Week 2 Project Update
This is the second blog in a series I’m creating on improving operations & marketing at a Flower Shop. I will be tracking my progress over the course of a month. Visit my Portfolio to learn more about this project.
After a successful first week of planning, I got a running start on week 2! This week is all about improving operations at the flower shop. There are a couple operations systems I can update. Instead of completing these tasks by hand, I can use a few helpful tech tools; this will save time that is better spent designing flower arrangements.
My Goals For Week 2
First, I hope to complete my week 1 task of calling the shop owner. Once that is done, I will focus on completing all my operations tasks for this project. I will utilize two tech tools and demonstrate my proficiency in them.
This week I plan to:
Call the shop owner to get info for my project
Create wedding flower budget spreadsheets in Excel
Record an Excel tutorial video on Loom
Use TextExpander to create snippets for customer FAQs
Record a TextExpander tutorial video on Loom
What I Accomplished in Week 2
I achieved 5 out of 5 goals for the week.
Goal 1:
I called the owner and we had a nice, productive conversation. I wrote out a list of questions I had and also asked her how my project could most help the shop from both an operations and marketing perspective. Once we were both on the same page and I had all the answers I needed, I began working on the operations tasks.
Goal 2:
The first order of business was creating wedding flower budget spreadsheets. The owner sent me photos of her handwritten notes from 3 previous client consultations, where she calculated all the final costs using a calculator and a pen. I turned each of these into a detailed Excel spreadsheet that was easy to read and used functions to automatically calculate the price. I also used pie charts and pivot tables to better help visualize the data. Then I created a blank Excel template that the owner can use for future clients. I used the exact same functions as the previous spreadsheets so the blanks can easily be filled in.
Goal 3:
After completing the Excel spreadsheets, I recorded a Loom video explaining my process and how to use the template. You can view the videos here: Part 1 and Part 2.
Goal 4:
The third task was to help the owner save time and avoid typos while answering customer questions by email, Facebook, and Instagram messages. I used TextExpander to create snippets for commonly asked customer questions. I used both the FAQ page on the company’s website as well as questions the owner told me she got a lot. From this, I created snippets in TextExpander that the owner can use to answer common questions a lot quicker and without having to worry about typos.
Goal 5:
Finally, I recorded another Loom video demonstrating how TextExpander works and the possible applications it can have for the business. You can view my video about TextExpander HERE.
Problems I Ran Into Week 2
This week went much smoother than week 1 simply because I did not have to travel anywhere and had a lot more time to dedicate to completing all my tasks. The only problem I encountered was second guessing the final tasks in my operations project. Creating the Excel spreadsheets went so well that when I started on the TextExpander, I felt it didn’t offer as much value as the spreadsheets.
Most of the questions that the florist shop answers are about very specific situations like “can you make a funeral arrangement for a service on July 28?” or “do you have purple dendrobium orchids in stock?” and these answers differ depending on the situation. TextExpander cannot answer these types of questions with a pre-made answer, it can only help with common questions that often are already answered in the Flower Shop’s FAQ page. I wondered if it created enough value when it could only answer a limited number of things? I needed to stop second guessing myself and complete the task anyway.
Once I finished making all the TextExpander snippets, I discovered I had more answers than I thought and it would definitely save time and prevent typos due to the repetitive nature of the FAQs. I also realized that someone working in the shop full-time could probably think of even more questions that TextExpander could answer and that I created value by showing them how to use the tool itself and they could implement it in a way that works best for the shop.
Key Takeaways From Week 2
How much the task management system I created in week 1 helped with my time management in week 2. I felt like half the job was done since I had already planned everything out the week before. I stayed on schedule and did not have to stress about deadlines.
I enjoy creating Excel spreadsheets a lot more than I thought I would. I like organizing things and making lists which is essentially what I was doing with inputting all the raw data into a spreadsheet.
Plans For Week 3
In week 3 I plan to transition from an operations to a marketing role. I will get to use my creative side more by creating content for both blog and social media posts. I will write a blog about what brides need to know about wedding flowers and also design a social media strategy that the Flower Shop can use for their Instagram and Facebook pages.
