How To Effectively Create An SOP

Want to get good at multiplying your team's productivity and delegating tasks? You need to implement a good SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).⠀

A Standard Operating Procedure is a set of guidelines for how things are supposed to work in your business. How are you going to invoice customers? What is the correct way to bill a client?

Ideally, an SOP should eliminate the learning curve. It should be easy for a new hire to join your team and immediately catch on to your procedures.

At ChatterBoss, we are a team of remote assistants who work extensively with entrepreneurs. We specialize in taking tasks off your plate, which means we are also experts in creating SOPs that make your business easy to run. We actually start creating your standard operating  procedures right after your onboarding call!

Here are our 7 steps for setting up and effective SOP that will last your company a lifetime and save you thousands of hours:⠀

1). Pick the 3 systems that your business can’t survive without. These are the ones that need SOPs the most.⠀

2). Pick a template (and stick to it). SOPs should be immediately recognizable to a new hire, and they should know exactly where to look for them.⠀

3). Add your content. Ideally, this should start with a summary/overview of the task and why it needs to be done. Then go into heavy step-by-step detail.⠀

4). Leave zero room for interpretation. It may seem obvious but trust us, they won’t “just know” what you mean.⠀

5). Decide your role. Make sure people know who to go to for help, supervision or to ask questions.⠀

6). Use another set of eyes. Once you’ve created your SOP, have a teammate read your instructions. Do they interpret them the same way you do?

7). Review and revise regularly. SOPs need to be regularly updated as workflows change. At ChatterBoss, our assistants update your SOPs immediately when there’s a change.⠀

Does this sound like a lot? It is.⠀

However, it’s the best way to ensure that your business will still run without your constant supervision.⠀

When you start with ChatterBoss, we start building these SOPs for you, and your ChatterBoss assistant will update them immediately, so you never have to.⠀

Not sure where to start?  Book a complimentary call and we’d be happy to discuss SOP creation.