There are two ways to view things, one is optimistic and the other is pessimistic. Though the views don’t alter the problem by any mean, but nonetheless, they can influence the impact that those problems inflict upon a person. Field Productivity has been one big issue that afflict business growth because of the pessimist approach while dealing with it.
As I said, there’s no change whatsoever by merely changing your ‘point of view’. The world is the same, the problems are the same and their impacts will be the same no matter how you see them. The only thing that changes with a point of view is the ‘Ability to find the solution’. There is a lot of hope, ambition, positivity, confidence and ‘determination to conquer’ in an optimist which the pessimist lacks. Thus, optimistic approach is always an edge that can overturn the tides in your favor.
While a business employs many precautionary measures to extract desired , but rarely any measure aims to benefit, as far as ‘Field Productivity’ is concerned. That sufficiently justifies the need of a ‘Super Manager’, one who could smartly maneuver his team to expected performance.
But it isn’t easy, in fact it is really difficult to do so. There are many practical problems that are inherently associated with the field tasks. These problems are often ignored by complacent managers who accept illusions and convolutions as such. But these issues are the ‘elephant in the room’ as far as productivity is concerned.
The Field Productivity Issues That Need Immediate Attention
- Transparency – There is an undeniable transparency issue which has always haunted the field managers for obvious reasons. The inability to deliver beyond a certain limit is the ubiquitous drawback that transparency impregnated in any field process. It is impossible to resolve this issue in practical world due to the fact that a manager can never be with all his team members operating at different locations at the same time. The transparency is itself the root of various other critical issues that may lead to serious problems.
- Connectivity – While most corners of the world have been covered by telecommunication networks, but many connectivity issues still find a way. The reason can be natural (network faults) as well as deliberate(behavioral). Whatever the reason may be, but ultimately it is the business that bears the loss. The connectivity is a critical factor in managing the staff while they are working on the field.
- Real Time Data Access – To ensure productivity, you need accessibility to real time data that clearly conveys every action performed by your team members when they work. Data is an important asset that helps you to pull of a desired result at will. The inability to stay updated about the work progress not only harms your productivity but you also lose those crucial opportunities that lies in your way to business.
- Adaptability – There is a certain rigidity about the field sales process which makes it brittle and unchangeable. But as we all know, ‘Adaptability’ is an essential attribute that governs Evolution. A Business is no different and needs a flexibility that helps accommodate to in the competitive market. With no direct control over the staff activities, adaptability is the last.
- Organizing Team – The importance of a Team is incomplete without organizing the efforts of each team member seamlessly and coordinate those individual efforts into an organized team effort. The field managers don’t have a slight clue of the individual issues, forget about the solution. The Team should work towards an organized effort that is motivated by every individual’s contribution on whole.
As a Manager, you must solve these critical field issues which are inevitable part of field management. Though the problems exist, the solutions are also out there. As a business, you need to go with an optimistic approach that is focused towards a goal. And when you do so, you are going to be the ‘Super Manager’ that a business needs.
