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Archive for July 2009

Customer Service at its best.

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Friday, July 31st, 2009

The joys of great customer service

I have been on several forums of late where the topic of customer service has been including at length in discussions.  Most of the conversations were about big business and their lack of customer service but what about us little guys (and gals).  So I want to share this story.

I have a weekend place that we go to in a very rural area.  There is one grocery store in the town and yes it is locally owned.  You certainly could travel to other larger areas for the big box chains or even shop before you arrive but here is why I do not.

From the minute you walk into the shop you are greeted by someone, and often times quite a few people including the manager.  Everything is fresh, abundant and if they are lacking in an item they will find you an alternative or even special order if that is what you wish.  The store is exceptionally clean and bright.  And the annoying set the mood to buy music, not there!  The pace is casual so I actually enjoy going grocery shopping as I begin my weekend.

There is never a need to wait since all employees are attentive to your needs.  And much of the produce and meats are locally grown and butchered.  If they can support their neighboring business they do so.  And they support the community as well.

Information is aboundant on what is happening in the area from local garage sales, church functions, auctions and charity events.  This not only keeps you informed but keeps you in the area so that you don’t have a reason to venture out of the area.

But what I like most is something not to your liking, well they still have the “customer is always right” philosphy.  The manager and employees listen and make it right, which I have to say does not happen very often since there really is nothing horrible about their service or products.

Being a business owner, I take special note of these things since customer service is the key to success in the Virtual Assistance industry as well as any other industry.  We all need to go the extra mile to keep our clients/customers happy but can you say that you go the extreme.

All the best,
Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Best Business Practices, Personal Growth, Small Business
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Professional web site evaluation

By MOAImport · Comments (2)
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Recently I took advantage of an offer to have an evaluation of My Office Assistant website.  My reasoning was two fold, the first is that I am going to be doing a site redesign to incorporate some new service offerings and hone the ones that I am offering.  The second was that while I was happy with my site, I thought it was missing someting and could not figure out what.

Well I was so right about the second and as I got into my consultation I soon discovered that I had designed my site from my perspective and not the client.  I was so bent on keeping it prettied up that I failed to take advantage of the prime above the fold space.  I was also providing information that I thought was beneficial when in fact it was not.

I was glad that I took advantage of the offer because now I will do my redesign correct from the beginning and not need to make tons of revisions to make it SEO efficient and client friendly.

I guess my point is those designing their own site should have an evaluation done but more importantly, when in doubt get an expert to confirm what whether what your gut says is valid or not.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

Comments (2)
Categories : Best Business Practices, Small Business, Virtual Assistant

Ethics and Integrity in Your Business

By MOAImport · Comments (1)
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

A question was posed on one of the forums that I participate in about the ethics of colleagues in the VA industry.  It did not take me long to devise a response and now I would like to share it with you.

I will start by saying that integrity, honestly and confidentiality are highest on my list of best business practices.  There is no room for compromise on these values and this is the decision I make on working with others as well.

I actually started many years ago through freelance and telecommuting when it was a new concept.  There were very little rules and standards but the ones in place where strict and stringent, so I got my start working virtually by the ground breakers who truly wanted to prove that it was a concept to be embraced.  However, the technology was not as it was today and the anonymous nature of many avenue was not available.

With today’s economy and many people looking for money making opportunities in these hard times I think the perception of our industry is a quick make extra cash with little or no work, only basic skills.  This could not be further from the truth since we are business owners and need to work as such.  As many new VA’s come and go this is definitely a step back for the industry and now we must work even harder to legitimize what we do well.

Unfortunately, this is not exclusive to our industry and that is where personal integrity and ethics come to play in its finest.  There is a fine line and you just need to trust your instincts when choosing to work with others, both clients and colleagues alike.

I don’t know if standardizing the industry is the answer since people without ethics will find their way around this as well.  I would certainly welcome an industry wide set of standards and practices but we should individually have them to begin with as we open our doors.  However, I think we need to continue to police ourselves as an industry and those who can and will shall be weeded out by those who cannot and won’t.

This is not a concept exclusive the the VA industry so you thoughts on ethics in your industry are welcome.  How to you strive to provide ethics and integrity to your business?

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

Comments (1)
Categories : Best Business Practices, Personal Growth, Small Business, Virtual Assistant, Work from Home

Dealing With The Anxieties And Stresses Of Managing Your Own Business

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Friday, July 24th, 2009

I was contacted by Stanley Popovich about providing a guest post about dealing with stress.  Stanley is author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods”.  After reading the article I thought it had some good points and therefore would like to share it with each of you.  I certainly agree with Stanley’s point of assigning tasks to others, after all that is the focus of My Office Assistant.  I hope that you enjoy Stanley’s article as well.

