System 4: Fulfillment & Production Systems
Role: The promise keeper.
1. System Purpose
To efficiently and consistently deliver the agreed-upon services (tech support projects) and educational products (courses) to clients, ensuring quality, adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and client satisfaction.
2. Key Components
- Tech Support Project Lifecycle: End-to-end management of client projects, from intake and planning to execution, delivery, and closure.
- Course Enrollment & Delivery: Processes for enrolling students, granting access to course materials, and tracking their progress.
- SLA Handling: Mechanisms for monitoring and ensuring compliance with response and resolution time commitments for services.
- Quality Assurance: Procedures to verify the quality of delivered services and course content.
- Resource Allocation: Assigning appropriate personnel and tools to specific projects or tasks.
- Client Communication: Maintaining clear and timely communication with clients throughout the service delivery process.
- Feedback & Improvement: Collecting client feedback and using it to refine service delivery and course offerings.
3. Tools Used (Within Current Stack)
- Tech Support Project Lifecycle: Microsoft Planner (project tasks, milestones, assignments), Microsoft Teams (project communication, file sharing), HubSpot Service Hub (for project-related ticketing and client communication).
- Course Enrollment & Delivery: Thinkific (LMS for course hosting, student dashboard), Zapier (automating enrollment), Microsoft Teams (for live/mentored sessions).
- SLA Handling: HubSpot Service Hub (SLA policies for project-related tickets), Microsoft Planner (task deadlines).
- Quality Assurance: Microsoft Loop (QA checklists, standards), Microsoft Teams (internal review channels).
- Resource Allocation: Microsoft Planner (assigning tasks to individuals), Microsoft Teams (availability checks).
- Client Communication: HubSpot Service Hub (integrated email, client portal), Microsoft Teams (for direct project collaboration with clients, if applicable).
- Feedback & Improvement: HubSpot Service Hub (client surveys, internal notes), Microsoft Planner (tasks for service/course improvement).
4. High-Level Workflow (Step-by-Step)
- Project/Course Hand-off from Sales (HubSpot/Teams):
- System 3: Sales marks a deal as "Closed Won" in HubSpot.
- This triggers a notification to the Fulfillment team (e.g., via Teams channel, or a Planner task).
- Essential details (client name, service/course purchased, scope, deadlines) are transferred.
- Project Intake & Planning (Planner/Teams):
- For tech support projects: Project Lead reviews scope, creates a project plan in Planner with tasks, subtasks, and deadlines.
- Resources (agents, specialists) are assigned based on availability and skill sets.
- A dedicated project channel may be created in Teams for larger projects.
- Course Enrollment & Access (Automated via Zapier):
- For course purchases: "Closed Won" status triggers Zapier.
- Zapier creates the user in Thinkific and enrolls them in the purchased Bundle.
- Client receives an automated "Welcome to the Academy" email with login credentials.
- For in-person/mentored courses, clients are also added to a dedicated Teams channel.
- Service Delivery / Course Execution:
- Tech Support Projects: Agents execute tasks as defined in Planner, communicate updates via HubSpot Service Hub, and utilize System 9: Support Ops (and its KB) for problem-solving. Adhere to project SLAs.
- Courses: Students engage with course material. Instructors (for mentored) deliver content, facilitate discussions, and provide feedback.
- Quality Assurance (Loop/Teams):
- For services: Regular internal reviews of work-in-progress, adherence to quality checklists (in Loop). Final deliverable reviewed by Project Lead.
- For courses: Course content (from Content Engine) undergoes QA before publishing; student feedback helps ensure quality during delivery.
- Client Review & Acceptance:
- For services: Deliverables are presented to the client for review and acceptance. Revisions are managed as needed.
- For courses: Client progress tracked, completion certificates (if applicable) issued.
- Project/Course Closure (HubSpot/Planner):
- Once client acceptance is received (for services) or course completed, project/enrollment marked as "Closed" in Planner and HubSpot.
- Invoice trigger sent to System 7: Accounting.
- Client is prompted for feedback.
