Over the past two years, business professionals from a wide variety of industries have taken to working from home instead of their traditional offices. As we are all aware, the pandemic has changed many of the ways in which we conduct business. For many people, those changes are permanent. Are you still working from home? Do you often take your business on the road? If so, there are some important steps to take to ensure you still run your business successfully.
Become adept at using mobile devices.
This may sound like a no-brainer, but there are still many of us who find a bit of trouble when using today’s gadgets. The use of smartphones, tablets and laptops is the norm. It’s vital that you get used to it. Technology rapidly updates and it’s imperative that you remain on top of all of the latest developments. Be sure to utilize as many of the benefits that come with your mobile devices as possible. They are practically mandatory for maintaining good customer relationships.
“It’s important to know how to use our gadgets wisely or else we may be doing ourselves more harm than good,” writes Candace Nicholson on SmallBusinessBonfire.com, “Smartphones can be the lifeblood of a business that requires constant contact with your clients, but without a hands-free device to complement them, your day may be less productive than you hoped.”
Avoid unnecessary meetings.
Have meetings. No one is recommending that you avoid congregating with your co-workers, employees and partners. However, it’s important to make sure those meetings aren’t time-wasters. When you have a lot of on your plate, squeezing in hours of talk-time can feel counterproductive. As Jess Ekstrom explains on Entrepreneur.com, stepping away from work for calls or meetings can make the work day much longer than necessary.
“It’s okay to say ‘no’ or pass on an exploratory call that doesn’t have a set purpose,” she insists, “However, what I’ve found helpful for the meetings I do want to have is scheduling them back to back in one day. That way, you can head into town and knock them all out instead of having them spread over the week and cut into your days.”
Schedule standing meetings.
To branch off of the last point, allow us to reiterate that meetings are important. Minimizing the number of meetings you conduct is more about scheduling than it is avoidance. Naturally, you should always be checking in with your team. Ekstrom challenges entrepreneurs to have standing meetings.
“Instead of exchanging a ton of emails, I have a Google doc where I can enter things I want to discuss, then address them in my standing meeting,” she details, “My entire team has a monthly standing meeting, and I have a weekly standing with one team member. What might take 20 emails and lots of typing can be discussed in one meeting with your team. Just keep a running doc so you can write down all your ideas and not forget them.”
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