We often receive questions like, “We’re about to hire new staff, should we create a manual?”
If you’re managing just one store with individual discretion, you can get by without a manual. But as you expand to two or three stores, a manual becomes indispensable.
Without a manual, managing the site incurs high costs, and there’s even the risk of organizational collapse due to mass resignations.
Today, I’d like to discuss why I believe manuals are essential by outlining five key reasons.
Reason 1: Ensuring Consistent Service Quality
Maintaining consistent service quality is crucial. If service quality varies between staff members, it can lead to complaints and a drop in repeat business.
When aiming for consistent quality, focus not on delivering perfect service but on ensuring that no customer leaves dissatisfied. It’s important that everyone provides a service that scores between 80 and 90 points, regardless of individual abilities.
This approach increases repeat business, attracts more customers, and ultimately boosts sales.
Reason 2: Reducing Training Time
Every time you hire an employee, training is necessary. Without a manual, both the trainer and trainee lack clear guidance on what needs to be learned, extending the training period.
Prolonged training time slows down store expansion, so if you’re considering multiple locations, a manual is essential for efficient training. For instance, at Kesae Total Balance, our manual is designed to be mastered within four month. This training boosts staff productivity quickly, forming the foundation for Kesae Total Balance nationwide expansion.
Reason 3: Reducing the Burden of Skill Acquisition on Staff
With a manual, staff won’t need to pursue overly advanced skills or customer service techniques that don’t directly contribute to revenue.
Voluntary skill enhancement is often equated with motivation and ambition, which managers tend to encourage. However, endlessly striving for higher skills can be burdensome and exhausting for some staff.
Not everyone can aim for the top. By clearly stating, “If you work here, aim for this level of skill,” you can free staff from the stress of constant skill improvement.
Reason 4: Lowering Management Costs
Without a manual:
- Training each individual takes time.
- Technical and customer service guidance must be given repeatedly.
- Employees won’t understand the store or organizational ethos.
These issues frequently occur for store managers. However, they can be resolved with a manual.
- Technical training manual
- Customer service manual
- Store rules
By clearly stating these, simply saying “Refer to the manual” greatly reduces management costs. Mismanagement of staff can drain significant management resources. Systematizing this part with a manual is essential for managers who want to automate their stores.
Reason 5: Reducing Staff Turnover
Manuals also help lower turnover rates. Without a manual, decisions are left to individuals, leading to clashes of opinion and friction. Friction can create rifts in relationships, making it easier for staff to leave.
To prevent this, creating a manual that defines the organization’s correct approach is effective. When there’s a clash of opinions, you can say, “This is how we do things, please follow the manual.”
It’s rare for everyone to share the same values, so create an organizational standard to unify everyone. Just as national laws apply regardless of individual values, having a clear manual sets a priority for the organization over individuals.
This prevents conflicts that could lead to resignations, thus lowering the turnover rate.
Manuals Are a High-Return Investment
Creating a manual requires time and effort, but a well-crafted manual yields high benefits. It’s rare to find an investment with a better return than a manual. Once created, it can drive performance improvements automatically.
However, without understanding the benefits of a manual and merely creating one for form’s sake, you won’t achieve its intended effects.
Only by crafting it with purpose can you maximize its benefits. If you understand the essence of a manual, it becomes easier to automate your business while continuously improving performance.
