Morning workout:Talking trade: Robert Barnes offers basic business management advice to installers

Twelve years is a life sentance in some cultures. I have spent the last twelve years "inside" – inside the security industry, that is, working with installers, promoting better company-wide control and forward-planning through the use of business and service management software.

The fact that I have worked closely with some 300 installer companies – from those with three employees and a few hundred installations, to those employing 100-plus and managing huge customer databases – should give you the confidence that I can bring a big bottle of wine to this party!

Everything that I write in the next few articles will apply equally to installers/maintainers of any type of security and safety systems – be they electronic or physical.

So let me put down a marker with "Robert's Big Six checklist."

Mr Installer ... when you wake up in the morning, and your thoughts turn to work as you take your first sip of reviving tea or Alka Seltzer, can you say to yourself:

1 "Every engineer is booked on an 0830hrs call, straight from home" – Well, you don't want them commuting into the office at great expense, cluttering up your meagre office space, fighting with fellow engineers over stock without booking it out, getting in the way of the office staff until 0930hrs, do you?

2 "A system is in place for customers who are due a visit, to be always advised of any delay" – not forgetting that they are allowed to keep you waiting/change appointments at the last minute, but you are not allowed to be late, and are expected to keep to your daily work schedule.

3 "Every installation is running to time"– even if the surveyor forgot to note the thickness of the property's medieval walls, which has resulted in a 30 per cent increase in time allotted for the job, decimating your profit margin.

4 "Each day's work is completed to schedule" – the dockets being returned to the office within 24 hours, priced up, and invoiced by return.

5 "My customers are happy with my company and the service we provide” – and I am happy with them because they pay on time, give me good reference sales, and bring in additional income as a result of reading and acting upon my quarterly newsletters informing them of the extra products and services they can buy.

6 "I can professionally handle any situation which may arise" – food for thought there!

Can you say all these things? If you can't, it would undoubtedly be of great benefit to you and your company, if you engineered yourself into a position where you could.

How I achieved my lofty ideal

The purpose of this part of the article is to stimulate you to stand still! … or even to take some steps backwards in order to take more worthwhile steps forwards.

I have just stepped backwards into both my garage and my loft – both full to the point of dangerous overload. How many months, or even years, have I been meaning to do this? Both of these storage areas have had the goods variously carted off to the tip, charity shops, other peoples’ garages, and are now spaces with far more potential and usability. The trick is now to keep them that way.

I should have done this ages ago, but there was always the reason, always the excuse, why it didn't get done.

Yes, I had to make time to do it, and not only do I feel virtuous, but my house, my family and my bank balance (car-boot sale proceeds) have all benefited from the effort … and my family are overjoyed that I can now practice my guitar in the (well insulated) loft.

Why do so many installation firms struggle to run an IT system ... or give up on it completely?

The business analogy should be clear to see – but, like the addict, you have to acknowledge your addiction before you ride the road to recovery. Every company manager reading this article will relate to this, so how are you going to make it happen?

Most installers already use some form of software to help them manage their service/customers/quotes/accounts etc. Deploying a good system effectively – whether you have one PC or a network of PCs, is, of course, not the starting point in the business process.

Software generally does what it says in the manual – and it helps if you choose a system where you don't have to re-enter the same information time and time again.

Many companies manage to implement a new system with little fuss or upheaval, so the software, the standards and controls that come with the proper use of it, together with the reduced reliance upon beleaguered staff, is patently capable of doing the job. But a software system will not cure underlying deficiencies.

Running an installation/maintenance company is not nuclear physics. You need a number of simple, workable processes as your foundation stones. The software systems should then complement and build on these processes. If you are struggling with any of this, call me!

Importantly, you need staff that are in sympathy with your aims for the business, giving good service to your customers, and having the tools to enable this to happen. So why do so many companies struggle either to use an IT system effectively and implement it to a reasonable timetable, or even give up on it completely?

Take me to your leader

Failure can happen even when the basic processes are in place. Here are some prime reasons for a lack of success in this area:

• A lack of project management responsibility. Every project needs a leader with authority and responsibility to mastermind it, to an agreed and workable timetable. One important part of this role is to work with the system supplier – and whilst this is primarily to ensure a good "fit”, it may highlight some shortcomings in the software. But you should have established whether the supplier is open to amending his software to suit your business. Some do, and some don't – but finding out after the system has been purchased is not the right time. If you are buying a "package", you will have to fit in with it.
• Giving potential suppliers a clear idea of your expectations – this can mean preparing a full Schedule of Requirements, and certainly should extend to tests along the lines of "show me exactly how the system would handle this process", and "what if….". You can then see whether the software has been designed with the user in mind, or the software technician in mind!
• Not having clearly stated business goals, and how a software system may (or may not) impact upon achieving them.
• Not building the implementation project into your timetable – you still have to run the business when setting up a new administration system. It needs careful planning, day-by-day organisation, and sensible delegation.
• A lack of investment in training and general awareness (in financial terms inexcusable, when there are consistently grants available to help pay for training). How do you expect your business to benefit, if your staff and managers can't either use it properly, or be aware of its potential for the business (see the tale of the unexpected at the end of this article)? Yet I know so many companies who resist, complaining that "it's going to cost". Believe me, the real cost is in opportunities lost, inefficiency and demotivation.
• A poorly specified and configured network. You must have an IT-literate member of staff or external support company who can trouble-shoot technical situations. I've lost count of the number of calls I've heard over the years bemoaning the software, when it's a cause external to the software which is affecting the software.

It's a bit like blaming the car when you drive into the gate-post! Mostly you need "off-the-shelf" PC workstations, server, PDAs, printers/scanners, MS Office tools, and accounts software to run in tandem with your specialist administration software. Don't forget to check with your suppliers that their software will run on the latest hardware, software and network software versions.

Yes, it’s all down to teamwork

So who's going to be responsible for making it work? Yes, you – but you can build a solid team around you, both the directly involved and the independent, to maximise the chances of a successful outcome. It's also worth saying that you must select a system on the basis of best value-for-money (in all its many meanings), but don't fall into the trap of: "There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it again."

Now a tale of the unexpected ... I received an email recently from an installer I have known for years who, from all appearances, runs a highly-successful and reputable installation/maintenance business. They have invested consistently in the use of IT, with a robust network, reliable and workable systems, salesmen with laptops so that they can do quotes from home, and committed, hard-working staff. They "stood still" to hold a strategic review of their business plan and business systems, and there was one major and unexpected outcome of this day and a half session, involving all directors and senior managers.

In his email, he said, "What has become apparent is that we have a very poor spread of knowledge throughout the company at management level, of our IT systems."

And this is a company, who, before this meeting, would have said quite the opposite! As the management run the company, they are fast-implementing a plan to ramp up their knowledge.

How do you measure up against this statement? How often do you stand still or even step backwards and look at your business objectively? Effective administration systems are a firm and strong foundation to underpin any successful and cost/profit-conscious installer – and there's no time like the present to get on top of them. It will undoubtedly pay you to do so.