We’ve all been there. Life happens. Things go wrong. But how do we deal with them when they do? A perfect example is my day today. I have a client in Washington, DC (lawyers for that matter) that send me audio files of interviews to transcribe for their monthly magazine – a magazine that goes to thousands of readers around the world. They are never proactive; always waiting until the last minute to get me the file before the deadline. This month, their regular audio/visual tech was out of town doing work for another of his clients and he sent in the “back-up team”. This guy, needless to say, did not know what he was doing, and the production of the file to send me got messed up. Instead of a 40 minute interview, I only got 9 minutes. They tried for three days to get me the right file but it never seemed to get here. Finally, she overnighted me what should have been a CD but when it got here it was a tape. OH NO!!!! I haven’t used tape transcription equipment in two years. And all my gear was packed away in my storage shed.
Off I went to dig through boxes to find my equipment (the tape was supposed to be transcribed and back to DC by tonight). When I finally found it and got it back to my office – guess what! It didn’t work. Something that had worked fine when packed away was not working now. What was I to do? Afterall, it wasn’t my fault that something I should have had to do a week ago was just now getting to me! It was, by all means, the fault of the audio/visual company and the lawyers – right? Well, yes it was but that’s not the right answer. When something goes wrong, and it will, we as business owners need to stand up and take responsibility. Do what we can to make things right, or we’re liable to lose our customers – whether it was our fault or not.
We’re trying to build relationships here with our customers, aren’t we? How do we feel when we buy something and it comes broken? Or we need our phones or our televisions repaired and have to wait a week to get service? We get angry right? And when the person on the other end of the phone says, I’m sorry but we’re really busy right now, that doesn’t help much does it? We don’t want our customers feeling that way about us, that’s for sure.
What we do know is that when you quickly and professionally handle the problem, the customer loyalty will actually improve. First of all, say you’re sorry. Give a sincere apology, immediately, and then work to fix the problem as quickly as you can. Listen to the customer’s concerns and keep them posted as to the progress on the problem’s fix. All of this shows the customer that you really do care about their business and are doing whatever it takes to make it right.
For me, I called my customer. I told her that the tape had arrived but that my old equipment which I don’t use any more was not working. So, knowing that she was under a deadline, I tried to find some way to fix the equipment – no luck. I then ran down to the local discount store and bought a small digital transcriber. I’m in the process of taping the interview onto the small piece of equipment so that I can then download it onto my computer and use my state-of-the-art equipment that we normally use for these projects. She gets her job completed (a little late but still relatively on time) and I get a happy customer who knows that I went the extra mile to help her. You can be this type of business as well.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What are the Real Costs of Virtual Services?
There’s a new kid in town these days – or at least one that’s been away for awhile. When The Work Place first opened, we were considered a Secretarial Support Service. That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it. We do secretarial work for other businesses. Now, we’re called Virtual Assistants (VA). Does that mean that we’re a temp agency? Nope. We do the work in our offices, which frees you – the small business owner – to do the work that you need to do to generate income and to grow your business. The administrative (things like answering emails, calendar scheduling, sending out invoices, writing marketing materials, mailing those materials, updating the customer database, etc.) gets handled efficiently and effectively without you having to worry about how you’re going to get it all done.
Sounds good doesn’t it. Kind of like a genie in a bottle. Just rub it and out we pop; your wish is our command. Hiring a VA has many advantages, particularly for a small business or an individual who is self-employed. Unfortunately, many would-be clients tend to shy away from such services because they don’t understand how they work and don’t understand the pricing value of such a partnership. For example, the VA does the work in his or her own office: not in the employer’s office. Questions like how can I control the work flow? Am I paying for them to sit around, do other people’s work, and take naps? come to the fore. The answer is NO.
First of all, a VA is a business owner, just like you. Their business will not be a success unless your business is a success. They want the same things that you do – for their company to grow and prosper. Thus, they put their whole effort into making your work as accurate and complete as possible. Oftentimes they will be able to even take over some of the more “thinking type” projects that tie you down – once they get to know you and have worked with you regularly.
