Whether you work in a regular office or out of your home,
it is very important to take time off to refresh and
recharge. Of course, when you take time off, you want to be
sure your customers are in good hands while you are away.
You certainly don't want them to feel abandoned or
forgotten. Customer service is a big part of effective
marketing.
The following suggestions will help keep your customers
connected to you and reduce your worries so you can totally
unwind on your vacation.
1. Plan in advance and let them know If you plan your
vacation and business trips well in advance, you can easily
let your customers know when you you'll be away. If you
work on your own, make sure they know exactly what dates
you leave and come back. If you have an assistant or
business partner, take the time to carefully prep them in
advance so they can keep everything running smoothly while
you are gone. Checklists can be very helpful during this
time to ensure things are run according to you.
2. Don't be afraid to say "no" so you have time to finish
things If a client asks you to do something during your
time off or to take on a big project with a deadline right
before you leave, simply say, "I'm sorry I'm going out of
town such and such date and will return on blah-blah." Let
them know that you won't be taking on any additional work
until you return. In this way, they can work around your
schedule. More importantly, you won't be stressed because
you have to burn the midnight candle to complete something
before you hit the road. If you've shared your schedule
with customers in advance, these types of requests should
be minimal.
3. Set up your systems Send out a reminder e-mail the week
before your vacation to remind people when you leave and
when you will return. Be sure to set up an e-mail
autoresponder and a voice mail message to let customers
know how long you are gone and that you will respond ASAP
upon your return. You can also try this trick: add on one
day at the end of your vacation that you will be "gone."
You can use this day to sneak into your office to ramp back
up and get everything ready to go in your office before you
let anyone know you are back in town. This is a BIG stress
reducer.
4. Schedule vacations during slower times If you are
nervous about leaving during a busy time of year and you
work in a business where you have an off season, take
advantage of this by scheduling your vacations during this
period. In this way, you can alleviate your stress about
leaving your customers hanging. If you don't have a slower
time of year, take the vacation anyway - you'll be better
for it!
5. Set limits for yourself If you are like me, sometimes it
can be hard to just let it all go. I find myself checking
in with my office or checking e-mails and voice mails.
Don't do it! Trust me, everyone will be okay while you're
gone. By checking in, you are just keeping yourself from
enjoying your vacation fully (and probably annoying folk
back at your office). If you do need to check in, only do
it once or twice during your vacation...and not once or
twice a day!
If you follow the strategies above, your customers will be
more than happy and able to take care of themselves while
you are gone. You've given them ample time to work around
your schedule to get their project needs met. You've
provided backup support if possible. And they know when you
will back to pick up things with their accounts. In fact,
you can be a fantastic role model for your customers
because many of them need to take more days off too!
While you are on your vacation, truly take the time off you
need. Completely dedicate yourself to absolutely relaxing
and NOT thinking about work projects. You'll be refreshed,
rejuvenated, and better equipped to be of service to your
customers when you return.
----------------------------------------------------
Wendy Maynard of GoMarketingMaven.com created the Maven
Marketing System specifically for small business owners,
coaches, consultants, and solo-preneurs. She also publishes
a free weekly marketing ezine. Subscribe at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine_3.html
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