spreadsheet that is not always up to dateWait: calls the warehouse
- Manager approves the priceOnly the manager can approve discountsWait: manager often out
- Quotation typed in WordPrices copied by handRework: about one in five has an error
- Quotation sentThree to five days after the request
The map usually tells the story by itself: most of the delay is waiting, not working.
3 · Agree the measures
Before anything changes, we agree with you how success will be measured, and we record today's situation as the starting point.
| Measure | Today | To test in a pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Time from request to quotation | 3–5 days | Within 1 working day |
| Quotations with errors | About 1 in 5 | Fewer than 1 in 20 |
| Staff hours per week on quotations | About 30 | About 15 |
Illustrative figures. In a real assessment they come from your own records.
4 · Compare the options honestly
We then set out the options, with rough costs, risks and what each would ask of your team.
A · Clear rules
A simple approval rule, so sales staff can offer standard discounts without waiting. Almost no cost.
B · One reliable price and stock list
One shared list that the warehouse keeps up to date and sales can trust. Modest cost.
C · AI-assisted quotations
A tool that drafts quotations from the request, for staff to check and send. Only worth it once A and B are in place.
Sometimes our advice is that AI is not the right first step. Here, A and B would probably solve most of the problem.
5 · What you receive
- A short report in your language: the process map, the agreed measures and the options
- A recommendation for one small, time-limited pilot
- What the pilot would ask of your team, and what it would cost
- Your decision: there is no obligation to continue