H is for holidays!

Welcome back to our LinkedIn newsletter where we’ll take you through the A-Z of Pink Spaghetti Weston-super-Mare.

Each month we’ll be looking at a different alphabetical aspect of the services that we can help your business with - from Admin to Zoom, we’ll be talking to the experts on the team, giving you nuggets of wisdom, and offering you an extra helping of business brilliance.?

Hungry for more? Read on…

You might think we've lost the plot when we start talking about holidays in January. But whether you've booked an Easter weekend getaway, a longer summer break, or you're looking forward to some winter sun, the truth is that holidays can feel more stressful than relaxing—especially in the planning stages!

For most people, a holiday might sound like bliss, but the prospect of a holiday can be pretty stressful for business owners. Who is going to look after and manage the business while you’re off? Are you going to be able to enjoy a proper break and enjoy quality family time with a busy business to run?

The answer is not tracking down the WiFi password the moment you walk into the hotel, and it's certainly not answering emails from your sunbed.

We’re happy to tell you it is totally possible to switch off and enjoy your break without having to worry about your business, and that can be all thanks to using our virtual assistant services and some clever holiday planning.

Schedule, schedule, schedule. We can’t stress enough the importance of scheduling content to go live while you’re off relaxing. This gives your customers the illusion that the business is running as normal and helps keep your content being seen.

Pre-write social media posts in advance and schedule them using platforms such as Gain, Hootsuite, and even Meta. You can also pre-prepare any newsletters and get these scheduled as well.

These are all things we can help you with in the run up to your break, whether that’s writing the content, designing images or doing the fiddly scheduling bit. We’re happy to help.

Hand over control of your inbox. This might sound daunting, but you can hand over control of your inbox to us while you’re enjoying a holiday. With clear instructions, we can regularly check your inbox and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

We respond to emails professionally, consistently and in a tone that reflects your brand, helping you to take advantage of every lead and opportunity for your small business.

Diary management. There’s nothing worse than an incredibly busy diary both before and after taking a holiday. In the lead up to your break, we can ensure that meetings, events and appointments are placed in your calendar so they aren’t too overwhelming and don’t leave you feeling as if you’re rushing to get everything done before you go. We can do the same when you return too, helping you to ease back into things slowly.

Social media management. There’s nothing more unprofessional (or frustrating to the customer) than leaving comments or messages unanswered, but we can bet you don’t want to be bothered by them while you’re busy sunning yourself, which is why we can step in and handle your social media platform while you’re away. This includes replying to comments, answering messages, monitoring your pages and generally just keeping your customer service ticking over.

Switch off properly. This is probably the most important tip we can give you - switch off properly. Turn devices OFF, sit back and relax, knowing that everything is being handled.

Have a contingency plan in place. Sometimes emergencies do happen and things do go wrong, but if there’s a contingency plan in place, it can be handled quickly and professionally without you having to worry. You'll be far more able to handle a crisis if you're well-rested!

Set realistic expectations. If you know you will log on while you’re on holiday, let us and your team know when this will be and for how long. Set the time aside, do whatever it is you need to, and once that time is over, log off again and enjoy your break.

Set up a buffer period. Give yourself some time to wind down before your holiday and some time to ramp things up again upon your return. It’s great for giving you time to adjust and address any last-minute issues.

Create a ‘welcome back’ pack. Have a summary made for you of key issues, developments or decisions that were made while you were gone. This will make it easier to catch up and transition back into your role without missing anything important.

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