Clients come to your estate planning firm craving guidance and clarity. They want to protect their legacies, put their affairs in logical order and ensure their beneficiaries’ future. In other words, they depend on you to restore their sense of stability.
To that end, if the internal workings of your firm are not tightly controlled — if your business is conducted in a haphazard, unpredictable manner — your clients will notice. You won’t be able to meet their fundamental need for smooth, drama-free planning.
Are there regular errors in the documents your associates prepare? Have you noticed issues with customer service or communication? Do the same problems crop up again and again, transforming you from firm owner into an anxious firefighter, overwhelmed by details and deadlines?
If so, you first need to drill down to locate the root of your problem. Finding this cause isn’t necessarily obvious.
Bad People or Bad Processes?
It’s easy to point the finger at staff and blame them for chaos when it occurs. Perhaps some of your staff are incompetent; if that’s the case, let them go, or improve your training and/or recruiting. However, compelling management science suggests that bad systems are generally the core problem — not bad people. W. Edward Deming, the father of the quality control movement and the man largely credited for spurring Japan’s manufacturing boom in the 1980’s, explained the situation like this: “A bad system will beat a good person every time.” He also opined that “If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing.”
Issues other than “our people aren’t good enough” may be the true cause of your firm’s disorganization. List the most common mistakes made and who makes them. Ask your employees about the holes in your operation, and review your systems and policies. There’s an excellent chance in all of these instances that second-rate software (for instance) shares the blame. It’s not your employees’ fault if the elements guiding how they should operate aren’t working effectively.
The Right Software to Right Your Processes
WealthCounsel can’t guarantee you stellar employees, but our Wealth Docx® software will make their work easier and help your firm run more smoothly. The software was designed by estate planning attorneys for use by estate planning practices. Ongoing educational programs keep you and your team up-to-date and readily able to adapt to changes in the law. Since Wealth Docx makes customizing documents so simple, you can spend more time with your clients, building better relationship. Our interactive templates allow you to streamline your documents to your preferences. You and your staff will notice the Wealth Docx difference immediately. Conquer chaos with Wealth Docx — learn more here.
