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The last few years, product-led growth dominated the conversation in tech. Much like customer success and automation conversations before, PLG was supposed to help SaaS companies grow their revenue in more predictable ways.
Also like other productivity hacks of the past, PLG strategies haven’t quite made the impact on revenue or operational efficiency that executives hoped for. The issue is the same one that companies run into again and again: without a precise definition of productivity at your company, it’s difficult to improve it in a predictable way.
How do executives get to the necessary clear definition of productivity to make product-led growth or any other operational strategies work? Another kind of PLG: people-led growth strategies. Let us explain.
Misunderstanding productivity hurts businesses in all industries
At the heart of a people-led growth strategy is understanding that your operations strategies should fit your workforce rather than industry trends. Just as each customer has a different set of goals, each company has a unique set of strengths and challenges. As such, the path to sustainable productivity improvements should focus on a company’s individual capabilities, rather than industry-wide trends.
Instead of requiring arbitrary increases in efficiency, leadership should first focus on gathering data from the current workflow. You need a view of your baseline in order to make decisions about where you can go in 30 days, 60 days or 6 months. Investigate what specific parts of the customer journey are inefficient. What parts of each team’s workflows are burdened by manual input or duplicative work? Where are the communication breakdowns or bottlenecks in operations?
When you know how your people work (and where they can’t get work done), you can make changes that will not only help you reach your business goals, but also better serve the individuals on your team.
Workflow efficiency impacts revenue in a sustainable way
More than a granular view into how your business operates, using workflow data to improve productivity also helps create sustainable growth in everything from revenue to customer retention and employee retention.
Sweeping changes to operations costs in capital and employee investment. Your people feel burnt out much faster when they have to relearn processes or familiarize themselves with new technology year after year. The exhaustion is exacerbated by the fact that once they learn new processes, they’re still told they aren’t as productive as they should be.
Instead, people-led productivity strategies make changes based on individual data. Companies can invest in the right tools, rather than overspending on a suite of disparate platforms that aren’t helpful in the ways employees need. Additionally, companies can ensure that each individual on every team knows how their improvements tie directly to the greater business goals, providing a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Workflow intelligence is just as important as your customers
The bottom line is without an understanding of the ways your people work, you cannot identify which behaviors drive value for your customers, and ultimately, revenue for your business. Rather than focusing on abstract philosophies, it’s time to focus on the real work of your employees.
Their best work already helps retain customers, train new individuals, and expand the capabilities of your enterprise. All you need to do to ensure growth is make those best practices your standard. Use your people to achieve the growth goals you set for your company.
Start growing through your people: Start using Retain.ai today
Retain.ai offers the gold-standard in workflow intelligence. As the only browser-based platform, we can be installed and working for your company in less than two weeks. Schedule a demo today to see what’s possible with Retain.ai