Sunday 11th October 2009
It's been a long year. One full of late nights, hard work and lost weekends. For your sanity you have decided to take a break this festive season.
It's been a long year. One full of late nights, hard work and lost weekends. For your sanity you have decided to take a break this festive season.
But are you going to take a real holiday? One with no emails, phone calls or meetings? To make it through yet another joyous year of being a small business owner, it is important you detach yourself and be able to lie on the beach without your laptop, even for just a few days.
This is where a virtual assistant can help save the day! While you sip on cocktails at the pool bar your trusty assistant can be working for you assuring your business doesn't skip a beat.
1. Update your social media networks - Twitter, Facebook and all the other wonderful web 2.0 portals out there don't rest over Christmas, so a virtual assistant can help you stay in touch with your social community.
2. Process orders - hopefully while you are sleeping in, orders are still coming in to help pay off the credit card. A good virtual assistant can learn your order management systems and procedures and continue the process streamlessly while you are away.
3. Customer Service- whether it be answering your phone or following up on email queries, a virtual assistant can ensure that your customers are well looked after throughout the holiday season.
4. General administration - anything and everything including mail redirection, phone diversion, email management, setting up templates, sprucing up your presentations plus all those jobs you kept putting off all year.
5. Research - Start the New Year off in the right direction, with some updated market research or competitor analysis. Renew your focus and get started on the right track with the latest information about your product, competitors and consumers.
6. Database Management - If sending out your Christmas card list this year was a nightmare, a virtual assistant can help you updated your databases.
7. Publicity - As things are slowing down in the government and corporate world throughout December and January, this is a great time to pitch stories to media as content can be hard to come by. A virtual assistant skilled in public relations will be able to help you find the right media hooks, prepare press releases and distribute to media.
8. Book your Easter Getaway! Now you have seen the benefits of working with a virtual assistant you can take a holiday more often!
8. Book your Easter Getaway! Now you have seen the benefits of working with a virtual assistant you can take a holiday more often!
So have you booked your Christmas holiday yet?
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