In Wisconsin the DNR requires that septage operators have standard operating procedures for each and every task that we perform. From pumping a septic tank to unloading at the treatment plant, to our spill plans, every task requires an SOP, also referred to as procedures or systems.
As a company grows, one of the key features that must be added are systems for everything your company does. We know the systems are in your head, but they need to be where other people who need them can find them.
When you are a one-crew company and you are on the crew, it’s easy for you to show each person on that crew how you want things done. But once the company begins to grow you won’t always be on the crew, nor always be the one training the new employees. How can you be assured the training is being done properly and to your specifications?
The answer is developing SOPs.
My company manages several large systems that have control panels. The control panels are different for each system. One of the large systems we manage is 15 minutes from my home, but sometimes a call comes in the middle of the night on the weekend, so that 15 minutes seems like forever. Then a new employee moved in across the street from that system.
One weekend I asked him to be on call for that system just in case we got a call regarding it (which is rare, just not rare enough). He did get a call, went to the job but had questions so he called me. This particular panel was just updated and part of the panel is enclosed sideways, so left and right would actually be up and down. So obviously on the phone I’m saying left to right and he’s not seeing what I’m saying.
It was then and there that I made a “System” three-ring binder with explanations and pictures that showed step-by-step how to troubleshoot each different panel. Now there are no questions. Each three ring binder easily walks anybody, trained or not trained, through the steps to troubleshoot and, in most cases, fix the current problem that might be happening.
But SOPs are not just about control panels. Systems need to be developed for every step of your business; the more systems you put in place, the easier it is to train your technicians, and the less chance of dropping the ball on a project.
Recently I began developing a system for how we are bidding our jobs, starting at the site visit. This past weekend I took my new SOP on the initial site visit. We have been working on this due to curveballs that get thrown at us when bidding for very old homes and older farmhouses that in many cases bring some surprises. The main surprise lately has been multiple and sometimes hidden additional sanitary sewers exiting a house. It’s easy to think the sanitary sewer going to the existing septic tank is the only one, but what we’ve been finding is that the installer of the existing system was not aware at that time of additional sewer lines. This comes as more of a surprise when the home is slab on grade. There is no basement nor crawl space to look inside.
So the site visit checklist includes a lot of steps, such as taking pictures of the condition of the current driveway before our trucks drive on it. Of course we recently had a customer say we cracked their driveway when we knew we didn’t. Taking pictures of the driveway before you drive on it is a great way to protect yourself. But the checklist includes everything you would typically look for, and a list of things not to forget.
You and I know what to look for when we visit a site to bid a project. But as your company grows it won’t always be you looking at sites, and it won’t always be you teaching the person visiting the sites. That is where the SOPs come in handy. With a three-ring binder system (or now electronic phone or tablet systems), anyone going to a site will have a system of what to look for and how.
As an office becomes really busy, too busy for keeping track of every single project just by memory and lists, setting up systems for the workflow makes what you do more efficient and even better for your customers. Systems are definitely a fantastic help as your company grows and gets busier.
Systems can be a three-ring binder that includes a step-by-step narrative of exactly how a task should be accomplished. Systems can include pictures, maps, diagrams, lists, anything that makes that task easier to understand. Systems can be electronic, available to each employee on their phone or a tablet. There are now AI tools that help make your systems and SOPs faster with the ability to edit them in real time.
Another thing to keep in mind is that systems are not set in stone until you say they are. Try a system and tweak it as needed.
When we started our systems for the pumping part of our company the best person to write the first draft was a pumper — someone who does the task every day and knows it inside and out. Get input from the people doing those tasks every day to make sure nothing is overlooked when creating the SOP.
Do not underestimate the power of systems for the purpose of streamlining your business. It helps make training easier and more uniform. It ensures that mistakes are reduced or eliminated when bidding projects. Systems and SOPs are important for every aspect of a company from hiring, bidding, customer interactions, training employees, installing systems, etc. There really isn’t a part of any company that a system can’t help run more smoothly and more efficiently.
About the author
Todd Stair is vice president of Herr Construction, Inc., with 34 years’ experience designing, installing, repairing, replacing and evaluating septic and mound systems in southeast Wisconsin. He is the author of The Book on Septics and Mounds and a former president of the Wisconsin Onsite Water Recycling Association.
