Well I finally took the leap and got myself a separate phone number for my business for 2 reasons.
When I first started my business nearly 4 years ago I thought it would be easier to just use my mobile for both my personal and business calls, now nearly 4 years on I’m regretting that. On almost a daily basis I am getting scam calls and the sad fact is there is nothing I can do as my phone number is public on the internet. It’s on my website, free advertising sites EVERYWHERE! I now have the pain staking task of removing my mobile number from everywhere and replacing it with the new one.
The second reason is I want my business to be portrayed as more professional. When clients ring my mobile there is no way for me to tell that it’s a client, a lead or anything to do with business. Which leads to me sometimes answering the phone somewhat unprofessionally and casual.
So my question to you is – do you have a separate number for your business? How do you handle your business calls?
I was trying to find a way that I could have a landline number but having the ability to access it easily and not be tied to my computer or home. I found that Skype was the answer for me. I already have the app on my phone and have the program on my computer and use it anyway so why not get a skype landline number through them too, and their subscription plans were quite reasonable. I will now be able to have my mobile for personal and still answer from my mobile but for my business, and I can now start to SMS my clients from the new number too.
If you are looking for a solution to handling your business calls maybe take a look at Skype, it might be the answer you’re looking for too.
If you are a Gmail/Gsuite user and would like to be able to schedule your emails directly from your mailbox then this extension may be perfect for you.
Does your job require you to track the time for tasks and projects? As a Virtual Assistant this is how I generally bill my clients based on an hourly rate or project. So how do you keep track of it all? There is a program called Toggl, Google it if you’ve not heard of it, it’s brilliant. I’ve been using Toggl for nearly 3 years now and it hasn’t let me down.
Toggl is a free program allowing you to set up projects, and clients helping you manage your time effectively and account for all your time. One of the reasons I have stuck with Toggl for so long is it’s capability to work with so many different programs.
With the free version you can;
Track time
Delete time entries
Bulk edit
Add time manually
A timeline or you time worked
Autotracker
Add tags
Use Keyboard shortcuts
Idle detection
Different time formats
It has an offline mode
Pomodoro timer
CSV imports
Summary, detailed, weekly reports
Easy to use dashboard
Archive projects
Different project colours
Unlimited projects & clients
Team dashboard
Mobile app IOS and Android
I use Asana for managing my projects and tasks, with the Toggl Google Chrome extension I can time directly from my task, no having to type it in and I can time directly from the Google Chrome Browser bar as well when needed.
Another bonus is if you use Gmail within Google Chrome you can time directly from your emails especially if you have a client that has sent you a task to do, when you open up an email you will be given the option of the toggl timer button. There are so many integrations for this great time tracking program and it will make you be accountable for all your time.
If you want to see what other programs Toggl integrates with have a look at this page, you will find more than 85+ integrations.
I hope this helps you stay accountable for all your time and it makes it easier to track.
Sometimes when you are a small business and you have only 2-3 team members you don’t want to spend a fortune on programs when you don’t know if they will be successful and adaptable. Did you know that 9 times out of 10 you can use a task list program/app such as Tick Tick, Asana or Wunderlist to take care of your project management requirements.
There was an article I read last year where one business actually used Wunderlist for everything from to do’s, communication and a CRM, they actually minimized sending emails to one another and used this program. Some might think that’s a bit too much but using it for Project Management it’s definitely doable.
Task list programs all tend to have similar features these days so it comes down to personal preference and what you think will work well for your business.
Here are my top 4 picks of to do list programs
Tick Tick
Cloud based
They do both a free version & pro version (pro version is only a couple of dollars a month & is worth it)
Available on Android, Android Tablet, Iphone, Ipad, Mac, Web
Calendar View Available (Pro Version)
Get reminders on your phone or PC
Share Lists/Folders
Subtasks available so you can break a project up into smaller parts
Add comments to tasks (shows date/time/person)
Add #tags
Assign tasks to team members
Turn emails into tasks with the Google Chrome Extension
Voice Input (speak to create tasks)
Wunderlist
Cloud based
Both free and pro versions available
Available on Mac, Android, Iphone, Android Tablet, Ipad, PC, Windows Phone, Chromebook
Get reminders on your phone or PC
Share lists/folders
Create subtasks
Add comments, #tags
Asana
Cloud Based
Free program
Available on Android and IOS
Assign tasks to team members
Organize into boards
Tasks and subtasks
Due dates and times
Add comments
Calendar View
Trello
Free
More of a board task list
Share with team members
Comment on tasks
Available on Android and PC
Take a look and you might find something that will work for your business and team helping you to simplify your process and get on top of your workload.
Are you just starting your Business and looking for a way to invoice your clients and track your expenses? You may or may not of heard of Wave Apps.
Wave Apps is a free cloud based accounting program that has many benefits and I find is the perfect solution for managing my invoices and expenses. Wave apps is available on PC however you can also get Wave Invoices so you can invoice on the go from your mobile device and Wave Receipts where you never have to worry about loosing a receipt again as you can just take a photo of your receipts which will then be uploaded to the PC version ready for reconciliation.
Features of Wave Apps
Invoice your clients
Mark payment against invoices
Track expenses & bills
Import your bank feeds for easy reconciliations
Import your PayPal transactions
Accept online Credit Card payments through Stripe integration
Produce Quotes
Easy reports including Profit & Loss, Sales by Customer, Income Statements, Expense Reports
Wave Accounting has both a Business & Personal side to it so you can even track and budget your personal expenses from the one program. It is definately a program that you should be considering especially if you are still using an Excel Spreadsheet.
If you’re interested in taking a look you can find more information on their website.
