Why Cannabis Retail Businesses Require SOPs

Introduction

If you are running a cannabis retail business and you do not have any SOPs, you may be losing ground in terms of productivity or perhaps putting yourself at risk for legal issues. Your dispensary can save time and effort by using standard operating procedures (SOPs). Not to mention that failing to follow protocols for everyday operations may be hurting your bottom line.

The best way to keep your business compliant is by creating SOPs for every process and getting them vetted by concerned authorities.

In this article, we’ll cover what are SOPs, why cannabis retail businesses require SOPs, their importance, and why you should hire experts to create your SOPs.

What Are SOPs?

A standard operating procedure is a written document that lists the repetitive tasks important to the quality of the service being provided. An SOP’s purpose is to make sure that operations are performed consistently and accurately. It must be accessible where the task is being done.

Changes in an SOP must be duly documented and reported to the authorities who are the only ones to authenticate and approve such variations.

Objectives Of Developing SOPs

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cannabis retail businesses are expected to:

• Improve the quality of the services like IT, cannabis floor plan, networking and much more.
• Promote uniformity in the services provided.
• Eliminate operational errors in cannabis delivery services.

Benefits Of SOPs

1. Consistency

The number one benefit of having SOPs in place is the consistency with which an employee carries out a particular task or activity. There will be fewer quality issues if a process is more uniform from person to person.

2. Reduction Of Errors

A documented procedure outlines a set of guidelines for completing a task. There is a greater chance of reducing errors if every member of your team completes the work exactly as it is written.

3. Optimized Quality Control

You can ensure that employees approach tasks in the best way possible at all times. Using an SOP  you can be confident that high-quality standards are followed continuously with little variation during procedures.

4. Being Compliant

Everyone is aware of how important it is to always adhere to the rules, laws, and health and safety procedures, especially in the cannabis industry. If the relevant regulations are incorporated into SOPs, they can offer some legal protection.

5. Measuring Performance Management

SOP can be used by managers as a framework and guide to evaluating their staff members very easily. It ensures that employees are meeting their supervisors’ expectations for efficiency and helps them understand exactly what is required of them by management.

6. Employee Accountability

Cannabis SOPs not only assist managers but also help in keeping staff accountable. Knowing their responsibilities as employees makes it easier for them to strive for better performance and to understand how their work is evaluated. It enables individuals to track their progress in real-time and know that more than just one person’s opinion is being used to hold them accountable.

7. Avoid Knowledge Loss

Employers commonly have an employee who has worked for them for their whole career and is an expert on all of the company’s policies and procedures. Employers have confidence that those individuals will be present to train other employees. Often, no one considers what will happen if that specific employee leaves the organization.

Companies can make sure that they won’t lose knowledge even if they lose their best employee by ensuring that everything is documented in the SOP.

Why Do Cannabis Retail Business Need SOPs

SOPs are an effective organizing tool that can help keep operations in your dispensary all on the same page. It improves performance efficiency and consistency and it also reduces miscommunications and failures to meet compliance objectives.

You must assign a point person to oversee the entire process of developing and documenting SOPs. It guarantees that the process will be monitored closely and that any task list deviations can be quickly addressed using the right process.

It’s also critical to realize that asking staff to memorize every state compliance regulation isn’t an apt replacement for a Standard Operating Procedure. Instead make sure the tools that your employees are given enable them to follow baked-in action plans so they know what to do next when an issue arises.

Importance Of Hiring Experts To Build Your SOPs

Hiring expert SOP trainers and business solution providers guarantee business compliance and a systematic approach to improving your bottom line.

How Can Forte Help?

Forte offers SOP development and review services for all cannabis retail practices, from point of sale (POS) systems to customer reception management and from inventory control to sales transactions.

Our team of SOP experts have a comprehensive knowledge of new SOP writing/SOP review or to amend/standardize existing ones, and we offer end-to-end SOP solutions.

Our software and services empower you to outperform the competition. We offer licensable SOPs that you can customize, or have our specialists customize them for you.