Archive for April, 2009

Professional Organizers - The Old Hybrid?

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

I found an old article about what we do at OAI.

How old? August 1997!

Is it still relevant? YES!

 

Title: Organizers Clear Out Company Clutter

 

It talks about improving proficiency, getting organized and increasing efficiency in the business environment. Here are some snipets:

 

“Professional organizers now are a hybrid mix of interior designer, schedule adviser and occupational engineer. Throw in a little psychology and lots of common sense, and a fairly accurate image of the modern-day professional organizer comes into focus”

 

“I go in and look at the job, then determine the client’s needs based on what the client tells me,” Ms. Donald said. “Some have space needs, some have systems needs. Some just need to maintain or regain control of their clutter.”

 

“Every office has to be organized differently,” said Ms. Donald.

 

“If I had suggested the same organization with Equity Technologies that I have for this client, it would have caved in.” she said.

 

Equity Technologies is a fast-growing Mobile business run by Cathy Anderson-Giles, who retained Ms. Donald several months ago.

 

“We started out about seven years ago warehousing equipment for companies,” Ms. Anderson-Giles said.

 

As the company and related enterprises grew to more than 50 employees, Ms. Anderson-Giles said she needed to delegate more responsibility to her staff and reorganize her office operations.

 

She heard about Organizing Associates Inc. through a sister-in-law whose professor at [the] University of South Alabama had hired Ms. Donald.

 

“My sister-in-law was very impressed with the changes she saw in the way the professor was handling classes, meetings and schedules,” Ms. Anderson-Giles said. “Lee came in and studied the way we disseminate information, the way we communicate with each other and with customers. The main thing she helped me do personally was change my focus from being a manager to being a leader. She really helped me with that transition.”

 

According to Stephanie Denton, the national chairperson for NAPO who will be among the speakers at the upcoming conference in Point Clear, professional organizers assist everyone from the homeowner who can’t seem to get a garage straightened out to major corporations going through mergers.”

 

 

Click here to view the entire article with pictures.

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Legal Advice, Part II

Friday, April 24th, 2009

In a recent posting, I told you about the “30 something” tax attorney who was dealing with unrealistic expectations form his clients.  They wanted everything done “yesterday” even though they didn’t tell him about it until today! He had some good advice for everyone using the services of not just attorneys, but all service providers, and I want to paraphrase some of those suggestions and share them with you. 

 

One of the first things he suggested was to think through questions you may have regarding your situation.  To the best of your ability consider everything that may have an effect on your question.  This takes time.  Don’t do this as you dial the number or compose the e-mail, but rather set aside time to thoughtfully think through your situation. 

 

Write down the questions and the possible answers that you come up with.  Sometimes by going through this exercise you may discover other options to consider, which will help you improve communication with the service provider.  If there are others involved, such as family members, then be sure to have all necessary information readily available like full names, SS #s and dates of birth.  If your question is related to your business have necessary information available.  

 

When you have prepared and are ready to make the call or send the e-mail, realize that the recipient may have a very full schedule and may not be able to respond to you immediately.  Allow for a reasonable amount of time to pass before following up on your service request.  Sometimes the office assistants will be able to help you with your question or will be able to tell you when to expect a return call or message reply.

 

Most importantly, do not procrastinate!  No matter the type of service provider, there is little that can be done in a timely manner if you wait until the last minute to make the call, or send the message.  If at all possible, plan ahead.  When you don’t, your stress is increased, the service provider’s stress level increases, late fees increase, and your bill is increased when things are postponed until the last minute.  If you will initiate service when there is time to consider options carefully, you will almost always be more satisfied with the outcome.

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Legal Advice Part I

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

Recently, in a meeting with a successful “30-something” tax attorney, I was discussing with him the things he wanted to change or improve in his practice.  I asked him what was the most frustrating thing about his practice in which he quickly replied, “some of my clients”.

I asked him if he was ready to leave the practice and open the upscale restaurant, he had discussed earlier. He said, “No, but I do want to figure out a way to get it across to my clients that calling or e-mailing with a 5-part legal question is not like going through a drive through restaurant and placing an order to be picked up in seconds.”

He said that so often a client waits to call until the last minute or until something has escalated to the point that it will take hours to correct rather than minutes and then they don’t understand why it’s not done “immediately”.

“The perception is that lawyers only fill out forms that they get online at the “Get a Form” site for their state and that is all it takes to be a good attorney.  They do not realize that I have to take ALL of their extenuating circumstances into consideration for each part of their 5-part question and then decide the action that will be best for them now AND later.  There is just a lot more to do than they realize.”

I thought, “No wonder this firm has an AV Rating!”

In trying to come up with some possible solutions for that issue, I asked about developing a client education page for his website and he didn’t think much of that idea.  ”Too much time to put into something that the clients will not read anyway,” was his reply.

Another idea was to develop a “let the call come through” list of clients to help his assistants make decisions regarding interrupting his time. He thought about that and rejected it as too strict.

Then we discussed time blocking - he tried that and it didn’t work for him. When he finally decided he is not truly ready for a change, we left the situation as is - yet - during the exchange of ideas, we realized he needs a better filing system!

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Planning Your Office Space

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

by Mark Kolakoski, Contract Resources

 

Think Inside the Box

 

Traditionally, most people plan the outside of their new building first. Only after that plan is complete do they focus on the space plan for the inside. You may want to consider doing the opposite, and thinking “inside the box” first. Consider this; your staff will be spending most of their time inside the building, not on the outside. The amount of thought you put into planning the inside your offices will determine how productive, happy, healthy, and safe your people will be. So why not take a look at this first.

 

 

How to Start

 

First, you should compile a list of all your staff members and their corresponding job responsibilities. What jobs are exclusive to an individual?  Which jobs are shared between people?  Do staff members often work in teams?  This information will help you determine whether to centralize your staff into a team area; to set up private offices; or use a combination of both. And, how many offices you will need. For example, admin or middle management staff may be better off in a team area so that sharing and communication will be enhanced, while senior executives may need a private office due to the nature of their work. 

 

 

Plan to Grow

 

You always should plan for more space than you actually will need today. Too many companies are short sighted and only plan for their present needs. As your company grows, your staff will need to grow, too. Often, companies fall short on planning enough administrative space. All too soon they outgrow their new space and have to start looking at building again. This costs more money in the long run than building a larger space to begin with.

 

 

 Lasting Impressions

 

When you’re planning your office space, look at if from the perspective of a new customer visiting you for the first time. Is it easy to find your office? Do they have a warm and inviting feeling? Is it easy to find your way around once your inside? Overall, would a person feel welcome there? First, your offices need to be centrally located near a major entrance with ample parking. Second, your offices need to be located on a main corridor so they are easily accessible from not only the main entrance, but from anywhere in the building. Finally, well placed directional and office signs are a must so that people can easily navigate through your office space with ease.

 

 

 

Contract Resources is a unique workplace interiors company that specializes in furnishings and interior space planning for companies of all shapes and sizes. For more information, please contact Mark Kolakoski directly at 251-583-0980. 

 

http://www.contract-resources.com/

 

 

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