How to Solve the Top 3 Pain Points for Small Business Owners

Small business owners in every industry are faced with unique challenges. Though products and services will differ across the board, core difficulties typically root in the fact that meeting critical deadlines means putting communication on the back-burner.

Although completing urgent tasks – with respect to the Eisenhower Decision Matrix –  is important, lacking communication can prove detrimental. Striking the balance between successfully completing projects as well as keeping in contact with customers is difficult but identifying and addressing certain pain points will help keep business growth (and mental health!) intact.

Setting boundaries and avoiding burnout

There’s an interesting paradigm shift between being the head of your own operation and an employee in the sense that you’re always fighting the clock to get things done. It’s funny because looking back to the times you worked for someone else, you probably remember counting down the minutes until you could clock out.

This is the reason goal setting as an owner is so important, as it allows you to both accomplish tasks in a timely fashion and avoid becoming burnout, essentially the main take-away of the aforementioned Eisenhower Decision Matrix. Part of setting and meeting goals has to do with your own efficiency while another element is minimizing distractions. Otherwise, that ideal “9 to 5” is going to regularly spill into the evenings which isn’t healthy.

This is where the virtual receptionists from Smith.ai come into play by fielding calls, where only the most urgent calls are transferred, allowing you to stay on top of pressing matters. For example, as a franchise business owner, you can spend less time fielding calls and more time building your business with a franchise answering service. You receive message summaries as emails or texts from the calls we take so you won’t miss a beat.

Missing out on leads

Focusing on current clients and the jobs you’ve been tasked is a priority but what comes next? Without communicating with prospects, it becomes difficult to grow. Balancing work with taking calls can be like taking to a road trip to a new destination without a GPS: you need to pay attention to the road but every so often, you’ll need to look at a map to reach the destination.

Our live receptionists are trained to be tailor-fitted to your specific business, answering questions and schedule appointments on your behalf. Your important callers can be directly transferred with “VIP status” allowing you to stay on track with pressing projects, while preventing potential new work from disappearing into the abyss.

We can even reach out after someone establishes contact by following a lead qualification process then performing a new client intake. You’ll have the information you need on hand before meeting with a new client, effectively putting this administrative function on autopilot.

Slow communication

Due to the fact most of us are seemingly always connected to some communication medium, there’s a common consensus that communication is (or should be) instant. When someone isn’t immediately addressed for business or personal matters, concerns often arise.

Technology, as helpful as it may be, has created an expectation that touching base is an effortless component of just about any relationship. When this begins to suffer, clients or colleagues might begin to lose to faith.

As a small business owner, it’s entirely possible to find yourself too busy to actually make a call. In other cases, there’s reluctance to contact a client when running behind on a job due to an unforeseen obstacle. Sometimes it’s a combination of both.

We find that most customers stay happy just being part of the loop, even if you’re a little behind on schedule. By simply sending us a text, giving us call at (650) 727 – 6484, or shooting an email to support@smith.ai, we can take care of providing status updates for you.

Learn More About Smith.ai

Since you’re already wearing several hats as a small business owner, let us take over the receptionist role so you can better focus on completing essential projects. Get in touch and be sure to ask about our 30 day / 10 call free trial to get a taste of what it’s like to have free time again!