The summer holidays are rapidly approaching and for many of us that means having the kids at home for 6 weeks (though it can seem like an eternity some days!), Trying to keep the children entertained and occupied while running a business can feel like an impossible task but there are some changes you can make that will help.
In this blog, I want to talk about some of the issues that seem to crop up more often during the summer holidays and ways that you can solve them so you too can enjoy the warmer weather and time with the kids.
Anticipate being busier this summer
As people are looking to recharge ready for a break away, de-stress from the kids at home all day, or are simply wanting to escape for some much-needed “me time” – summer tends to be busier for health and wellness businesses.
Now is the time to start putting plans in place to prepare for this. Some ways you can do this are:
- implementing a booking system on your website so you have less phone calls and emails to deal with
- creating an FAQs page you can direct people with questions to
- creating email templates you can use instead of writing the same reply over and over again
- operating a locked door policy with a notice on the window advising people to email so you don’t get interrupted mid-session
- taking deposits to avoid timewasters
There are many solutions that might work for you but the aim is to reduce your workload where you can so you’re able to better meet the needs of your customers. Your systems and processes are often the best place to do this.
If you’re unsure, get in touch with me for a friendly chat where we can identify how you can tweak your back-office systems for a more streamlined business.
Your team members are away on holiday
Whether it’s employees or the team of professionals you outsource to, chances are they’re going to be taking time off this summer. This can affect the day-to-day running of your business, your marketing and your admin if you don’t plan for this in advance.
If your employee is going to be absent and you can’t sub their role, make sure you reduce the number of deliverables for that week. Whether it’s turning off online bookings for them, or simply reducing the number of classes available for those weeks – it’s better to have last-minute availability than to have to cancel sessions due to overbooking.
Most freelancers will plan for their absence and will do the work in advance, so do check in with those you outsource to for their plans. If they fulfil a role that can’t be done in advance, now’s the time to be planning how that work will be done in their absence and who will do it. A lot of VAs like myself will have team members who may cover in the lead VAs absence so do check with whoever you outsource your admin to.
Take advantage of ad hoc support
Did you know that virtual administrators like myself are often available for ad hoc support? That means we’re able to come in and take care of those tasks as and when you need them, without you needing to commit to a long-term arrangement.
Some of the tasks I can assist you with on an ad-hoc basis include:
- diary management
- email management
- customer response
- general admin
- and data entry
As you can see, I can help you with the behind-the-scenes tasks that stop you from looking after your clients (and I enjoy doing them too!). So, if you’re looking for some additional support these summer holidays, get in touch with me now.