Dealing with The Anxieties and Stresses of Managing Your Own Business

Owning a small or large business can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Many business owners have to deal with a lot of stress and anxiety nowadays. It can be tough to own your own business and to be successful in what you do. As a result, here are some suggestions on how you can reduce the stresses of owning your own business.

The first step is to develop a budget and do not spend more than what you make. Also learn to reduce your expenses when you can. Learn to pay your bills on a regular basis so your customers will not be bothering you later on about getting paid.

Learn to manage your responsibilities by assigning certain tasks to others. If you do not have time to do the accounting, then let your assistant do it. You are only one person and can only do so much in a given day. Do what is most important and delegate the rest.

Talk with your customers and employees on a regular basis. Find out what is on their minds. Ask for any suggestions on how to improve business productivity and moral. Communicating with your workers and clients will help prevent future problems and conflicts.

Most importantly, develop a business plan and follow it. Being organized and goal oriented is very important in managing a business. Following a plan or set of goals will prevent you from a lot of stress and anxiety. It is much easier to do something when you have some kind of plan.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week or coming month, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your business problems. When the time comes, hopefully you will have learned the skills to deal with your situation.

Be smart in how you deal with your business problems. Do not try to tackle everything all at once. When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, break the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Managing a business can be stressful, but the key is knowing how to manage your anxieties. There is a right and wrong way in managing a business. Continue to learn effective techniques in managing your business and improve your bottom line. This will go a long way in getting rid of your stresses and other business problems.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

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Categories : Guest Post, Organization, Personal Growth, Physical Well Being, Small Business, Work from Home

New Direction

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

As you can see from the infrequent posts that blogging consistently is not on my top to-do list.  I did post Part Three in Starting my Business series because I told you I would and had it written.  I am going to change my focus now and I hope you continue to join me as I offer tips, information and general discussion on being a Virtual Assistant.  I will offer information on organization, small business, what my industry can do for the entrepreneur and whatever else I can think of.

Thanks for bearing with me while I redirect my focus and try to keep you entertained while giving you information that you will find informative.

All the Best,

Lee Drozak - My Office Assistant

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Categories : Virtual Assistant

Starting a new business. PART THREE

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

My Website

As a Virtual Assistant it was necessary that I have a website. After all how would it be if there were no Virtual in the Virtual Assistant. Many small companies do not realize the importance of a website, no matter how small or local they may be. Think about this, when you want information what is the first thing you do when trying to find information.
Now is where the planning comes in. First there is your domain and hosting, next content and design and finally getting it out there for the world to see. Now let me explain that I am by no means a web design guru but I have made a few sites and know a little more than the basics.

First things first,
Domain Name: if you have not already done so you need to find a domain name. There are many sites that allow you to check for a name and most hosting services provide this as well. It should be something relevant to your business or brand and easy to remember and type. Then it off to hosting, or in other words who is the keeper of your information.

Hosting Service: I use a paid hosting service, Arvixe.com and it is an inexpensive service with great customer service but there are many out there so research your options. Ask around to other business owners to find which is the best option for you. Besides paid services there are others that are free, but keep in mind that they often time run ads on your site or you don’t have the option to choose your domain name. For your money a paid service is the best since it is a business expense and should be part of your marketing plan.

Content and Design: Lets touch on content first. You should at the very least have pages containing the pertinent information about your business. Three must haves are your home page which should tell about your business or product and keep in mind that this is where you get customers or lose them. You should also have an “about me” or company profile. This is your opportunity to tell potential customers why you do what you do and why they should choose you. And finally, a contact page. If customer don’t know how to find you they will not use you. At the very least a phone number and email address are must haves on this page.

As for design, this gets a little trickier. Most plans now have site design software that is basic if you have no experience whatsoever and are in WYSISYG (what you see is what you get) format so it is only a matter of filling in the gaps or content. There are also many programs out there specifically for those with little if not more HTML experience. This offers more flexibility in the design of your site but knowing basic coding is the key.

Another consideration is having your site designed for you by a pro but keep in mind this can become expensive if you are on a limited budget.

When choosing your website and content it basically comes down to what you know and what your budget allows. With that said, your website may be the first impression for many potential clients and customers and should be designed with this in mind. A bad site is not better than no site at all. Do your research, explore what others have out there and get feedback from other colleagues or trusted friends.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on this subject and you really should have a detailed and researched plan when exploring your options. Search the internet for web design tips, hosting information and general how to since the information I provided is just to get you started and on your way to having a web presence for your small business.

All the best,
Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Small Business, Technology

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