Qvalon Blog article content
Checklists are a very crucial and convenient tool. They have been used for almost a hundred years in aviation and healthcare where even a small error can be the difference between life and death. In fact, they came into origin at the cost of human lives when in 1934, the flight crew of the Boeing B-17 prototype forgot to release the flight control gust locks, causing the aircraft to crash immediately after takeoff. Further investigations revealed that the airplane was “too complex” to fly considering the number of tasks required to safely takeoff which surpassed the limitations of human memory. Hence, checklists were born and they were quickly embraced by other industries.
With checklists, it is convenient to control the implementation of business processes and standards. For example, to conduct an operational audit in the retail network, the business process that is to be reviewed is selected, its main stages or tasks are highlighted and questions for each of them are asked from the employee(s) responsible for completing those tasks. Answers to checklists questions reflect the quality of business process implementation and employee performance.
Regular audits provide dynamic information on how the company’s standards are met at each stage over a time period. They help decide if any violation was a one-off incident or if it is becoming a trend. Accordingly, timely corrective steps can be taken. QVALON is created for such purposes, but its scope of use and advantages are not limited to just that.
Whom do we lead?
A companies activities are not limited to the tasks done by its employees. There are other participants as well, such as contractors, contractors, and franchisees with whom regular interaction and review are needed. QVALON’s features and influence can be expanded to these participants as well.
Lead your contractors
In some situations, it is more profitable to outsource part of the business processes of a company. These can be IT services, courier delivery, or equipment cleaning. Usually, contractors are separate business entities with their own business processes and standards. These might not always be up to the quality parameters of the company which could undermine performance. Hence, regular reviews of contractors become very crucial.
For example, a standard contract with a cleaning contractor provides for a list of work to be performed but does not mention quality requirements. If the company employing the cleaning service is not satisfied with the contractor’s work, then usually it is followed by complaints, meetings, and discussions. This requires much investment of time and efforts which would be better served elsewhere in productive tasks. It is a different scenario when cleaning processes and their quality control are monitored with QVALON.
The company’s auditor can take a photo of an untidy area and upload it on QVALON. Thus, there is a record of unsatisfactory work which will be immediately communicated to the cleaning contractor for corrective action. Through photographs, they will know the exact issue and can attach photographs from their end about the rework done. QVALON does not allow old photographs in the phone gallery to be uploaded as evidence, so the authenticity of evidence is assured.
Hence QVALON is beneficial for both entities. The company can instantly communicate work quality to contractors for rework if needed and can claim compensation in case of repeated violations. The contractors are clearly aware of the work quality expected of them and possible deductions in case of poor performance.
Lead your franchisee
Franchisee-based retail models allow a company to expand quickly without putting it under financial stress. Since time and efforts needed for setting up new franchisees are not born completely by the company, it allows for rapid growth even in distant geographies that eventually translates to revenue growth.
Revenues are not the only aspect that a company gains from franchisees. They are also a great network for customer outreach via branding and marketing activities. That is why it is crucial that all franchisees, irrespective of their locations follow the promotional campaigns and guidelines finalized by the head office. Outdated or incorrect promotional offers still on display at a franchisee can cause confusion among potential customers which negatively impacts the company’s brand name.
QVALON ensures this does not happen. If the company’s interaction with the franchisee happens via QVALON, potential violations of merchandising and marketing standards can be avoided. And if in rarest of rare cases, there is a drop in compliance, then it can be instantly communicated to the franchisee team with a similar approach as discussed for a contractor.
Lead yourself
When we want to improve, we look for something externally. We believe that we can be better if we change our surroundings. And we can also improve if we look internally, self-analyze, and polish certain aspects. The same is true for any business. Search for any possible scope to be better usually starts with audits of contractors and franchisees. Internal audits are usually overlooked but they are equally important, if not more.
The store manager has more tasks than they can remember. Even today, managers in most businesses rely on diaries, generic software, or electronic task lists. With QVALON, a manager can not only make their personal task list, but they can also analyze which tasks get completed quickly, and which are often left unfulfilled. With this information, they are able to organize their activities effectively.
The above are the most basic and obvious areas where retail audits can be applied. For each company, there can be countless more scenarios where QVALON’s integration can drastically improve performance. At QVALON, our team delivers a personalized, simple, and cost-effective approach to grow your business. Let’s connect and discuss
