The Simple Guide to OKRs for Small Businesses

Are you chasing goals that actually move the needle?

Let’s be real—running a small or medium-sized business (SME) means juggling a million things at once. It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day tasks and lose sight of what really matters: keeping customers happy and your business growing.

Here’s where Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) come in. It’s not just a fancy acronym big companies like Google throw around—OKRs are your secret weapon for turning chaos into clarity. And no, they don’t have to be complicated. With a little tweaking, they’re perfect for SMEs looking to sharpen focus and create unforgettable customer experiences.

What Are OKRs (And Why Should You Care)?

OKRs are like a GPS for your business. They help you figure out where you’re going and how to get there.

• Objectives: Clear, concise statements that define what you want to achieve. They should be ambitious, inspiring, and aligned with your company’s mission—think of them as your destination and the "why".
• Key Results: Specific, measurable outcomes that indicate you’ve achieved your objective. These are quantifiable and time-bound milestones that keep you on track—think of them as your roadmap. Think of them as your "how."

When you combine these two, you get a clear, actionable framework to align your team and focus on what really matters.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, companies that use a goal-setting framework like OKRs perform 30% better than those that don't. This framework is one of the reasons companies like Google have seen explosive growth. But it’s not just for Silicon Valley—it’s effective at every business size and stage.

Simplified OKRs Are a Game-Changer for SMEs

For smaller businesses, complexity kills. You don’t have time for endless meetings or overly detailed plans. Simple OKRs help you:

• Focus on What Matters: Stop wasting energy on stuff that doesn’t move the needle.
• Keep the Team Aligned: Everyone works toward the same goals, no confusion.
• Stay Flexible: Quickly adjust to customer feedback or market changes.
• Deliver Amazing Customer Experiences: Tie your goals directly to improving your customer journey.

Here’s some compelling data to back it up: According to a survey by McKinsey, 88% of high-performing companies say they use clear goals to drive growth. And in SMEs, this can lead to an average 10-15% increase in customer satisfaction, a critical factor in retention and long-term success.

How to Create OKRs That Work

1. Start With Your Customers

Your goals should center around improving the customer journey. Where are customers getting stuck or dropping off? Fix those pain points first.

Map out the customer journey for your business. From discovery to purchase (and beyond), identify key touchpoints and challenges your customers face.

This creates a customer-centric approach to your OKRs, ensuring that everything you do is geared toward improving the overall experience. For example, if you notice customers struggle with product onboarding, your objective could be: “Streamline the onboarding process for new customers.”

Example OKR: Objective: “Streamline the onboarding process for new customers.” Key Result: “Reduce onboarding time from 10 days to 5 days within the next quarter.”

2. Less Is More

Don’t go overboard with a laundry list of objectives. Pick 1-3 goals that pack the biggest punch. Focus on areas that directly impact customer satisfaction or revenue. By limiting your focus, you make it easier to measure progress and avoid diluting your efforts.

Actionable Tips:

• Set 1-3 primary objectives per quarter.

• Ensure each objective tackles a critical pain point or business need.

• Prioritize based on what will make the most impact.

Example OKR: Objective: “Increase repeat customer purchases.” Key Result: “Increase repeat purchase rate by 15% over the next 3 months.”

3. Make It Measurable

“Do better” isn’t a goal—it’s a wish. Your key results need hard numbers so you can track progress. The beauty of OKRs is in their measurability, which makes it easy to gauge success and stay motivated.

Actionable Tips:

• Use numerical targets like: “Increase customer satisfaction score from 70 to 85.”

• Avoid vague statements such as: “Make customers happier.”

Example OKR: Objective: “Enhance the customer support experience.” Key Result: “Increase customer satisfaction with support from 75% to 90% by the end of the quarter.”

4. Get Your Team Involved

People are more likely to smash goals they helped set. Collaboration ensures that OKRs reflect the reality of your day-to-day operations and challenges.

Host a brainstorming session where every department (marketing, sales, customer support) contributes ideas.

Pro Tip: Use the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to ensure your OKRs are well-defined.

Example OKR: Objective: “Improve team collaboration across departments.” Key Result: “Achieve 90% participation in monthly cross-department brainstorming sessions.”

5. Review and Adjust Often

Your first OKRs probably won’t be perfect—and that’s fine. Regular check-ins help you tweak and improve them. The more often you evaluate your OKRs, the more agile your business becomes.

Set up weekly or bi-weekly progress reviews to ensure everything stays on track.

Tip: Celebrate small wins along the way. Recognizing progress motivates teams to keep going, even when the final results are still a few months away.

Example OKR: Objective: “Increase website traffic and lead generation.” Key Result: “Increase website traffic by 20% and generate 50 new leads per month over the next 2 months.”

What Happens When SMEs Nail Their OKRs

Here’s what you can expect when you focus on the right goals:

• Happier Customers: Your efforts are laser-focused on fixing pain points.
• Aligned Teams: No more “Wait, what are we working on again?” moments.
• Faster Growth: When customers are happy, they stick around—and bring their friends.

A Bain & Company study found that companies focusing on customer experience see 4-8% higher revenue growth than competitors who don’t prioritize CX. OKRs help you structure your efforts to achieve that growth.

Introducing Viral CX: Making OKRs Easy and Impactful

Implementing OKRs doesn’t have to be complicated. Viral CX simplifies the process by integrating OKRs with the key touchpoints of the customer journey:

• Tailored Content: Provides content that aligns with your objectives, ensuring every customer interaction is meaningful.

• Streamlined Strategy: Helps you easily create and implement your strategy without overwhelming complexity.

• Optimized Touchpoints: Ensures that each stage of the customer journey is optimized for maximum impact.

With Viral CX, you can focus on what matters most—growing your business and delighting your customers.

Ready to transform your business with simplified OKRs? Start with 5 quick steps:

1. Map Your Customer Journey: Identify one key area for improvement.

2. Set a Clear Objective: Define what you want to achieve in that area.

3. Define Measurable Key Results: Establish how you’ll know when you’ve succeeded.

4. Involve Your Team: Bring everyone on board to align efforts.

5. Leverage Viral CX: Use our tools to streamline the process and amplify your results. Sign up to Viral CX for free.

Simplifying OKRs doesn’t have to be complicated, and it can lead to amazing improvements in your customer experience. By staying focused on a few powerful objectives, involving your team, and using a tool like Viral CX, your business will be on track to deliver results that matter. Simplify. Focus. Achieve.