- Post-Fulfillment Feedback & Improvement:
- Client satisfaction surveys are distributed (HubSpot).
- Feedback is reviewed by the Fulfillment team and shared with System 1: Management & Leadership and System 5: Content Engine for continuous improvement of services and courses.
5. Detailed SOPs
SOP: Tech Support Project Onboarding & Planning
- Goal: To seamlessly transition a sold tech support project from Sales to Fulfillment, ensuring clear understanding of scope and efficient project initiation.
- Roles: Project Lead (Fulfillment), Sales Agent.
- Steps:
- Sales Handoff Notification: Project Lead receives an automated notification (Teams, Planner task) upon a "Closed Won" service deal in HubSpot.
- Review Sales Deal (HubSpot CRM):
- Access the HubSpot deal record to understand the service purchased, client expectations, agreed-upon scope, and any special conditions or notes from the Sales Agent.
- Review associated client communication and documentation.
- Initial Client Contact & Welcome (HubSpot Service Hub):
- Within 24 hours of handoff, send a personalized welcome email to the client, confirming receipt of their project and outlining the next steps. Use HubSpot's email templates.
- Schedule a project kickoff meeting.
- Project Kickoff Meeting (Teams):
- Conduct a kickoff meeting with the client (and Sales Agent if needed) via Microsoft Teams.
- Confirm project objectives, scope, deliverables, timeline, and client points of contact.
- Address any initial questions or concerns.
- Document meeting notes and confirmed details in a dedicated Loop page linked to the project.
- Create Project Plan (Microsoft Planner):
- Based on the kickoff meeting and sales deal, create a detailed project plan in Microsoft Planner.
- Break down the project into logical tasks and subtasks.
- Assign tasks to specific agents/specialists with realistic due dates.
- Link relevant System 5: Content Engine AKUs or SOPs from System 9: Support Operations to Planner tasks for execution guidance.
- Resource Allocation:
- Confirm resource availability for assigned tasks.
- Adjust timelines or assignments in Planner as needed.
- Set Up Client Communication (HubSpot/Teams):
- Ensure the client has access to the HubSpot client portal for project updates and communication.
- Establish preferred communication channels (e.g., email, Teams chat for direct collaboration).
- Project Initiation:
- Mark the project status in Planner as "In Progress."
- Begin executing the first set of tasks.
6. Documents to be Created
- Service Delivery Playbook
- Project Plan Templates (Planner)
- QA Checklists for Services/Courses (Loop)
- Client Welcome Kit/Email Templates (HubSpot)
- SLA Policy Document
- Course Completion Certificates (if applicable)
7. Required Flowcharts
- Service Project Lifecycle Flowchart
- Course Enrollment & Delivery Flowchart
- Client Feedback & Improvement Loop Flowchart
8. Dependencies on Other Systems
- System 3: Sales: Receives closed deals and client information.
- System 5: Content Engine: Consumes verified course content and internal KB articles for service delivery.
- System 9: Support Ops: For general tech support activities that might arise during a project.
- System 7: Accounting: Triggers invoicing upon project/course completion.
- System 1: Management & Leadership: Provides project oversight, sets performance targets.
- System 8: People Management: Relies on trained personnel for delivery, informs staffing needs.
- System 6: Administration: Uses IT infrastructure for tools, IKM for documentation.
9. MVP Version vs. Scaled Version
- MVP (Phase 1):
- Basic project management in Planner for services.
- Manual course enrollment via HubSpot and direct access provision.
- Ad-hoc quality checks.
- Client communication primarily via email and HubSpot tickets.
- Limited SLA tracking.
- Scaled Version (Phase 2+):
- Advanced project management features (e.g., Gantt charts in a more robust PM tool if Planner proves insufficient).
- Full-featured LMS integration for automated course delivery, progress tracking, and certification.
- Automated SLA monitoring and alerts.
- Structured QA processes with defined metrics and feedback loops.
- Dedicated client portals for project updates, file sharing, and collaboration.
- Resource capacity planning tools.