As a small business owner, you know the holiday season can be tricky. You and your team are going to be spending a lot less time in the office. However, you’ve still got outstanding invoices that need to be collected before the calendar year closes. Balancing the needs of your business with the needs of your staff can be difficult. Here are three ways you can automate your business, in order to keep it running smoothly while everyone’s out building snowmen, baking cookies, and opening presents:
- Define who does what. Often, small businesses handle things off-the-cuff, assigning tasks to whoever is available. But dealing with problems as they come in can lead to trouble when people are out of the office ‒ even when their time off is well-planned. Lay out the plan to your staff. Creating a clear roster lets everyone know which tasks they are responsible for while their co-workers are out. For example, Linda might only be available Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning, which means Bill will need to adjust his work to get everything out on time. Meanwhile, Jason won’t be available at all, so Jill will need to cover his duties.
- Let the tech do the work. If your business relies on up-to-the-minute accounting, it’s critical you leverage the power of technology wherever you can. Automating your invoicing and accounts ensures your data remains current even when you’re away.
- Make it easy for customers to pay. Especially toward the end of the year, when your customers are also taking time off, you should make it possible for customers to send funds with a single click. This may mean highlighting your ability to accept digital payments. Or it might mean expanding the types of payments your business accepts (ex: credit cards). Customers who can pay by card or ACH are already likely to pay faster. When you automate your business, you remove the hassle of filling out forms or typing their payment details, so time to cash is even shorter.
Chargezoom is ready to help automate your business
Our software automates all your invoicing, reconciliation, and payment reminders. You can even set up custom email messaging with additional incentives such as discounts or penalty fees, to encourage faster payment. Including a “pay now” link in your email immediately takes customers to a portal where they can make payment with a single click. Best of all, we reconcile payments in real-time. So there’s no additional work waiting for you when you come back to the office.
Try it free with no obligation: https://dashboard.payportal.com/signup