Every small business owner dreams of growth. That is until phone calls start getting missed, more hires are needed and business admin takes over your life. The majority of tradesmen and women who work for themselves can be considered small businesses, but the shift from service provider to small business owner can be difficult to navigate, and there’s absolutely no shame in admitting you need a helping hand. In this article, we’re going to outline 9 digital tools that will help keep your business running smoothly whilst freeing you up to focus on what you’re good at.
Never Miss a Lead Again
While big businesses have the luxury of hiring a full time receptionist to handle all inbound calls, this is just one of the many roles that small service providers have to fill. The downside of this is unanswered calls, lost leads and ultimately, missed revenue opportunities. The solution to this lies in virtual receptionist services, like those provided by Pocket Receptionist.
Pocket Receptionist assigns a trained receptionist to your business who operates from a remote location, providing a professional service and forwarding more important calls. This means while you’re busy completing jobs, your lead pipeline doesn’t have to stop. Your virtual receptionist will be able to qualify leads, book future appointments and so on.
Let Customers Book Themselves
Another way to ensure more leads are captured is to allow customers direct access to your calendar, where they can then book themselves into your busy diary. This is exactly what Calendly does: the online booking platform allows customers to book appointments around the clock.
If you provide a service that involves initial inspections or measuring up, opening up your availability on Calendly eliminates the hassle of going back and forth over messaging to find a time that suits both parties.
Field Service Management
For small businesses that provide a trade, reputation is everything, and clear communication goes a long way to building a solid reputation. Unfortunately, when going from one job to another, obstacles can slow you down. But using something like Housecall Pro lets your customers know where you are, which means communication is never an issue.
As you grow and expand your team, this also helps you manage a team of workers or a fleet of vehicles, giving clarity over whereabouts at all times.
Stay in Touch Without Chasing People
For many small business owners, email marketing can be time-consuming, costly and complex. But it can also be a goldmine that’s worth pursuing. An email list gives you the opportunity to stay in the minds of your customers and make them aware of any upcoming promotions.Â
Mailchimp automates your email marketing efforts, which can mean new customers or potential customers who have shown interest in your services are targeted with a welcome email or a special offer. It can also be a great way to update customers about things like warranties once a certain timeframe has been reached. Additionally, autonomous email marketing campaigns could be used to upsell. For example, an automatic email could be sent 2 years after a bathroom has been fitted to see if any touchups are needed.
Streamline your Socials
Social media has become a key marketing channel for small businesses. No matter what industry your business operates in, it’s imperative that you are active on socials. For those offering a service related to areas like interior design or landscaping, it’s a great way to showcase your work, and in some ways, platforms like Instagram have become the modern-day portfolio.
For many small business owners, particularly older individuals, the world of social media can be foreign and many simply choose to avoid it, while others approach it half-heartedly. When done right, a strong social media presence can bring new customers to your business and help you tap into new audiences or locations. Tools like Hootsuite streamline this process and make it far easier. With Hootsuite, you can schedule posts to go out at certain times, manage all your social media accounts in one place and track all engagement metrics around your posts so you can see what’s working for your business.
Final Thoughts
For small business owners of today, there are tools to help with every area of their business. While the tools mentioned above cover areas like marketing and operations, third party software also extends to areas like finance and HR. Ultimately, what you need help with will depend on the size of your business and your business goals.