FOLLOW - UP

Success of our business will depend upon effective follow up. This is true of all business.

    We need to follow - up

    . Internally, our won staff

    . Externally

                  . Our clients

           . Our Candidates

                  . Our Associates

                  . Our Advt. Agents

           . Our Suppliers / Vendors

           . Our Maintanance Contractor

                  . Our Pranker

This list will grow as our business grows.

Most companies depend upon

    . Manual follow - up systems or till worse,

    . The "memory" of their executives

to carry out FOLLOW - UP work.

A few companies have taken help of computers in their follow - up, but to a very limited extent. e.g. In L & T, Computer automatically prints - out at the end of each month, what supplies/ materials are OVERDUE (as compared to normal, cumulative delivery schedule) from EACH of 2000 + Suppliers/ Vendors.

There are many companies, who have, their computers print - out OVERDUE PAYMENTS (Customer      Outstanding) every month end for each customer, in

    . Descending order of "age" (oldest outstanding at top).

    . Decreasing order of "Value" (Biggest outstanding at top).

There could be also one, consolidated statement for all customers put together.

These statements could be

    - Business wise/ Product Wise

    - Salesman/ Sales Manager/ Reg. Mgr - Wise.

The amount of Follow - up will directly increase (proportionality) with the volume of business.

And, unless we take help of the technology (IT), the more and more of our staff will be spending more and more of their time simply "chasing" matters! They will have less - and - less time left to do any DEVELOPMENTAL / CREATIVE work.

I read Norbert WEINER (?)

"HUMAN USE OF HUMAN BEIGS", Some 35 years ago. Time has come to implement his ideas.

We must harness the powers of

    . Computers

    . Telecommunications

    . Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Expert Systems

To take over from our staff, the routine FOLLOW - UP : follow - up which does not add much "VALUE" to our business - but it is still essential, like oil / grease in an automobile.

EXTERNAL FOLLOW - UP

Here the most important (and most voluminous) follow - up will be with

    . The clients and

    . The candidates

Let us take up one at a time.

CLIENTS

We need to follow - up clients (including potential/ Prospective Clients) for

    . Getting response to our "Introduction Letter" (General or special) offering our services.

    . Feedback on bio - data’s sent (whether interested/ Not interested etc).

    . Feedback on "Interviews" arranged (final) (whether candidate rejected / short - listed etc)

    . Feedback on "Preliminary Interviews" held by (Whom to call/ when, for final interviews).

    . Feedback on "draft Advt/ Artwork/ Estimate" Sent for approved.

    . Feedback on "TERMS - acceptance" / "Advances"

    . Follow - up requesting expediting of ESR form / Tabulation

    . Follow up to expedite Company - Profile / Bal. Sheet Org. Chart. / Job - Description etc. (For forwarding to candidates). Especially required for Sr. level head - hunting

    . Sending to client, confirmation of interview - date by candidates called (client should not have to follow us for this)

    . Follow - up of "Follow - up" !

        Eg.

  Has he received/ studies / taken action (what?) on the ROUTINE MONTHLY STATEMENT sent to him?

     Eg.

    . Summary of bio datas sent in last 3 months

    . Outstanding Payments (Invoice wise)

    . Statement of Running Accounts/ Advance adjustments etc.

    . Non - receipt of copies of Appointment - letters issued to candidates.

    . Follow up re : Advt. Agency's Press - Bill (due after 30 days)

    FOLLOW UP WITH CANDIDATES

    . Additional data requested/ queries raised about his geographical preference / housing etc.

    . Return of Regi form

    . Annual "update" form (Happy Birthday or "Happy Anniversary of Appointment" - in case of those executives appointed thru us)

    . Interview - date confirmation (after, first relaying to him interview - date information)

    . Rush us copy of you Appt. Letter

    . What happened at the Interview? (feedback)

    . We have sent your bio - data to so - and - so co.

    . Are you interested in So - and - so Company?

    . Sorry ! You are not found suitable by --

    . Congrats! You have been Short - Listed for further / final interview by ____

    . Can you Pl. come and meet me on ____?

    . Whether offer from client is acceptable?

    . Whether submitted resignation to current company

    . Whether resignation accepted by current company.

    . Date of Joining. 

    . Some of the follow - up activity is "fixed - periodical"

    eg.

    Annual update (for candidates)

   Monthly statements (for clients)

    So, software must define

    "Whom" to send

    "What" to send

    "When" to send

    Some are "EVENT - BASED"

    eg.

    . Appointment can only follow interview

    . Interview can only follow sending of bio - data etc

    . Sending bio - data may or may not follow on "inquiry" or an ESR (we do send bio - data on our own also)

    So the "trick" should be

    1. Make a comprehensive list of all activities

    2. Arrange "Sequentially" (the order in which these can happen / take place)

The moment any staff member enters an activity or event, the system software would flash on the screen the next 2  or 3 activities and ask. 

    . Which of these is likely to be your next activity? Tick

    .When would you like it to be followed - up?    Enter date

    . For follow - up, whom would you like me to send a reminder? enter name / co.

    . What type of standard letter a statement would you like me to send out to that person?

Now the system has clear "Instructions" in its memory which will activate the FOLLOW - UP MODULE on the due date.

     OR

 The EDP Manager can activate the follow - up module, first thing every morning. The system will flash on the screen, one by one all the follow - ups due on that date.

At this stage, EDP Manager has following choices/ Options, listed against each Follow - up Activity.

    1. Give a green signal to go ahead and print out follow - up letters.

    2. Because of additional information gained on the subject - matter during the interviewing period, decide to RE - SCHEDULE the follow - up action. On "Reschedule" command, computer will flash all the questions all over again and the EDP manager (or marketing  manager)  will enter a fresh set of instructions.

    3. Decide to follow - up by "Phoning/ Faxing/ e - Mail"

      So he gives command "OVERRIDE"

All of these should get recorded in the PURCHASE ORDER EXECUTION file.

This file should be preserved until a few months after the order has been extended. There after it can be erased (DROP DEAD DATE? )

The purpose of preserving it for a few months is that, an occasions their could - whether we had done our job properly/ timely/ efficiently etc. So we will need PROOF. We already had such disputes with

        - Shah & Mahajan

        - STP ltd

        - Mega - Meditex etc.

  When they asked us to refund advance.
h.c.parekh