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Today’s episode is about how to create SOPs. I remember when someone was like “you should create SOPs for your business” and I immediately went to Google not knowing what they were talking about! Standard Operating Procedures are step-by-step instructions/processes to help with efficiency and quality control in your business.
In today’s episode, How to create SOPs, I’ll cover:
- What types of SOPs I recommend creating
- Why SOPs are so important in your business
- How to create SOPs including tips on using different formats and tools to create them
- Who needs SOPs
First off, what the heck is an SOP?
SOP = standard operating procedure
What does that mean? It actually very simple, it’s a written set of work instructions for a task. think step by step instructions that you and/or your employees can follow to be more efficient, reduce mistakes, and control the quality
think of it like a flow chart. if ___ happens then I do ___. or if you’ve seen those flows where it’ll ask a question and then based on whether or not you say “yes” or “no” then you get a different answer or get put into a different flow
What types of SOPs do I recommend creating?
-failed payment
-handling refund requests
-team member onboarding
-client onboarding and off boarding
-launching an offer
-batching content like emails, podcasts, IG content
& that’s just to name a few!
pretty much anything in your business that you follow a step by step process can be turned in an SOP document AND I will say that you’d be surprised by how many things have a step by step process even when you think you don’t. Think of tasks you repeat in your business, most of them if not all of them can be systemized
for a long time I was like no every day I do something different and I approach tasks and situations differently each time but the deeper I looked I actually saw patterns and then I turned those patterns into SOPs
If you want to scale and stop wasting time and also be able to hire easier, you need SOPs. if you want to ever be able to step away from your business and have your team handle things, you need SOPs. if you want to work less, you need SOPs.
What types of SOPs can you create? Written, Video, Flow Chart, and Checklists. I personally stick to written mainly but all of them are great it just depends on what makes the most sense for the task you are trying to situations and tasks
Checklists are great for delegating something to a team member so nothing gets skipped over
Flow charts are great if you have a few different paths and options depending on the situation (like handling failed payments or refunds)
alright now for the HOW of creating SOPs:
Step 1- create a cover page that has a title of the SOP, when it was created/updated, who’s handling the task (or exclude this if it’s just you)
Step 2- contents page that breaks down what can be found inside
Step 3- overview/summary of the task and why it’s important and any goals that you have with the task
Step 4- step by step process: this is where the flow, checklist, or written steps would come in
note- if doing a loom video you would verbally do all of these steps
Example of a brief and not at all detailed step by step but just to give you an overview…
I could create an SOP for how I handled failed payments.
first once the failed payment email comes in I will let my automated email system handle it
after the 3rd failed payment I will reach out to the customer and say XYZ
after the 4th failed payment the customers access to the offer will be restricted
15 days after the 4th failed attempt I will send the remaining payment balance to collections
again, that was a VERY brief and not at all detailed breakdown but I would write all of that and put it into a document so I can reference it every time there’s a failed payment or my team can
Step 5- Optional last few pages of the doc
option 1- a glossary. this could include terms, abbreviations, etc
option 2- contact list. if someone needs support with the task, who do they go to? or even contacts of the tech support team that you use
option 3- resource list. does the person doing the task need login info to a program? what other SOPs might the person need to reference?
option 4- FAQ section. if one of the 3 other options still doesn’t answer all questions you can add this in or you could use this instead of the other sections.
these optional pages are great if you have a team but could also be helpful if you don’t and you’re just doing the task if you find yourself searching for different info outside of the task itself
Step 6- update your SOP
make sure you look at the SOPs quarterly to make sure that they are still effective and relevant
TIPS:
-create the SOP as you are doing the task
-don’t add TOO much detail, you want it to be simple and effective. too many steps and details can lead to things getting missed and making things not efficient which is the opposite of the purpose of SOPs
-make sure you double check the SOP once it’s created to make sure that nothing is missing – if you have someone on your team then you can have them review it
-use screenshot images to help enhance the clarity of the step
Tools to use:
Video-loom
Flow Chart-lucidchart
Checklist and written- google doc
wheeeewww that was a LOT on SOPs and I hope it was helpful in you getting started systemizing your business and putting the steps into place the scale. you’re never too early into business to do this and you’re never to far into business to get started!!
catch ya on the next episode!
Resources & Links:
- Stories that Sell
- Manychat
- IG University
- Kajabi 30 day free trial + 20 free story templates
- Around the Clock Masterclass
- List Building 101
- 100 Hook Ideas – FREE GUIDE
Connect with Mya:
- Follow on Instagram @myanichol
- Join my email list
Related Episodes:
- Episode 24: Current obsessions: tool edition
- Episode 38: 5 ways to systemize your business
- Episode 40: What to do when business is slow
Some of the links mentioned are affiliate links, which helps to support this podcast at no additional cost to you.
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