When we are trying to improve our service we often come up with good ideas and implement them.

The problem is our competitors see this and implement them as well.  So being good enough never is, you have to strive to remain one step ahead all the time.

Here are 4 rules to help you:

1. Being first is not good enough.  Neither Pepsi nor Coke invented diet colas or sodas, innovations came from others, yet Coke and Pepsi now own the market.  You must keep innovating and improving.  Keep ahead.
2. Always make things better. Once you have improved an idea, do it again.  If you want to stay ahead there must be continuous improvement everywhere within your company.
3. Ensure you diarize to review every part of your operation. This has to happen, but it is so difficult to make the time for it.  If it doesn’t happen, you will fall behind.
4. Keep a close eye on your competition.  Be devious.  Always look for things that they are good at that you can improve, or things that they are better at that you have to improve on.  It will help you, but you need to keep looking at them.

If you would like some help on any of this, please do contact us.

• The most important contribution of Managers in the 20^th Century was the 50 fold increase in the productivity of the manual worker & manufacturing. On this achievement rests the economic and social gains of the last 100 years.

• The most important contribution Management needs to make in the 21^st Century is similarly to increase the productivity of knowledge work and the knowledge worker. PETER DRUCKER.

Tags: competition, idea, operation, service