photo credit: Jasoon
With the way the economy is today, and customers becoming more picky as to where they do business, it is understandable that business owners tend to feel like they need to be on call for their customers 24/7. With today’s technology it is possible to receive emails via your cell phone, have calls forwarded to your cell phone and home, etc. However, this tends to create numerous problems for the owner such as resentment towards their business and clients, tiredness, irritability and a constant feeling of never having a break.
It is important to tend to your business and customers, but it is even more so important that you tend to yourself and give yourself a break every now and then. If you are not in tip top shape, neither will your business be. Simply figure out a reasonable load of hour’s of operation, and display them clearly in your store, your business contracts and more. Leave detailed outgoing messages as to when you will be returning to the office so that your clients know when to expect you back, as suggested on FrontLineResultsBlog.com.
Of course there will be occasions when you may need to take an urgent call outside of business hours, but these should be the exception rather than the rule!
How do you balance your time in the office and at home?