Usually by early January, I will hopefully have taken down the last of our holiday decorations and eaten or given away the remaining sweets that have become a part of my regular diet during the month of December. Then, of course like most people, I’ll think about ways I want to improve myself for the coming year. Whether it be exercising more (walking from the parking lot to my office doesn’t count), eating less ice cream or managing my email better. The latter practice alone would help improve my efficiency at work immensely. I’m sure you probably feel the same way.

I found some great lists of resolutions for the business world and put together my top eight:

1. Become mobile and data savvy

2. Invest in customer service

3. Operate more nimbly

4. Promote your business regularly and consistently

5. Make business planning a weekly event

6. Delegate more

7. Develop a social media strategy

8. Learn something new

Personally, becoming more mobile and data savvy will be at the top of my resolution list for the coming year. While I finally ditched my flip phone a couple of years ago, I still haven’t updated to the new operating system on my iPhone (aaah, change).

‘Innovators’ looking to improve, too
In the January issue of METRO Magazine, we feature our annual Innovative Operator profiles. I reached out to a few of them to find out what “business resolutions” they had planned for the coming year:

• Noonosh Sapir, TourCoach Charters and Tours: (also our cover star): “Extensive training for our drivers, mechanics and staff, plus customer service training and an employee special bonus program based on actual performance.”

• Wendyl Swartzentruber, Pioneer Trails: “We’re committed to launching a new website by sometime this spring, which will include online reservations for our line runs. I also have a personal resolution to get out of the office a little more and build even stronger relationships with our customer base,” he adds.
Like Sapir, they are investing in customer service training for their drivers, “We believe we have some of the best drivers in the industry, but we also believe that “better is possible”.
 
• Dave Cupp, Blue Lakes Charters and Tours: “We started governing our buses down to 65 mph to save fuel and our goal is to finish in the first quarter.”
Additionally, Cupp says they plan on “pursuing more contract work to improve cash flow at off-peak times.”

• William Torres, D.C. Trails: “The biggest thing I’m working on for 2015 is [buying] an elec tronic log system to help us better track our drivers and hours of operation.”

New Year’s opportunities
Operators will get another opportunity to help realize some of their resolutions by attending the United Motorcoach Associations’ annual Expo, being held this year in New Orleans January 18 - 22. Be sure to stop by METRO’s booth to say “hello” to our new GM James Blue, who will attending for the first time. Also, let us k now what your business resolutions are and how you are making your operation innovative. Wishing you all a happy and productive New Year’s and don’t forget to file and delete those emails!