Techies Line No company is alone in its sector, and there is always competition. However, other companies’ presence is right, because we can learn a lot from them and improve working for them. And this is when the importance of knowing what benchmarking is and how to use it to our advantage comes into play.
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What is Benchmarking, and Why it’s Important?
If you are leading a business project, you must learn from your own experience, but you should not be left alone here. You have to go one step further and learn from what other companies compete in your sector.
When we talk about benchmarking, the definition is not to copy what others do. It is a much more complicated process in which we seek to collect information that can help us to develop our project further.
The meaning of benchmarking refers to how we collect information about the leading companies operating in our sector and compare it with what we are doing.
If it is working for them, these measures are efficient to put them into practice. And we don’t stop here. We go one step further and try to improve those measures to gain a competitive advantage.
For example, you might find that the key to success for one of your competitors is that they have outstanding customer service. In this case, one of your strategic objectives will be to strengthen this area of your business to outperform that competitor.
Hence, often the concept of benchmarking is understood as a process of continuous and systematic improvement focused on obtaining information that can be very useful when competing in a market.
Types of Benchmarking
Internal Benchmarking
This variant is complete to analyze different departments’ operations within the same company in detail. It is something similar to what you do when you do a SWOT.
It is about determining your company’s specific strategic departments’ weaknesses and strengths to enhance stability and find ways to reduce and even eliminate defects.
An internal benchmarking is an excellent way to innovate in the company and keep moving forward, so it must be done periodically. Also, analyzing this type is essential if it is detected that something is wrong in the business because it is the best way to find failures leading to inefficiencies.
Competition Benchmarking
This modality is the classic one, the one in which we analyze what the competition is doing to try to gain an advantage for it. We will achieve this by improving those aspects in which the competitor is strong and taking advantage of the weaknesses that we have learned through analysis.
Functional Benchmarking
It is a somewhat more complex process in which we seek innovation outside of our sector.
Instead of paying attention to what our competitors are doing, let’s see what companies in other sectors are doing and how we could apply it to our business.
How can You Benchmark
- Know Your Own Business Well
Before you start to analyze what others are doing, you must know your business’s strengths and weaknesses. It will help you to understand what information from other companies. And, you need to analyze to make decisions that help you gain a competitive advantage.
- Determine Your Goals
If you have taken the step of analyzing your business, after doing so, you will have detected a series of needs. And, Also will help you set goals for benchmarking. This way, you will know precisely what information you have to look for. And, what type of benchmarking is the most appropriate to obtain it.
Choose the Companies that You are Going to Analyze and Obtain Information
Choose between one and three companies that are leaders in the market. Then start looking for the information you need. And, arrange it so that later it is much easier for you to compare the data.
Analyze the Data and Implement the Improvements
Once you have the information ready, analyze the data obtained and conclude it. Based on them, set guidelines for action and implement the improvements that you consider appropriate in your business. And don’t forget to monitor the changes made to see if, indeed, they are giving you the results you expected.
Now that you know what benchmarking is. You will have verified that it is an essential process for all those companies that want to be up-to-date in innovation. And continue to improve to stand out in the market. For this reason, it is a process that can lead you to achieve success.