Designing and understanding business processes
In operations, processes are everywhere—they’re like the backbone that keeps things running smoothly. When you have clear, well-defined processes, everything flows better, with fewer hiccups and less chaos.
This is the first class from the Customer Operations Handbook we introduced in the previous post.
What is a business process?
A process is, in essence, a set of steps you follow to get something done, whether that’s making a product or delivering a service. In operations, processes are everywhere—they’re like the backbone that keeps things running smoothly. When you have clear, well-defined processes, everything flows better, with fewer hiccups and less chaos.
Let’s revisit the bakery example. Making croissants starts with mixing the dough, folding in butter, letting it rest, rolling it out, shaping the croissants, and baking them to golden perfection. Follow each step precisely, and the result is flawless croissants every time.
Now, think about a tech support company. The process there might be how a support rep handles a support ticket. It begins when a customer submits a request, followed by steps like diagnosing the problem, fixing the issue, and then following up with the customer.
By setting in stone the steps, you also ensure the repeatability of your processes. Usually, it's drafted in playbooks, which we will see later.
The perfect process
The goal of a perfect process is to get things done as smoothly as possible, without wasting time or effort. It’s about setting up clear, repeatable steps that anyone can follow, so you get consistent, high-quality results every time. A perfect process isn’t just efficient—it’s reliable, adaptable, and easy to understand.
Here’s what makes a process truly great:
- Clear Instructions: Everyone knows what to do, every step of the way—no guesswork.
Example: In the bakery, having a precise recipe for croissants means any baker can step in and make the same delicious, flaky pastry every time. Some companies even call their processes "recipes" or playbooks! Repeatable instructions ensure consistency in the result.
- Avoiding waste: Cut out what’s unnecessary, streamline the rest, and get things done faster.
Example: Using pre-measured ingredients in the bakery helps avoid wasting flour, butter, or other supplies. Plus, bakers can work faster without having to measure everything out each time, and there’s less chance of mistakes.
- Quality: Simple checkpoints to catch mistakes early and keep the quality high.
Example: Before croissants go out on display, a baker might do a quick check to make sure they look just right.
- Flexibility: Ready to adapt when things don’t go as planned.
Example: If there’s a sudden rush of orders, the bakery’s process can handle ramping up production without creating chaos.
When it comes to optimizing a process (which we’ll get into later), these are the main things you can tweak to make everything run smoother and faster.
Components of a process
In our previous examples, we talked about the steps to bake a croissant or handle a customer request. Some of those steps are actions—like fixing a problem, cutting and shaping the croissants, or folding in layers of butter.
But not everything is about doing; some parts are just about waiting. For instance, a new customer request is what kicks off the process, and we call that a "trigger."
Triggers
Every process needs a starting point—something that kicks things into gear. In our bakery, it could be a customer placing an order for a dozen croissants or getting the morning batch ready to refill the display case. For our tech support company, the trigger might be a customer submitting a support ticket, asking for help with a problem.
Actions and tasks
Once the process gets triggered, it’s all about taking it step by step. Each action is a task that moves you closer to getting the job done. The operators are the ones making it happen, using tools that help them work more efficiently and speed things up.
A baker uses an oven to bake the croissants, whereas a customer support operator needs his ticketing system and CRM to answer in the best way to its customers.
Escalation
Sometimes, an operator needs a little backup to get the job done. Maybe there’s a compliance issue, or something unexpected happens in the process. That’s when they call in someone more experienced or with a different skill set—this is called escalation. The problem gets handed off to someone who can handle it, and once things are sorted out, it usually goes back to the original operator to wrap up. That’s de-escalation.
Double-checks
And sometimes, you just need a quick double-check. That’s when a second person steps in to review the work and make sure everything’s on point. It’s also known as the four-eye principle, and it’s a simple, reliable way to catch mistakes before they turn into bigger issues.
Actions, triggers, escalation (and de-escalation) and double-checks are the atomic components of a process.
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Go to Class 3: Triggers and dispatching work.