We love a New Year’s Resolution, don’t we?
Always made with the best intentions when we’re three champagnes deep, dancing to Beyoncé and filled with festive spirit.
Fast forward a few weeks later, and we’re up to our elbows in leftover chocolate and have gone straight back to our old habits.
We’re not sure if you noticed, but 2020 was a bit of a weird one. Loads of us had to find new ways to adapt our businesses to keep going, which in many cases, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
So, what resolutions can we make – and keep – for our businesses in 2021 and beyond?
1. Keep being flexible
The thought of working five days a week in an office feels like a relic of the past for many of us, but the fact is, many employers have been hesitant in the past to let their employees work from the comfort of their own homes. Until it became a necessity, there was some concern that WFH would lead to plummeting productivity and poor communication.
Thankfully, overall, these fears have been unfounded, as it turns out most of us perform as well (if not better) when we can spend work days wearing slippers and can get an extra half-hour in bed.
We can’t predict what’s going to happen next year, but no matter what, not many of us are in a rush to get back to the office – at least not for five days a week. Giving your employees the freedom to be flexible with their time can only be a good thing.
2. Get on top of your marketing
We’ve all spent way more time on our phones than we’d like to admit over the past few months. And what does that prove, apart from maybe that we need to get out more? It proves that it’s where your audience is. Oh yes, it’s time to stop neglecting your business’s marketing!
Marketing your own business will always fall to the bottom of your to-do list, but if you want to keep attracting new customers in 2021, you’ve got to put yourself out there.
Thankfully, we’ve already taken it upon ourselves to put together this beginner’s guide to social media for all you technophobes out there, so have a look and see what you can do to improve your online presence.
Still not sure where to start? Our marketing experts are – well, experts, so they can help your business out with everything from social media to email marketing.
3. Get better at delegating
We all have tasks we hate doing. Tasks we tell ourselves ‘oh, I’ll do that later’. And then later comes, but you STILL find yourself doing everything in your power to put it off, so ‘later’ becomes ‘tomorrow’… you get the picture.
Just because you run a business, doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. For 2021, do yourself a favour – look at your daily and weekly tasks, and ask yourself:
- Which tasks overwhelm me?
- Which tasks keep me up at night?
- Which tasks would take someone else a fraction of the time it takes me to carry out?
You’ll probably find there’s actually quite a lot on your to-do list that it makes more sense to pass over to someone else.
Virtual assistants can offer support across all areas of your business, from document production to bookkeeping. It’s time to stop being a jack of all trades and start being a master of one.
4. Do more networking
Be honest – how often did you only attend networking events for the free food? The whole pandemic situation put a stop to in-person events – which may have been music to your ears – but actually, they’re one of the best ways to make new contacts and spark new ideas.
Like everything else this year, networking and business events have shifted online. We may not know if real-life events will be making a comeback in 2021.
Either way, networking should be a priority for your business next year. You could even try hosting one of your own to get a bit of buzz around your company and bring in some new leads.
5. Improve your customer service
Did you know that investing in new customers is between 5 – 25 times more costly than keeping current ones happy? Yikes.
If your customer service consists of an unmanned chatbot and a phone that rings out, 2021 is the time to get it sorted. Even if your customer service is pretty good, there are still ways to make it even better, such as a 24/7 service.
Reputation is everything. So if someone Tweets that you still haven’t answered their email from 2018, you can bet that everyone who sees that is going to head straight to your competitors.
Don’t have the time and resource to keep up with the demand? An external call handling service can help you keep on top of your customer service.
6. Don’t be afraid of change
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But what if it’s just a bit chipped and worn and could do with a revamp?
There’s no point wasting your time and energy on something that’s totally unworkable, but if something can be improved – improve it.
Whether you’ve got suppliers that have let you down one too many times, equipment that isn’t quite up to scratch or processes that could do with an overhaul, make 2021 the year you do everything better.
SmartPA is here to help your business all year round, so why not see how we can make 2021 your best year yet?
