Tips for Dealing with Staffing Shortages
I’m an old-fashioned type of person. I like people for the most part and I like the idea of people doing people’s jobs—but when you can’t find workers, it’s time to look at how to automate certain functions. When we look at heart health, we look at the automaticity of the heart muscle, pumping consistently without a blip…and in your business, you need some of that same consistency, whether you are full staffed or short staffed. You may need a helping hand.
What types of services can be automated? What would a helping hand look like?
· Look at email marketing. It’s easy to employ systems to handle certain functions, like welcome emails, trigger emails for abandoned carts, or birthday and anniversary emails. I know what you’re thinking. When you abandon a cart, you simply aren’t interested, and you sneer (or worse) at follow ups. I know I do. But what if just two out of ten people weren’t like you? Wouldn’t a 20% increase in salvaging lost revenue make it worthwhile?
· You don’t have time to waste time on Facebook, but lots of your customers do! Social media advertising is a way to keep you and your brand on their radar. Decide on your demographic and place your ad—Facebook does the rest.
· Do you clients need reminders? Automating texts for appointments, notifying patrons of upcoming sales and follow up of contacts can all be handled in less time with a small personal touch.
· Everyone loves good customer service. As much as I refuse to speak to robots, I always appreciate a chatbot hooking me up to a live person. It often ends in a phone call, but it streamlines the process for all concerned.
Should you start automating certain key functions? That’s a judgment call based on the cost versus employee availability. Better yet, hire a virtual assistant to handle six automated functions and pay for just the hours spent in monitoring and putting things into place.
Yes, you can handle all of these functions yourself, but then…who is coming up with new ideas? New product lines? New advertising campaigns? Growing the business? Farming out a few functions is both cost-effective and a smart move. Prioritize your involvement in the day-to-day management, not the minute-to-minute micromanagement of details.
Should you go with a big company or work with someone local? That depends. Do you like to meet and talk with employees one on one? Look for someone with strong writing skills, someone organized, someone with a modicum of tech savvy ability. Make sure you like the person’s presence—so will your clients. Take time to train the person for what you are personally expecting; don’t assume a virtual assistant reads minds. Realize that someone who has worked for a megacorporation or another industry may be accustomed to different procedures than those required by your business. Once you have this person in place, let go of the minutiae and let the magic begin.
Still wondering if any of this could work for you? Let’s look at the stats: 88% of small businesses say that slipping these small functions into someone else’s hands allow them to compete with larger businesses. How to co-exists with a pandemic? 63% said a little automation allowed them to remain in business. Even sole proprietors who work from a garage report that putting functions into the hands of a VA make their efforts more viable. Think about it and just let the idea nudge the borders of your imagination. Keep your eyes open. You’ll come up with just the right person and just the right degree of automation—and it will all make dollars and cents!