How good are you at juggling? As a small business owner, it often feels like you’re trying to keep a dozen balls from hitting the ground.
Just because you can run the day-to-day operations of your business doesn’t mean you should. Hiring an office manager for your business can be a game-changer. Let’s take a look at the benefits of having a dedicated person to carry the administrative load for you.
Increased Productivity
How many times have you had to ask a customer to wait a moment, just to answer a call? It feels like bad business practice to prioritize answering the phone, but ignoring the ringing could cause you to miss out on an opportunity to lock in another customer – which as an even bigger no-no.
Having an office manager on staff alleviates you from ongoing, and often mundane, tasks, like scheduling appointments and answering customer questions.
With an office manager on board, you can finally implement processes that would streamline your business and take the distracting, but necessary, tasks off of your plate. That leads to you and the rest of your staff being able to run more efficiently— which is a win, especially as your business grows.
Cost Savings
While it may seem counterintuitive to hire someone in order to save money, an office manager can actually lead to savings in the long run. By managing administrative tasks, office managers help business owners avoid costly mistakes, such as missed appointments, late payments and, dare I say, a mishap in the financial books.
But it doesn’t stop there. Consider this: The service you provide to your customers is your specialty. Staying up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices to run the day-to-day of a business in your industry is the office manager’s speciality. They undoubtedly bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to your business – providing valuable insights and advice on ways to grow your business.
Virtual Office Manager
Hiring an office manager can provide you with peace of mind – and it’s hard to put a price on that! Knowing that someone is dedicated to the day-to-day operations of your business allows you to relax and focus on serving your customers. Of course, putting someone of that caliber on your staff is going to cost you.
Adding a CRM platform to work as your virtual office manager gets you all the above benefits and more.
- Automate process to save time: From appointment scheduling, payment reminders or time-exhausting marketing efforts, adding a CRM to automate processes not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error.
- Improve customer communication: The right CRM can facilitate easier communication with your business’s customers. Additionally, when all team members are able to access the same customer data and communications, everyone can communicate with customers effectively. Thryv’s centralized inbox displays every customer communication in a single thread — regardless of where it came from. Whether your clients love Facebook Messenger, email or Google.
- Boost collaboration among staff: As for internal communication, TeamChat allows direct one-on-one and group messaging with your staff members so you can communicate with your team faster.
- Scale easier with more assistance: Having business management software that adapts as your business grows is important. It’s more than needing more seats for your team. The features and integrations offered should meet your changing needs.
- Better data-based decision-making: CRMs provide real-time reporting and analytics, which can help you make smarter, data-driven decisions to benefit your business. For example, how to identify your slow seasons to stay on top of your cash flow.
Overall, hiring an office manager is an excellent investment. By freeing up your time, improving communication and organization, saving money, and providing expertise and peace of mind, an office manager or virtual office manager can help you take your business to the next level.
Looking for other ways to make running your business a bit smoother? Check out our guide on Running a More Efficient Small Business.