Why is Back Office Important?

I love mornings. I love coffee. I love reflecting. I love reading. I love writing. But most of the time, I hate it when I'm in the middle of my morning reading, get so engrossed, and when I take a sip of my coffee, it's already cold. Why? Because I love hot coffee in the morning. When I sip a cold one, to me it's a mismatch.

This morning, I was reminded of the many instances when my team and I would engage in marketing work, where most of our clients' goal was to increase revenue. Just like the expectation I have with my hot coffee in the morning, most of them would not proceed with engaging us because we had a mismatch of expectations.

Being the CEO of this marketing team, I shall never sacrifice quality for revenue. This is why, in the discovery meetings, we usually do not end up signing up with a lot of clients. Why? First, we don't support sugar-coating marketing, no matter how big the client's budget is. Second, and most critically, as a business process and operations analyst, I integrate my love for marketing with this role. We may be able to devise effective marketing solutions for clients, but if the back office is not ready, not only will their goal of increasing revenue be sacrificed, but they will eventually lose a lot because expectations are not met.

My heart will always be crushed with long queues, cold soups, irate customers, frontline employees being bullied, lousy reviews, and wasted salaries, wages, and benefits. Sad. But an everyday reality.

So, while sipping my cold coffee this morning, I resolved to devise solutions so that I shall enjoy a cup of hot coffee that matches my expectations and be delighted with the result — not just sipping it for the sake of finishing a cup.