Using Computers to Increase Productivity (1989)

Using computers to increase productivity Executives and managers of public relations firms are beginning to wonder whether their computers have really helped public relations productivity. They have seen too many cases, including their own, in which high technology hasn't done much to enhance client service and boost profits. For example: * I recently met with a firm that installed a network but left the staff-to-support ratio unchanged. * Another firm I visited had central word processing and stand-alone personal computers. nothing is linked together, and productivity has not budged. * I've walked through several offices that purchased terminals for all, only to find that some staff members had little need for one. * One company installed E-mail but left the telephone receptionist out of the system. Apparently, they were not told that one of the first uses of E-mail is getting rid of thousands of pink telephone message slips that are forever getting lost. * Only one of three firms I recently visited is satisfied with its in-house publishing system. The least happy was the one in which executives discovered that managers were spending hours designing and typesetting interoffice memos. The first and only rule for computers in public relations is that they must support client services while increasing profit. Thoughtful public relations executives have understood from the beginning that computers aren't important--results are. They know that their personal leadership is necessary during the period of analyzing productivity to keep their staff from panicking. (See sidebar on staff involvement.) Defining productivity Sadly enough, there are few hard facts on the productivity improvements computers have brought because measurements were never built in before they were installed. However, it's clear that efficient client service can differentiate one firm from another. For example, firms assume that 33 percent of gross biling goes to salaries. Another 25 to 30 percent goes to overhead, of which 17 percent is management, administrative and secretatial salaries. However, what if overhead were just 22 percent and support salaries just 14 percent? In a firm with $1 million in billings, this would add $30,000 to the bottom line in cash for profits, or higher salaries to buy talent. For each percentage point decline in expenses, the difference also means you can take a smaller account and make a reasonable profit. A reduction in support labor costs radiates throughout a firm. You need less space, less heat, less light, fewer premiums for employee benefits--and you can still provide the same or better service. To get started in your drive to improve productivity, forget computers completely. Discard everything you know about hardware, software, printers, peripherals, bits, bytes, ROM and RAM. Think of your office as a process. That process consists of raw information coming in, refinement of that information into products and services and delivery to clients and others. There is a simple way of stating that: input, process, output. Your input can be facts for a press release, data for a report, notes for a brochure or annual report, media names and addresses and much more. Your process can be writing, revising, formatting, storing for quick retrieval, planning, counsel and so on. Output can be transferring the process to someone else in your office for further refinement. Or it can be transferring a finished product or service to someone outside your office, such as a vendor or media outlet. Process and profits Profits come from optimizing processes. I have never yet seen a public relations firm that has examined its processes in detail. I have seen good computer installations, particularly for word processing, but most equipment stopped far short of what it could and should do. …