And because you only pay them for the time that they are doing YOUR work, you save money. You’re not paying benefits, taxes and other compensation. You’re not paying for sick leave, vacation time, breaks and equipment. That is all the responsibility of the VA and frees you from those costs. Think about if for a minute. Say you’re a plumber. How much is your time worth. Do you charge $50, $75, $120 an hour? And when you’re spending time doing that admin work, how much potential income are you losing? Two hours of designing a newsletter (while an important marketing tool) costs you $240 (if you bill out at $120 an hour). Yet, if you were out there fixing a backed up kitchen sink, you could be earning $240. You’ve actually just lost $480. Now, if you had a VA doing that newsletter for you, it might cost you $50. You gain the $240 because you’re out there fixing that sink. And you might gain some new customers who read your newsletter and get a better understanding of what’s involved in remodeling their bathroom (an article you wrote for the newsletter). What’s the value of that?
A VA can be surprisingly affordable when you calculate how much more billable work you can accomplish when you’re not trying to do it all yourself. Give us a call at 269-503-7350 if you’d like more information on how The Work Place can help you free up your time, and add money to your bottom line.
Sounds good doesn’t it. Kind of like a genie in a bottle. Just rub it and out we pop; your wish is our command. Hiring a VA has many advantages, particularly for a small business or an individual who is self-employed. Unfortunately, many would-be clients tend to shy away from such services because they don’t understand how they work and don’t understand the pricing value of such a partnership. For example, the VA does the work in his or her own office: not in the employer’s office. Questions like how can I control the work flow? Am I paying for them to sit around, do other people’s work, and take naps? come to the fore. The answer is NO.
First of all, a VA is a business owner, just like you. Their business will not be a success unless your business is a success. They want the same things that you do – for their company to grow and prosper. Thus, they put their whole effort into making your work as accurate and complete as possible. Oftentimes they will be able to even take over some of the more “thinking type” projects that tie you down – once they get to know you and have worked with you regularly.
And because you only pay them for the time that they are doing YOUR work, you save money. You’re not paying benefits, taxes and other compensation. You’re not paying for sick leave, vacation time, breaks and equipment. That is all the responsibility of the VA and frees you from those costs. Think about if for a minute. Say you’re a plumber. How much is your time worth. Do you charge $50, $75, $120 an hour? And when you’re spending time doing that admin work, how much potential income are you losing? Two hours of designing a newsletter (while an important marketing tool) costs you $240 (if you bill out at $120 an hour). Yet, if you were out there fixing a backed up kitchen sink, you could be earning $240. You’ve actually just lost $480. Now, if you had a VA doing that newsletter for you, it might cost you $50. You gain the $240 because you’re out there fixing that sink. And you might gain some new customers who read your newsletter and get a better understanding of what’s involved in remodeling their bathroom (an article you wrote for the newsletter). What’s the value of that?
A VA can be surprisingly affordable when you calculate how much more billable work you can accomplish when you’re not trying to do it all yourself. Give us a call at 269-503-7350 if you’d like more information on how The Work Place can help you free up your time, and add money to your bottom line.
Out to Lunch
We’re well into the summer months now, with the 4th of July behind us. I don’t know about you but with the sunshine we’ve had lately and the sounds of kids playing in pools and riding their bikes up and down the street, I’m not all that motivated to sit there at my desk typing away. Yet, the work continues, and if I want to make my clients happy (as well as my tummy), I have to put my nose to the grindstone, and my fingers to the keys of my computer.
