So you’ve decided to take a break from the day-to-day hustle – the beach is calling and months of hard work have left you craving some time to kick back. Problem is, you’re not sure you’re feeling 100% comfortable with the idea of leaving your whole operation in the hands of someone else. Are there a few simple things you could do to set your business up for success so you can enjoy a relaxing, worry-free getaway? You betcha!
It can sometimes seem like a frivolous time-waster to write down and record everything, but in the end, the time you save having all of your communications documented and at your fingertips will be worth far more than the minute you save rushing an order through and not taking down information that could prove useful. After all, the more organized and thorough you encourage your team to be, the less time you'll inevitably spend on your phone racking up roaming charges answering basic questions when you’d rather be soaking up rays.
If you would rather not be bothered with small problems while you’re away, then before you go, specify clearly with your team what exactly constitutes a small problem. One way to do this simply is to decide on a maximum dollar value that can be applied to fix problems. For example, if a product gets waylaid on the way to a customer and the fix costs less than $25, let employees know they have your full blessing to handle the transaction without further approval. After all, there’s nothing more disruptive to a steamy tango lesson than your phone blowing up over minutiae!
Take advantage of the wonderful new world of possibility that the Internet opens up for the realm of commerce, and put your business operations, no matter how small, on the cloud where you can access them from anywhere in the world. Gone are the days when only big companies with deep pockets could afford this kind of newfangled technology - SMBs of five employees can get on the cloud for just a few dollars a month!
Are you running your show in a way that appreciates the fact that most critical business and accounting operations can now be carried out from the same pocket-sized device you use to order pizza and call your mom? Welcome to the future! If you’re still using outdated systems like spreadsheets to record and manage your company’s crucial information, it’s time to streamline your process – in business like in human evolution, anyone who doesn’t make proper use of the tools of their time tends to go extinct.
At erplain, we can help with a smooth transition to your time in the sun – all of your customers’ contact information, sales history, and pricing is centralized in one application so that sending invoices and tracking payments is a breeze. You’ll never have to fear a stock-out ever again – our re-order report will always show your team which products are running low so you can order replenishments without delay.
In the fast-paced world of sales where good customer service rules everything around you, small businesses can’t afford not to optimize their operations. As long as you have access to a computer, smartphone, or tablet with Internet, you can manage your business on the fly.
Sources:
Aabaco Small Business, Market Watch
