Let’s face it. Sometimes we all need a break. But for the solo entrepreneur or small family businesses, getting away can be tricky. You need to take a break but you don’t want to leave your customers in the lurch or miss out on sales at the same time. Luckily there are some ways you can vacation proof your business before you take your next break.
Tell Your Customers
Give your customers advance notice that your business will be on hiatus for a period of time. By giving ample notice and encouraging orders before a certain date, you can ensure that your products and services are delivered before your break. Especially for businesses that sell products, this is a workable solution. Service businesses may have more difficulty with this solution. In addition, there are inevitably some customers that are not in your regular communication chain, so even if you use email, social media and regular mail to notify an upcoming hiatus, you may still miss informing a portion of your clientele.
Use the Auto Attendant Wisely
Even if your business is a one-person operation, you can temporarily direct calls to the person that will be monitoring your business during the time that you’re away. This is extremely affordable and ideal for vacation time, or anytime you are unavailable to get a call. If you have a Halloo phone system, by adding additional options to your auto attendant, you can send customers needing immediate assistance to a person that can resolve the issue immediately. All other calls can be directed to the appropriate voice mailbox to be handled when you check in from the road or saved for a later date.
By using the auto attendant, you ensure that callers are always left with a professional image of your company. Directing callers appropriately can help automate your business and ensure a quality experience for all callers.
Take It With You
The other method of vacation proofing your business is to take your business with you. Cloud based phone services like Halloo allow you to take your order-taking, customer service and sales on the road with you no matter where you go. If you have a high speed Internet connection, you can access customer information in the cloud.
With the use of call forwarding, all your business calls can be forwarded to your cell phone or another number, so that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you can ensure that you never miss a call. Make the most of your cloud service for automated messages, voice mail, forwarded calls and customer management data to ensure that your business is truly portable.
To maximize your vacation proofing, you can even combine two or three of these strategies. This will ensure that even if some customers miss the notice that you are on vacation, they will still be able to reach a real live person in a timely manner. These strategies ensure that you can relax while away on vacation without worrying about any negative effect on your business.