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Top 5 Reasons you should consider business outsourcing

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As someone who owns their own business it can be tempting to try and do everything yourself. However, whilst this can seem like the best way forward it isn’t always the most sensible or productive. Sometimes you need to think outside of the box and determine new ways to bring in new talent to your business. Looking into business outsourcing is a great way of doing this and can benefit your business in so many different ways in the long run.

Save Yourself Time

Getting someone else on board can be a great time saver.  If you have someone on board that knows what they are doing and doesn’t require any hand holding from you then it will save you value time, rather than trying to do all the tasks yourself.  This then enables you to pick and choose the tasks you want to do and to delegate the ones you don’t. You’ll then have more free time to focus on other priorities.

Flexible Workers

Having permanent people on board can seem like a good idea, but it can also feel like an expensive one at times. By outsourcing certain parts of your business you can pick and choose when they work for you and what they do. Many outsource companies offer flexible working patterns which, allows you to pay purely for the time spent working on your tasks, rather than you having to fork out for a full-time wage or employee.  Many flexible workers and Virtual Assistants are responsible for their own taxation and home office setup including equipment, yet another benefit to consider.

Bring New Skills into Your Organisation

When you outsource work you also have a good chance of bringing new skills into your business. You may know your business inside and out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you know everything! Having a fresh set of eyes, skills and new experiences on board can really benefit your business and definitely a positive reason to consider outsourcing at least some of your work.

Trying Something New

If you are looking to try something new when it comes to your business then it can be handy and beneficial to get someone new on board. The benefit of this will be that they are able to bring new skills to the table whilst contributing new ideas and possible ways in which your business could work better.  They may even share past experiences with other companies and use this experience to ensure your transition goes smoothly.

Minimal Effort

Hiring someone to outsource your work to should be a straight forward process. In fact many companies have set procedures in place to help make it as smooth as possible for you. If you choose a company with experience then the chances are they have been through this with other clients beforehand so will know exactly how to minimise disruption to your business.

The good news is that many outsourcing companies will have details of their services and customer reviews on their website. This means that finding someone that is the perfect match to your needs and your business shouldn’t be too long winded or any hassle. You just need to spend a little time researching your options to find the perfect fit.  If you would like to know more about outsourcing and how it can benefit you & your business, then feel free to contact us for more details here.

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Active Rain

5 Benefits of using a Virtual Assistant for your business

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Whether you run a start-up company, a small business or you simply work for yourself, you may not always have the need for or the resources for a full-time assistant. Taking care of the day to day running of your business – arranging meetings, paying invoices, updating social media, or making travel arrangements etc can take up a large portion of your day when, you could be focussed on the more core elements of running your business.  These are some of the reasons why you could ultimately benefit from the services of a Virtual Assistant, helping to free up your time and getting things done, without the need of having a full-time member of staff.  So, let’s explore some of the many benefits of using Virtual Assistant below;

  1. They are quick and easy to source

More and more people are working from home or for themselves, with Virtual Assistants amongst those which are easy to find online.  With little recruitment time you could start using the services of a Virtual Assistant the very same day, meaning no lengthy or costly recruitment processes.  A quick Google search, recommendation from a fellow business associate or using a freelance hire portal is all you need to find your saviour.

  1. They are cost effective

You can hire a Virtual Assistant by the hour, project or on a regular retainer basis for as many hours as you need that day, week or month.  If you only need someone for a few hours each week or ad hoc to help out during busy periods, then you can hire a Virtual Assistant that meets your budget and needs, without worrying about other HR concerns such as pensions, National Insurance or taxation etc.  Virtual Assistants look after their own finances and taxation, so all you need to do is ensure you pay them for their time and they’ll take care of the rest.

  1. They are reliable

Virtual Assistants are skilled in a variety of disciplines and have a wide range of experience, working with a number of businesses across different industries worldwide and thus very adaptable.  You will be able to check out their testimonials and reviews of their services from past clients, and you can be sure that their main aim is to get the job done to the best of their ability.

  1. They can help you become more organised

The difference of having a Virtual Assistant working alongside you in your business can prove priceless.  You may find that your business is far more organised, less stressful and the little things you may forget to do or do not have enough time for, will get done without any fuss – making your business more streamlined and professional.

