Many entrepreneurs pride themselves on their work ethic. In many cases, that hustle is the reason why they have been so successful in their industry: a fast pace can mean getting ahead of the competition and securing business for the long term. Unfortunately, though, this fast pace can also lead to burnout. Business owners and managers who pass this sense of urgency on to their employees mean well, but it’s only a matter of time before the wheels begin to fall off.
Build Longevity
Think of your business like a car on a road trip. No matter how much maintenance you put into it before hitting the road, your vehicle will start to show signs of wear and tear as the miles roll by. By stopping to take in the sights along the way, you give your car the opportunity to rest, recover and refuel for the next leg of the journey. Fail to do so, and you could find yourself broken down on the side of the road, missing important milestones in your trip. Even the most finely tuned vehicle can’t drive non-stop without eventually sputtering to a halt.
Your business works the same way. While you might have been strategic about filling your team with only the best and brightest, even the hardest working employees will start to slow down and make mistakes when they are burned out. Invest in your team and you’ll be richly rewarded. Ultimately, you can’t continue on your company’s journey without a functional staff. Consider the big picture before asking folks to work late for the third time in a week.
Improve Employee Morale
Researchers at Michigan State University found that work-life balance is tied directly to employee loyalty. Give your employees time off to care for their sick kids and they’ll be much more likely to stick around when times get tough at work. Conversely, routinely requiring overtime is a great way to annoy workers and give them reason to look for other opportunities.
Employees spend a majority of their waking hours in your place of business, performing the duties necessary to keep the lights on. While it’s nice to believe all workers enjoy their shifts, nobody wants to be stuck at work for longer than necessary. Occasional long hours might be inevitable, but balancing out overtime with flexibility is possible. By ensuring your entire team has a comfortable work-life balance, you’ll ensure office morale stays positive.
Increase Productivity
We’ve all heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder,” but how many of us actually embody the spirit of these words? It sounds counterintuitive, but many of our busiest days are actually our least productive. You can’t cross things off your to-do list if your phone is constantly ringing. Putting out fires in the office limits your ability to sit down and return emails. At the end of a hectic week, you may not have much to show for your efforts.
Consider partnering with a virtual receptionist to help manage the administrative tasks that eat up valuable time of your day. Available around the clock, these highly-trained professionals are the best-kept secret of many busy entrepreneurs. Allow them to screen your calls, forwarding only the ones that most need your immediate attention, or have your receptionist schedule appointments and take orders from customers.
Similarly, an answering service can help ensure your entire office isn’t being bogged down by ringing phones. With bilingual agents available 24 hours a day, there’s no reason to have your customers or clients ever leave a voicemail. Instead, they’ll speak with friendly customer service agents who are trained specifically to handle your business requirements.
Maximize Efficiency
No matter how hard you might be working, there are only 24 hours in a day. Don’t spend your entire life glued to your phone or desk. Instead, reignite your passion and make the most of the time you have to spend on a given project. When the day is done, you’ll head home knowing you’ve done all you could to advance your company’s best interests.
Doing this is easier said than done, but with the help of MAP Communications, you can pass off administrative tasks and focus on your own to-do list. A leader in the phone answering service industry, MAP has helped small business owners find their work-life balance for almost 30 years. Our clients can rest easy on nights and weekends, knowing their customers are in the hands of resourceful, friendly and highly-trained customer service agents.
If you’re intrigued by MAP’s offerings, we’d love to show you our stuff. Contact us today to begin a free, week-long trial of our live telephone answering service. There is no sales pressure, no signatures or any kind of obligation to continue after the trial, just a simple preview of the kind of work-life balance we can help offer you.
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