In our last blog, we revisited the concept of remote work and listed a few important ways to successfully run your business from the road. They included becoming adept at using mobile devices, avoiding unnecessary meetings and scheduling standing meetings. In today’s blog, we’ll take a look at four keys to being a productive remote worker.
1. Secure a great go-to business associate.
All business owners can benefit from having a right-hand man or woman. Simply put, you can’t do everything yourself. Is there someone you can delegate responsibility to in the event that you have too much on your plate? No matter how many employees you have, it’s wise to determine a clear second-in-command. That way, you’ll get the help you need when you need it.
“If only shiny new technology were the answer to all our problems,” says Candace Nicholson on SmallBusinessBonfire.com, “Sadly, there are some business tasks that need a little more than a software upgrade. It’s times such as this when a stationary human touch can become our biggest business asset.”
2. Hire a virtual assistant.
In your office, you are likely to have a receptionist or secretary. But who handles the tasks of such employees when there is no office to work out of? Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to ensure that you’re able to handle all of your important tasks each day, while never ignoring important calls. Primarily, he or she would function as your gatekeeper, taking calls and sifting through emails so that you don’t have to.
“I can’t tell you what a game-changer it is to have someone in your inbox responding to things she can, forwarding the things she can’t do to the appropriate people and starring anything she needs help with,” reports Jess Ekstrom on Entrepreneur.com, “One of my biggest issues is being addicted to email, so hiring a VA really helped me step away from it because I know if there’s something urgent, she’ll tell me.”
3. Schedule everything.
When working from home, it can become easy to get complacent. Surely, your home is your comfort zone. For many people, that means working in your pyjamas. While this can be relaxing and even help with productivity, it’s important to continue functioning similarly to when you’re in the office. Schedule your meetings, lunches, breaks and other important to-do’s of each day. That way, you’ll ensure you avoid procrastination and meet deadlines.
“Meetings, training and problem solving from a virtual office can keep any small business owner on their toes, but you wouldn’t have it any other way,” notes Nicholson, “Except…you could do a better job at scheduling. We try our best to stay organized, but may struggle to keep our energy fully charged when the drain of travel wears us down. That’s why it’s important to recognize when you’re at your peak performance.”
4. Accept credit card payments from anywhere!
With Unity Payments’ Virtual Terminals, you can accept digital payments anywhere! Turn your computer or mobile phone into a credit card terminal and begin seamlessly processing secure remote commerce and over-the-phone credit card transactions. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more!