  1. They are easy to contact

Whilst there are some benefits to having someone physically present in your office.  These days, there isn’t much that can’t be done remotely thanks to Skype, instant messaging, email and much more.  Therefore, there should be no issues with your Virtual Assistant being contactable via these methods or even by sharing your desktop remotely in order to work collaboratively on certain projects together.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant can be a permanent or a temporary move and whichever you choose, you are sure to find instant benefits from their skills and ability to assist you in managing the running of your business.  If you are fortunate enough to find a Virtual Assistant that you are comfortable working with, and who provides value add to your business, you will have taken a very positive step to growing your support team and ultimately your business in the long run.  See here for more information on how a Virtual Assistant can help you in your business.

 

 

 

 

Picture courtesy of virtual support UK

3 Quick Steps to resolving a customer complaint

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Every business at one time or other deals with an upset customer and the biggest challenge then lies with providing the best solution for your customer, to ensure a positive outcome and win-win situation for all. Sometimes customers even resort to switching to a competitor before you have had ample time to address or correct what went wrong. Therefore, it is imperative that each and every complaint that comes in is handled adequately & professionally so that you can evolve stronger in the market.

A satisfied customer is not always the key but a delighted customer is! If you want to maintain loyalty from your customers then addressing and resolving their complaints in a timely manner is a great opportunity to retain their trust and business.  Customers that come to you with a complaint are genuinely interested in your products or services, and equally have their expectations of them. So, try the simple three step procedure shared to solve customer complaints in a more effective manner.

Acknowledge: Start by acknowledging the actual problem.  To handle any complaint you first have to understand the problem. Keep your eyes and ears open and an open-mind. Don’t assume anything beforehand or relate one problem with another which appears similar as, it really depends on the customer with whom you are dealing. One solution may satisfy one client but may not, with another. So listen tentatively to the complaint, acknowledge the problem, repeat your understanding of the problem to ensure you haven’t omitted any pertinent details, and then start thinking about a solution that can help resolve the issue. Take a genuine interest and be empathetic to the customer. Take ownership and control of the situation and understand the delicacy of their concern.

Offer a solution: Customers long for quick fixes to their problems and often find it frustrating if months pass without a resolution. So, once you have acknowledged the problem think about a customer oriented solution. Ensure you have spent the right amount of time in acknowledging the problem which will put you in a good position to offer a solution that can ultimately help resolve the complaint in the right manner. Share your solution with the customer and ask if the customer is satisfied with the outcome, and if not what the next steps are to find an acceptable solution that the customer will be satisfied with.

Implement: The third and the most important step involves implementing the solution and doing adequate follow-up. Ensure the customer experience during this period is a positive one as statistics show that businesses that handle customer complaints effectively and efficiently are more likely to get repeat business from the same customers. Customers who have their complaints and issues resolved in a professional and timely manner are more likely to tell others about their positive experience in dealing with your business.

Here are some of the tips that I’ve learned in my career whilst providing services to current and potential customers:

  • Make sure you have a customer complaints handling procedure. It will enable you to resolve the complaint in a more professional manner and show customers that you take any complaint or dissatisfaction extremely seriously
  • Try to resolve the complaint in a timely manner, as customers expect a quick turnaround to their complaints.
  • No business is immune from customer complaints but the companies who handle their complaints in the best way possible are the companies that ultimately succeed in the end.

Don’t also forget that complaints can ultimately become more expensive if they are mishandled or need to be escalated within the organisation.  So the steps and tips shared within this article will hopefully help you convert your customer complaint challenges into something more positive and constructive for your business.

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Forbes.com pictures

Analyse the numbers behind your tweets with Twitter Analytics

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Twitter will undoubtedly be part of your social media arsenal but if it’s not, why not? After all, Twitter has evolved into a highly effective audience engagement tool and any brand that’s serious about its image should have a lively Twitter following.

Since its foundation in 2006, Twitter has undergone an evolution which has seen more and more features added to the social network over the years. And now it’s time for Twitter Analytics to enter the public spotlight and be rolled out to everyone.

Actually, it’s been quite a month for social media analytics what with Pinterest’s new analytical platform now available to users who have a business account and now Twitter Analytics getting the green light for widespread usage.

But what is Twitter Analytics and will it benefit you as a Twitter user?

Twitter Analytics is a tool that advertisers and some verified users have been using for a few months now. Anyone who uses Google Analytics will embrace Twitter’s platform with open arms. The two function very similarly, with Twitter Analytics offering everything you could want in a tool for analysing your tweets.

