Are you in pursuit of elevating your business success? Investing in project management software is the golden ticket to achieving business goals for many organizations. While such tools are undoubtedly valuable, they are just the tip of the iceberg in the journey towards excellence. To truly thrive, it’s essential to embrace the principles of Kaizen and Six Sigma and understand that great project management is the best form of customer success.
Project management software, also known as project tracking software, can indeed streamline your operations. It helps in organizing tasks, managing resources, and tracking progress. However, it’s vital to remember that picking the right software is merely the first step on your path to success. For a tool to be truly successful, it requires the backing of a structured process. A common practice used by organizations to drive continuous improvement is to apply The Kaizen Philosophy which includes six core elements:
For B2B enterprises, the Kaizen philosophy revolves around continuous improvement. It’s not just about having the right tools; it’s about adapting your processes, driving effective change management, having access to accurate and clear data, and optimizing your project management practices to provide maximum value to your organization and, ultimately, your customers.
To excel in project management, you must have access to clear and meaningful data. This data empowers you to make informed decisions, identify bottlenecks, and fine-tune your processes for better results. Kaizen and Six Sigma practices emphasize data-driven decision-making as a cornerstone of success.
Great project management isn’t just about completing tasks on time; it’s about delivering value to your customers. In the context of Kaizen and Six Sigma, customer success is the ultimate goal. When your project management processes are finely tuned, customer satisfaction soars. Happy customers lead to repeat business and referrals, driving your organization’s long-term success.
For a real-world success story, let’s see how the company 86 Repairs was able to enhance their existing project management software and processes to deliver industry-leading results.
86 Repairs is a repair and maintenance management platform built for the restaurant industry to help fix broken equipment faster ensuring improved equipment uptime. Their goal is to make it simple for restaurants to access equipment repairs and maintenance. Their 24/7 tech-enabled service takes care of getting equipment fixed so restaurant managers can save time, and costs, and get back to doing what they love.
Their management team set out with a few clear objectives to improve performance. They wanted to speed up project kickoffs, reduce cycle times in delivery to reduce per-location costs, and get their customers live faster to realize revenue faster.
Their challenge was that 86 Repairs’ complex onboarding process involved many moving parts, including customer education, solution setup, site visits, and local vendor sourcing. They were struggling to complete onboarding projects in a timely way, which hurt their customer experience and cash flow. They tried a Salesforce custom object but it wasn’t powerful enough to accommodate different project types. Another onboarding solution failed to meet 86 Repairs’ need for multiple project templates.
Additionally, its non-native integration with Salesforce made it difficult to easily keep track of projects; implementation managers would have to first check Salesforce for closed deals, then look up the project in the onboarding solution, and finally, cross-reference project details using a separate spreadsheet.
After many failed attempts to solve this challenge natively within Salesforce and via customer workflows, 86 Repairs turned to TaskRay. TaskRay has made it easy for 86 Repairs to manage their complex projects and keep all teams on the same page. First, a new project is automatically created when the sales team closes a deal. By linking back to the account record in Salesforce, the onboarding manager can assess the resources required for the project, and how many site visits will be required. Next, the onboarding and vendor success teams execute a repeatable process to get onboarding completed quickly. TaskRay also enables onboarding managers to stay on top of all projects in a single view, which makes it easy to provide ongoing updates to the customer.
Working with TaskRay, 86 Repairs has been able to speed up client onboarding success and subscription payment collection by 29% (an average of 19 days). This accelerates customer access to services and boosts early payment inflow, enhancing cash flow. The improved financials, alongside reduced onboarding costs, contribute significantly to 86 Repairs’ growth and profitability objectives. They efficiently handle projects with fewer resources and have slashed per-location onboarding costs by 21%. You can view the full case study here.
When selecting project management software, consider more than just the tool itself. Some solutions, like TaskRay, go beyond being mere tools. They offer best practices and knowledgeable experts who can guide you in customer-facing project management. It’s like purchasing not only a tool but also the knowledge that can make an immediate impact on your business and continue to do so throughout its lifespan.
In conclusion, project management software is undoubtedly a valuable asset for any organization. However, success in business requires a broader perspective. By embracing Kaizen and Six Sigma principles, focusing on clear data, and optimizing your project management practices, you can achieve customer success that goes far beyond the capabilities of any software. Remember, great project management is the best form of customer success, and with the right approach, your business can thrive in the long run.
If you are curious to see how TaskRay works, request a personalized demo with one of our TaskRay specialists or download a free trial via the AppExchange.
