Is your laptop going with you?

We’re just past the longest day of the year and people are thinking about summery things like Wimbledon, Test Matches and of course holidays. But what happens to your business when you’re on holiday?

We all need holidays and our businesses are better when we take proper breaks to recharge our batteries and get a little perspective. But take a look around you when you’re away. Check out all the people who are still tied to their phones or laptops, clearly still checking in with their business and doing work. Perhaps when you check them out you’ll be looking up from your laptop!!

So what can you do to make sure that your business keeps going while you’re away without you needing to have any input? Here are some ideas for you, so that you can really enjoy your break:

1. If you haven’t got staff to cover you, is there someone else who can field the calls?

a. An answering service

b. Someone you trust in the same industry who might look after your customers and for whom you could do the same when they’re away?

c. Perhaps just a friend or family member

d. NB. Remember to divert all your numbers to the right place if you’re choosing this option

2. Deal with customer (and potential customer) expectations by creating an answer phone message and email out-of-office that tells them when you will be available again and what to do in the meantime.

3. Tell your customers in advance that the office will be closed and what to do during that time. This could be a fantastic opportunity if you make the most of it: invite them to book things in before you go away, and make them aware of other services / products that you offer.

4. If you do need to have eyes on your business while you’re away, restrict it to specific short periods every day or two.

a. It’s a good idea to have several pre-written responses that you can cut and paste into email replies to deal with common or expected circumstances (e.g. contact from a new customer, query from an existing customer). They you save holiday time by only having to make a tweak or two and send it.

If you’ve got other ways of making sure you get the holiday you deserve, why not share them here and on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DaveCordleCoach  so that everyone can benefit.