First, there’s the ability to see how many impressions your tweets have received; in other words, how many times users have seen your tweet on Twitter. You can also discover how many people have marked your post as one of the favourites; the amount of times people have clicked on your profile; the number of replies and retweets and so on.

Additionally, there is the functionality to actually see how many people directly engaged with one of your tweets and you can also gain an insight into what their engagement was – great for content marketers wanting to see what’s hitting the spot with their audiences.

Twitter let everyone know that their analytics platform was now available to all in the most apt way – via a tweet!

Twitter engineer Ian Chan tweeted: “Absolutely thrilled to open up access to analytics.twitter.com to EVERYONE. Check it out, and let us know what you think!

As with most things though, there are certain criteria that your account needs to meet before you can start using Twitter Analytics. First and foremost, your account must have been open for at least 14 days and not be protected, restricted or suspended. Furthermore, your posts need to primarily be written in English, Spanish, French or Japanese.

Twitter’s decision to open up their analytics platform to everyone is actually rather symbolic. Historically, the only way for non-advertisers to gain insights into the numbers behind their tweets was by using third-party applications. Twitter Analytics means that more people than ever can now monitor their tweets and keep track of what’s engaging their audiences.

Both brands and individuals alike can start understanding the metrics behind their Twitter accounts and realising true value. The ‘average’ Twitter user may be wondering what all the fuss is about and ultimately not take advantage of the platform, but this revelation is definitely something that I’m excited about.

Twitter have created a new Help Center page which explains more about Twitter Analytics and includes some FAQs among other things.

Once you’re ready to give it a shot for yourself you should head over to analytics.twitter.com and start checking out your own dashboard.

 

 

Use Negative Reviews as an Opportunity to Improve

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Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improveIs there ever a time when we should look upon negative reviews about our business, its staff and products/services as an opportunity? You bet!

A recent article that caught my eye just proves how trying to suppress freedom of speech when it comes to reviews – even if it was meant as a joke (maybe?) – can really come back and bite you.

Whether or not the hotel in question had indeed meant the policy as a joke is still unclear but it seems the damage is done. But joke or not, why does it seem that some businesses are so terrified of negative reviews?

After all, we don’t get everything 100% right every time and that’s just as true in life as it is in business. Therefore, negative reviews should be seen as an opportunity to improve going forward and maybe even see our negative review updated.

So what should you do if your business receives a negative review or unfavourable feedback?

Comfort your employees

Whilst you may be feeling slightly miffed about reading something bad about your business, spare a thought for your staff. They’ll be experiencing mixed emotions and will be looking to you, as their leader, to pick them up.

People hate to hear criticism and your employees are no different. You need to understand that they’ll be feeling demoralised, despondent and as though they let you down. Comfort them, raise their spirits and get them fighting fit for another day.

Remain calm

The hotel in the article I cited at the start of this post definitely approached negative feedback in the wrong way. The trick is to remain calm in the face of criticism and never overreact.

Often, knee-jerk reactions can have the total opposite effect of what we want and make a bad situation even worse. For example, attempting to respond to a negative review defensively will just draw more attention to the situation and turn your potential opportunity into a public nightmare.

Reach out personally

Get on the phone or send an email to the customer in question expressing your regret that you didn’t meet their expectations and seek further advice – that’s right, ask them how you can improve going forward.

By doing so, you show that you take their opinion very seriously and want to use their experience to better yourself for future customers. If you can resolve any issues that were highlighted, you might just see that negative review be updated to reflect your business much more favourably.

Discover the root causes

Negative feedback and bad reviews are almost always due to only a handful of factors:

1. A bad customer experience – poor service, low-quality product, tardiness. In this instance a negative review should serve as a wake-up call to your business that you’re perhaps missing the mark on occasions.

2. Customer expectations mismatch – they expected one thing but what they got was quite another. This is a bit more difficult to remedy than the previous point but the customer’s feedback should be analysed carefully and your marketing, pricing and staff approach be reviewed accordingly.

3. Your business is inaccessible – people don’t want to deliberately bash your business in public but if you don’t give them any other options, what can you expect? That’s why your customer service channels need to be effective and act upon any feedback you receive.

By tackling negative reviews/feedback head-on you can really turn them into an opportunity for your business to shine. Reacting rashly or overly defensively will not help the situation. Show all your customers that you value their opinions and use feedback, positive or negative, to improve everything that you do.

 

 

Image courtesy of Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net