Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a Lean Office Productivity Specialist?

A Lean Office productivity specialist examines and analyzes workflow for an area or department from lead contact to paid sale. We look for areas to reduce errors, standardize practices and streamline the whole workflow process. This results in faster cash flow, high productivity and reduced waste because the whole process is addressed.

• Will having a Lean Office productivity specialist make an unhappy environment for employees where they feel they have to work harder?

On the contrary, in a streamlined organization employees are utilized to their full potential and able to accomplish more in less time. Staff is an important contributing factor to maintaining the standards in which most tedious tasks are streamlined or eliminated. By creating an efficient and effective work environment, employees can spend far more time on revenue producing activities. That is good news for the company and the employee who depends on their employer’s success.

• Is it the Lean Office productivity specialist’s job to downsize the company?

That is not the main goal when working with organizations. It is to help your workforce be efficient, effective and productive. When an assessment is done, sometimes it is discovered employees will be more valuable as part of another area or in a different capacity. The ultimate goal is for the company to have a competitive edge over the competition. This means the proper utilization of resources in all areas. While this can enable a company to downsize, this is not one of Lean Office’s goals.

• What is a typical proposal budget?

We give each of our potential clients an in-depth proposal so they have a comprehensive description of all costs associated with using our services. Each client’s needs are different so the size of the project will determine the cost. We customize our approach to meet your needs. Successfully implementing a project for the client is our main concern. Croll Productive Synergy strives to give accurate proposals.

• What type of return on my investment (ROI) will I get?

The specifics for each organization will vary. However, some benefits of streamlining your practices include getting your cash quicker, less errors, lower costs, a competitive edge and creating the foundation to grow your business with the current staff.

• What main principles do you use?

Croll Productive Synergy primarily uses Lean Office principles to help their clients streamline their administrative practices. This system is a proven method for reducing waste and increasing profits for organizations. Lean Office was developed out of the Toyota Production System.

• What is Lean Office?

Lean Office is a combination of practical and proven systems that streamline office procedures so your staff can spend more time producing and less time on “baloney”. Implementing Lean Office will have a positive impact on every system, process, employee and customer.

• What if we are not a candidate for Lean Office?

We customize each project to meet our client’s needs no matter what their size or goals. Croll Productive Synergy applies the techniques supported by the National Association of Professional Organizers as well as principals embodied in the practice of Lean Office to their clients’ business practices. Businesses and Not for Profit organizations that use Croll’s services find that they are able to accomplish more with the same staff, experience faster cash flow and improved Customer Service without changing their underlying culture.

• What is the difference between Lean Office and Six Sigma?

The easiest way to describe the difference is that Six Sigma looks at variation in a process. For example, if a machine is making paper cups we want to make sure it is making the same number of cups with as little defects as possible. We want the machine to perform the same every time so the numbers of sellable cups are predictable. Six Sigma examines a whole process to see where the variation exists and removes the cause of that variation. Six Sigma works very well in a production environment.

Lean Office examines a whole process from beginning to end and finds ways to streamline and reduce waste. Waste is what the customer is not willing to pay for. It looks at where work is being bogged down and address those problems by finding ways to keep work flowing like a river - continuous motion. Lean works very well in an office environment because you are working with people not machines.

• How do you determine what an organization needs help with?

We do an assessment of all our potential clients. During this assessment we discover the root cause of various issues the organization is having and what Croll Productive Synergy can do to solve those issues. We also discuss all costs involved and the duration of the project.

• What can I expect if I hire you?

Croll Productive Synergy will do an evaluation of your current administrative practices and what tools you are using to accomplish them. After analysis a proposal with findings and recommended action will be presented. This gives the potential client the opportunity to see the time and money commitment involved for completing the project. We also give a detailed scope of work and the follow up that is provided after the project. The client’s return on investment will also be discussed during the proposal process. We agree on a start date and time line for the project as well as payment terms. All of this before we begin any work on your project.

• Do you work with sole proprietors and organizations with fewer than 5 employees?

Absolutely. Croll Productive Synergy has an array of tools and experience to pull from to create the workflow system that works for you. We hope to aid you in becoming one of our biggest clients.

Contact Cynthia Marsh-Croll your Cerified Lean Office Expert and productivity consultant today! Our specialty is Non-Profits who are interested in capacity building. We work with organizations through out the hudson valley and Tri-State area.

Contact Certified Lean Office productivity specialist Cynthia Marsh-Croll today to receive your free consultation.