What is the Value of a System?

When my wife and I were getting ready to welcome our first child into the world, we were living in a small one-and-a-half-bedroom apartment. I say one-and-a-half-bedrooms because the second bedroom was about the size of a storage closet with a recessed wall and a rod for the closet. This was going to be our baby’s room. My parents had just gifted us a beautiful baby gift—a brand-new crib. My wife and I were so excited! I brought it down with my dad into our basement apartment and was ready to set up the crib.

I got down on the ground and laid out all my tools. I had my Allen wrenches and my screwdrivers ready, and I cut open the box. There in front of me was this wonderful thing called an instruction manual. I did what any new dad would do with it—I read the first cover and then threw it off to the side. I didn’t need an instruction manual. I started assembling the crib on my own. As I was nearing the end of putting it together, I had the four sides up and ready to go with only the top rails left. I grabbed the top rail, put it on top of the crib, and grabbed the last of the screws and stuck it in the hole. It just started to spin; it wasn't long enough to grab hold of anything. Here I was, almost finished, but with no screws left that could finish assembling this crib. I got frustrated and annoyed. I was asking myself, “What am I doing? How can I not figure out how to put together a crib?”

Here comes my sensible wife, granted she's about eight months pregnant. She comes over, grabs the instruction manual, hands it to me, and walks away. I reluctantly took the instruction manual, flipped to the first page, and realized where I went wrong. I disassembled the crib and followed the instruction manual step by step. Like magic, I was able to put together a crib! That’s pretty impressive for any new dad.

My wife taught me an important lesson that day—the importance of systems. We live in a world of systems. We need a process and a procedure to follow to get things accomplished with a consistent result. The problem is too many insurance agents come into this industry or have already established their agency, and they don't have systems in place. Many believe that running an agency doesn't need to come with an instruction manual. Many think their employees don't need an instruction manual and they don't need an instruction manual. These agents fall into a path of inconsistency. They can't figure out why they can close one client but can't close another. They can't figure out why their employees do a task differently every single time. They don't understand why one client receives a good experience while another client receives a bad experience.

Here is the resounding truth: if you have no consistent system, you get no consistent results. This statement is the value of a system. When you put systems in place in your agency, you run more effectively. Your employees can operate with greater efficiency. You can elevate your business and increase productivity. Putting systems in place helps you generate consistency every single time.

I suggest you look at your current employees and the tasks they need to accomplish daily. Ask yourself this question: do I have a system in place that allows my employees to do their job consistently every single time? If you don't have a system for every task, if you don't have a literal employee playbook you could hand a brand-new hire in order for them to do their job, you need to take time to create those processes and procedures for your employees. Employees like being able to check things off a list; they like to know they can accomplish tasks correctly. A system allows your employees to know they are doing the right thing every single time. This gives them a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment because they have the ability to do what's best every single time.

I invite you to look at your employee positions and write those processes. There are resources available to help you create your processes for employees to follow. Doing so will create more productivity in your agency. This is the value that a system can bring.