Summer is generally the time for vacations and a more leisurely lifestyle – we need it after working hard all those dreary months of winter. Yet, we need to keep in mind (at least from a marketing standpoint) that we have to continue to focus on our efforts to do the work and to keep the work coming in our front doors. For the small and homebased businesses especially, it’s really tempting to say, “I think I’ll take the day off today. It’s just too pretty outside to be working.” But, what if your customers are trying to get you? Do they get a voice mail message? A ringing phone that never picks up? Or a darkened door with a closed sign hanging out front? What do you think that customer is going to do then? If they are very loyal they will probably keep trying until they finally reach you – the next day of so. But, if they are like the vast majority of people, they want their work done and they will head straight for the closest competitor.
What then are your choices? Do you have to stay there working away? Can you not ever take a day of vacation? Sure, but there are some simple actions you can take to ensure that the customer will get their needs taken care of quickly and efficiently even while you’re gone. At the very least, if you have walk in traffic, put out a sign that says that you are closed for the day but will reopen the next at a certain time. If your business lends itself to the humorous, put out a “gone fishing” note or something similar. It will give them a chuckle and they will not feel so frustrated by your absence. They may even wish they were out there on the water with you.
There are also some really good alternatives to voice mail. One for instance, is that for relatively little a month, you can have a live answering service that takes care of your customers as if they were their own. In the article What are the real costs of Virtual Services? later in this newsletter, we’ll see how bringing on someone to answer phones (virtually) and do other work for you will actually save you money. By having someone who sounds like they are part of your business taking messages, you get the calls answered (THE NUMBER ONE BENEFIT) as well as someone who can reach you in an emergency, get accurate information and give out details to someone – perhaps somebody new who is looking to hire your company.
The bottom line is that as small businesses ourselves, we know how important it is to be available to our customers when they need us; yet it is a thin line we must walk in order to have time for ourselves as well. By maintaining some elementary precautions such as these above, we are able to show our clients that we are there for them, and that we will be able to do our best because we’ve had some time to rejuvenate ourselves as well.
Have a great summer and enjoy some time with family and friends!
Summer is generally the time for vacations and a more leisurely lifestyle – we need it after working hard all those dreary months of winter. Yet, we need to keep in mind (at least from a marketing standpoint) that we have to continue to focus on our efforts to do the work and to keep the work coming in our front doors. For the small and homebased businesses especially, it’s really tempting to say, “I think I’ll take the day off today. It’s just too pretty outside to be working.” But, what if your customers are trying to get you? Do they get a voice mail message? A ringing phone that never picks up? Or a darkened door with a closed sign hanging out front? What do you think that customer is going to do then? If they are very loyal they will probably keep trying until they finally reach you – the next day of so. But, if they are like the vast majority of people, they want their work done and they will head straight for the closest competitor.
What then are your choices? Do you have to stay there working away? Can you not ever take a day of vacation? Sure, but there are some simple actions you can take to ensure that the customer will get their needs taken care of quickly and efficiently even while you’re gone. At the very least, if you have walk in traffic, put out a sign that says that you are closed for the day but will reopen the next at a certain time. If your business lends itself to the humorous, put out a “gone fishing” note or something similar. It will give them a chuckle and they will not feel so frustrated by your absence. They may even wish they were out there on the water with you.
There are also some really good alternatives to voice mail. One for instance, is that for relatively little a month, you can have a live answering service that takes care of your customers as if they were their own. In the article What are the real costs of Virtual Services? later in this newsletter, we’ll see how bringing on someone to answer phones (virtually) and do other work for you will actually save you money. By having someone who sounds like they are part of your business taking messages, you get the calls answered (THE NUMBER ONE BENEFIT) as well as someone who can reach you in an emergency, get accurate information and give out details to someone – perhaps somebody new who is looking to hire your company.
The bottom line is that as small businesses ourselves, we know how important it is to be available to our customers when they need us; yet it is a thin line we must walk in order to have time for ourselves as well. By maintaining some elementary precautions such as these above, we are able to show our clients that we are there for them, and that we will be able to do our best because we’ve had some time to rejuvenate ourselves as well.
Have a great summer and enjoy some time with family and friends!
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