The school summer holidays are fast approaching and we all want to take some well-deserved time off to enjoy some time with family (and fingers crossed some sunshine). But, before we can go and relax, we need to ensure that our businesses are prepared for you to take that absence. To help you, here are our top tips on how to prepare for some time off away from your business.
Decide when you’re taking time off
The first thing to think about is when you’re planning to take time off. Decide when you want to be off, how long for and when you will be back to work. If you’re a business owner, you also need to consider whether the business will be on complete shutdown or if you need a team in place to allow you the time off.
Plan your time off
As with anything, the key is in planning! If you haven’t got one already, it’s time to create a plan now.
If you are shutting your business down completely for your break, you will need to:
· Note any work that would need to completed during this period
· Adjust deadlines accordingly
· Decide what will happen to any enquiries or messages – will you put an automated message to go out to all enquiries and emails?
· Decide if you will need to check in to things in between your time off
· If you have an online store, do you need to update delivery times and arrange stock levels
If you are arranging for cover for your time off, you will need to:
· Who is going to be working and when?
· Do you need to hire temporary staff or could you outsource?
· What are the priorities that need to be focused on, in your absence?
· Have a back up plan for additional cover
· Any additional support they require before and during
Plan your return
As well as planning for the time you’re going to be taking off, don’t forget to consider your return. Are you going to be in back to back meetings on your first day back or anything else that would increase a backlog for your return?
Ensure you diarise at least a half day but ideally a full day to work through emails, messages and enquiries. Create a do list and make a list of your priorities, and what needs to be tackling first.
By giving yourself this extra bit of time, it will help you get and stay organised on your return.
Manage customer expectations
It doesn’t matter whether you sell products or services, you need to manage customer expectations. Informing them of the dates when things will be closed or on semi-shutdown will be important. When is the last delivery date? What’s the last date your services are available? It’s important to manage their expectations to avoid dissatisfaction and maintain relationships.
Plan your marketing and promotions
Just because you’re not working, it doesn’t mean you should stop marketing or being visible. Set aside time to look at your marketing plans for the period. In this digital age, more people are visiting social media during their downtime. This can lead to an optimal time for businesses to reach out to potential customers.
Identify what channels are going to be worthwhile posting to. What content is relevant to this time of year for your ideal client.
Schedule and automate
If you can, are there things that you can schedule in advance or maybe set up some automations? Whether it’s scheduling in your social media, setting up an automated bot or automated email sequence to respond to general enquires. If you’re not already using schedules or automations, now is the time to try. It will take some pressure off, allowing you to enjoy time off while things are running behind the scenes.
Enjoy your time off!
It doesn’t matter whether you are planning to take a day or a couple of weeks off, remember to relax and enjoy yourself! Taking time off allows us to clear our minds, reset everything going on in out head, adjust our focus and recharge our batteries. Leaving us feeling ready and raring to go when we come back to work.
If you’re looking for support before, during or after your holidays, why not get in touch to find out how the VASS team can help you enjoy your time off this summer.