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By Robert Counts and Chad Counts robert@countsbusinessconsulting.com | crcounts@countsbusinessconsulting.com

Managing Systems and People in the Digital Era N

avigating the constant influx of changes in technology can be exhausting. Insurance programs, inven- tory software updates, social media, web- site development, eBay, Car-Part, the list goes on and on. These tools that are meant to save time and provide you with greater resources often lead you to run- ning in place if you are unable to inte- grate them efficiently.

Integrating technology into your oper- ation is a must if you want to keep up with the increasing pace and cost of the salvage industry. Those who are able to leverage technology most effectively at all levels of their organization will be able to produce more quickly, efficiently and accurately. As access to vehicles and prices become more available and com- petitive, the competition between oper- ators becomes increasingly important. Who is able to produce the most sales with their facility? Who is the most effi- cient operator in terms of expenses? Who produces the most per vehicle? Who has the most productive employ- ees? Who is the most profitable? Tools such as Bid Buddy, Bidmate, EZ Route, CBCDashboard and Core/ Inventory tools are increasing in popu- larity because they target these areas: increased accuracy, increased efficiency. Increased accountability, increased prof- itability.

Being able to cut through the noise of the industry and day-to-day busyness while keeping a close eye on the impor- tant figures that impact your bottom line is critical in the digital era. The digital era makes it increasingly possible to have easy access to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and critical decision-making data in your hands at a moments notice. Yet this is only half the battle in navigating management in the digital era. Once you have your KPIs and decision- making data available to you, the job now becomes one of leadership and

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management. “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” So first before we worry about doing things right we have to make sure we are doing the right things. Starting with leadership, what is the vision for how customers will view your company and what employees are work- ing towards accomplishing? Then set short-term and long-term goals that you will now monitor with the same KPIs incrementally to make sure progress is on track, determine if goals need to be adjusted up or down, or if training or personnel changes need to be made. Establish a clear organizational structure that makes it apparent who is responsi- ble for accomplishing each of the goals and promotes accountability across departments.

With clear directives and goals set, the task is passed to management to deter- mine the right steps for accomplishing

the tasks. Once the steps are established, managers then train and motivate their employees toward accomplishing the task, setting small milestones and goals that can be used to determine if things are on track or need to be changed. Managers should be attentive to feed- back from employees regarding oppor- tunities to improve processes and reward them if an idea proves beneficial. Employees also need to know the num- bers that they will be measured by and provide information regarding barriers to success as quickly and efficiently as possible to their managers to shorten the amount of lost time.

Counts Business Consulting supports salvage and recycling business owners seeking to im- prove through PRP Profit Teams, CBC Owner’s groups, or On-Site Consulting, or consulting

on sales, production, buying, pricing, and financials. Visit countsbusinessconsulting.com, cbcdashboard.com, or call (512) 963-4626.

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