What is a Suggestion System?
A suggestion system is a program that encourages employees to submit helpful ideas that can potentially improve internal business operations or shed light on any issues or problems they may be facing. Furthermore, suggestion systems enable employee-to-management communication that benefit bother employees and employers. In essence, it provides a two-way channel of communication between employees and management. Employees submit their ideas then management either accepts or rejects the suggestion and provides feedback.
Traditionally, organizations have used actual suggestion boxes to encourage employees to submit ideas for business improvements. However, this method is very time and resource intensive. Now, there are more efficient ways to encourage employees to make valuable suggestions. That is to say, nowadays, there are digital suggestion programs that have several engaging features.
Common Suggestion Program Techniques
No matter the industry, businesses around the world are creating employee suggestion programs using the following techniques:
- Suggestion portal: having a digital suggestion portal enables employees to submit their ideas anonymously or by naming themselves
- Innovative idea competitions: to motivate employees to share and submit ideas, companies can host regular innovation competitions, then recognize and reward employees with the best ideas
- Human resources: many companies integrate employee suggestions into their processes such as monthly or annual performance reviews – this encourages employees to submit any ideas to boost company performance
- Leaderboards: competition is a great motivator, so, having leaderboards of those who are contributing the most are a great way to get people to participate and share ideas
- Cash rewards/gift cards: Offering rewards is another great way to get employees to submit and share ideas for workplace improvements
- Staff meetings: companies often take advantage of staff meetings to ask employees for their ideas, creating the opportunity for collaborative discussion
The Benefits of a Using a Suggestion System
Suggestion systems are a great way to collect ideas, improve business operations, and foster the continuous improvement culture. So, the right suggestion system will help engage, motivate, and empower employees to do their best. Here are a few key benefits of using a suggestion system:
1. Increased employee engagement
Employees want to be heard and valued. By enabling them to play an active role in improving company operations, it makes them feel like they have more control over their working environment. As a result, this boosts their engagement, morale, and productivity, ultimately helping companies create a high-performance culture.
2. Increased efficiency and productivity
Nobody knows your frontline operations better than your frontline employees. So, naturally, your employees will have some innovative ideas on how to find improvements and efficiencies. For that reason, seeking their input through a suggestion system is a great way to increase efficiency and productivity on your factory floor.
3. Continuous improvement
To continuously succeed, companies need to continuously improve. Consequently, employees at every level of your organization need to actively think of better ways of doing things.
Suggestion systems are an integral part of continuous improvement. Giving employees the opportunity to share their valuable ideas and suggestions helps embed this mindset in every layer of your business.
4. Increased savings and revenue
The most innovative employees ideas don’t just improve efficiency and productivity – it can also result in lower costs, too. Ideas, big or small, can impact and lead to huge benefits for the business as a whole. Ultimately, using a suggestion system results in increased savings and revenue.
5. Better connection between management and staff
Having a suggestion system makes it easier for management and employees to directly communicate with each other, in real-time. This leads to a greater level of understanding and connection between the two, and contributes to increased morale and productivity.
6. Increased customer satisfaction
Lastly, using a suggestion system doesn’t just benefit management and employees, it contributes to a more positive experience for your customers, too. Since your business operations are smoother because of employee suggestions, this results in faster and more responsive customer service.
TheLeanSuite's Suggestion Platform
TheLeanSuite is a lean manufacturing software that offers a built-in app called the Suggestion Platform. We know that traditional suggestion programs are time and resource intensive, that’s why we digitized the process, allowing you to ultimately:
- Save time: our Suggestion Platform enables you to collect, manage, and resolve suggestions all under one central hub, in real-time
- Increase savings: by encouraging employees to submit ideas and suggestions and collaboratively working together to create solutions, this will improve your business operations, and thereby, increase your savings
- Boost engagement: our Suggestion Platform has a built-in recognition and reward system that you can utilize to engage, motivate, and empower your employees
