"Early leaks of new designs had stirred anticipation for Apple's new smartphone — and on Tuesday Apple delivered on all the predictions with a $699 iPhone 8 and a $999 special-edition iPhone X (as in '10')," writes Alina Selyukh in their recent NPR article entitled "Apple Unveils Three New iPhones, But The Watch Sends Shares Up."
Selyukh continues that "The 10th-anniversary iPhone is the biggest redesign in years, with an all-screen front that eliminates the home button and can use facial recognition to unlock the display."
That's not all either.
According to the NPR article, "CEO Tim Cook says that the Apple Watch has now become 'the No. 1' watch in the world — beating even traditional watchmakers like Rolex."
iPhone X.
No. 1 watch in the world.
Apple doesn't rest on its laurels, does it? Then, why should you?
Question: Do you believe your operation has made its latest iteration to "Operation X?"
If not, what's inhibiting you? We think we know.
Keep reading; we're going to share the three aspects of Proactive Operations you need in place to advance to "Operation X" and beyond.
Why the Need for Operation X?
We get it; you might be wondering why we're making a plea for what we call "Operation X."
But, for us, it's only a metaphor for continuously advancing your operation.
It's critical, and the only way to achieve the 10th or even 11th and 12th 'versions' of your operation is to make necessary improvements and optimizations.
Here's the thing: The threats to your operation will continue to evolve. You've got to be ready for what's coming.
That's why we urge you to address whether the following three areas of Proactive Operations that might be deficient in your operation.
We're going to take you through your Strategy, Infrastructure, and Technology to see what needs your attention.
Are you ready?
Strategy: What's Working & What's Not?
This step is where you study your current operation.
You need to identify what's working and what's not to make a move to a better version of your operation.
So, how can you accomplish this?
You'll use the ACDA Principle™.
Identify your weaknesses, strengths, what's working well, and what you think would benefit your operation even more.
Ask important questions that revolve around awareness, communication, documentation, and analytics.
- How can we improve awareness of issues and incidents?
- What would enhance communication amongst staff?
- How can we ensure how we capture documentation evolves with the demands of safety and liability?
Can we analyze past events to predict future outcomes?
You might be surprised: This exercise opens the door to ideas and opportunities you never considered.
It will change your operation - over and over again.
Infrastructure: A Reliable Foundation Makes Optimization Easy
Here's where you create an operations center geared towards change.
You'll need the support necessary to make each work day successful.
You must create a smooth flow of information regardless of your type of operation.
An infrastructure reduces noise, clutter, and ensures nothing gets missed.
It makes your organization effective and efficient.
Organize and determine where and how each department communicates:
- Administration
- Concessions
- Dispatch
- Facility Maintenance
- Fire Rescue
- Housekeeping
- IT
- Parking Operations
- Police
- Security
Creating seamlessness throughout your departments is made possible with the right physical location for each.
Technology: Scalable Software Solutions for "Operation X" & Beyond
Here's an example of why all three aspects of Proactive Operations must work in tandem:
- Using an incident management system enhances your infrastructure capabilities by segmenting department information.
Each department only sees their issues or incidents for management.
This segmentation skyrockets your internal performance because the operations center can communicate with mobile staff, and issues and incidents get handled with fast response times.
Your department team members are no longer overwhelmed by the inrush of calls.
They can focus on their departmental responsibilities.
They also perform expertly to ensure an efficient and safe environment for your customers and staff.
But, we're sure you already know, never stop there!
Technology introduces possibilities that extend beyond your internal operation to your customers.
For example, text communication, and it's customer experience capabilities.
It allows your guests to participate in the safety efforts of your property.
Let's let that sink in for a moment.
You're moving your operation forward day after day, and beyond your X version.
But now, you're bringing your customers along for the ride.
They're abilities to contribute to organization-wide safety evolve alongside yours.
Now, do you see all the possibilities?
Using two-way communication between guests and staff allows guests to report issues and incidents or discreetly ask questions.
You’re able to mitigate issues and incidents as they happen - not after when it's too late.
That's Proactive Operations.
Over to You
Your operation can always get better. It can get more proactive, and you can see beyond the 10th version of it.
But, you need to address each area of Proactive Operations to find the abilities your missing.
The work ahead won't be easy, but it'll be worth all of the effort. Are you ready?
