How Our Extra Observations Can Improve Your Processes

27th February 24

When working on-site for a client, we often notice extra observations which are then added to the insights we present in our project feedback.

We are always on the lookout for opportunities to change things and make improvements that lead to a business benefit for our clients. Alongside work study data captured in our ReTime apps, our analysts log observations that provide additional insight and enrich the data. 

How our team can help

Our team consists of expert analysts, each of whom is a trained observer, skilled in reviewing processes and ways of working for peak efficiency. They study across a wide range of sectors and business types, enabling them to bring cross-sector and within-industry ideas.

As most projects involve multiple sites, spotting how things are done differently and highlighting best practices are all part of the day job.

Examples of extra observations

• A sports bar that had over 50 customer viewing screens required colleagues to switch every single screen on and off at the beginning and end of each day. Our on-site analyst spotted this and calculated a potential time-saving worth tens of thousands if a single switch was installed instead
• A store that prepared orders for an ever-increasing number of customers needed space to store those that were ready for collection. Whilst using available space in the back, colleagues needed to walk the length of the store every time an order was collected. Our analysts noted that this added over 20 seconds every time there was a pick-up. We suggested swapping some stock with the orders instead, saving over five hours of walking time a week and reducing the customer wait time

• When installing equipment in a customer’s home, a fitter realised that the resulting dust when drilling into a wall created extra clean-up work. By putting the drill bit through a small plastic bag, the fitter could catch the dust effortlessly. This best practice was shared and built on by highlighting a drill dust catcher that could be issued to all fitters
• Unnecessary waste, impacting both space and the environment, is created by tills that default to printing out receipts for every transaction. As you can see, all this results in is a bin full of wasted paper
• Analysts studying in a warehouse noticed that the night shift used a different method to check loads before dispatch. The day team’s process was more efficient and this observation meant best practice could be shared

As our passion is helping businesses improve their operations, if we ever spot additional findings that could assist our clients, we will always highlight them.

Want to find out more? Contact our team.