Oh, the irony! So many of the things we do in the name of “better service” actually prevent us from delivering just that. A lot of times, we do the things we do without really thinking about it, without examining why we do them the way we do.
I say, it’s always good exercise to examine our habits and practices and evaluate whether they are really helping us accomplish our objectives, live up to our values and standards, and better serve our customers. I mean, if you’re red and bloodied on the floor from killing yourself to serve well, does that ultimately do any good–for anyone? The health and well-being of both client/customer and provider is absolutely necessary for extraordinary service to occur.
Here’s an article I wrote and published today in “The Portable Business™.” If you’d like to subscribe, go here:
Keep Your Concentration
Did you know that it takes 20 to 30 minutes to transition into critical thought? That means every time you pick up that ringing phone or stop to check emails when you are working on something important, it will take that long to get your concentration back. Talk about unproductive!
I’m guilty myself to some extent. I love checking email! But for some folks, it’s not a matter of choice. They feel they HAVE to answer that phone or check for new emails or they aren’t providing good service. Here’s the thing, though: You aren’t helping anyone if your productivity is compromised constantly. It takes you longer to get things done. Interruption causes stress. Stress causes procrastination. More mistakes happen. You forget where you left off and waste time trying to regroup.
If that’s you, I’m here to give you permission to RELAX! And I’ve got some strategies for you.
1. The first thing to do is to stop answering every phone call and email while you are working. Put the phone on Voicemail and turn off your email.
2. Schedule blocks of time for work that requires your undivided concentration. During those blocks of time, focus strictly on the work or project at hand.
3. Set a routine of a specific time or times each day to check Voicemail, return calls and reply to emails. Some folks find an hour first thing in the morning and last thing at night works best. Others check in once a day at midday. Just find your own groove and then stick with it.
4. Save busy work (that is, simple, routine tasks that don’t require a deep level of thinking and concentration) for times outside your productive blocks. I tend to like to do this kind of quick, easy stuff first thing in the morning to get it out of the way and off my mind for the day.
5. At the end of the day, take a deep, cleansing breath. There now, didn’t that feel great to work without interruption? Don’t you feel like you got more done? I’m willing to bet you feel more energized and satisfied. And your communication and service hasn’t suffered. It’s just been systemized so that you can do better work for clients. Isn’t that the whole point?
RESOURCE: A great alternative to Voicemail is hiring a virtual receptionist service such as Ruby Receptionists. There’s nobody quite like them–they are a team of smart, personable off-site receptionists who provide companies of all types and sizes throughout the U.S. a richer, more customized experience. For a small monthly fee, they’ll provide your clients and callers with helpful information when you can’t or don’t want to be reached. They do everything a great receptionist does, just not in your office. Perfect for the small business and solopreneur and callers can’t tell the difference!
And don’t forget… If you’re a Virtual Assistant, you simply must take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. Stand up and be counted!
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, the virtual assistant term is really completely idiotic to...
6 Comments
Danielle
I really appreciate the way you keep in contact and for raising vital issues. Today I am exhausted as I lost my job, am trying to complete a Practitioner exam in Project Management via the UK government and complete all necessary docs for lawyers, get a accountant and market my busines to get clients before my last savings run dry but I know I can do it because I am spunky, gutsy, know I can get what I want if I apply my mind and never switch off when it comes to what I enjoy.
Keep it up and thank you again, Arlene
Danielle, Great post about concentration. I tell my clients very similar ideas about how important it is to maintaining focus, work with your own rhythm where possible so complicated, demand work is completed when you’re at your brightest.
The irony is I don’t always take my own advice and need to hear it from others, like your blog:)
Thanks for the straight talking.
Kate
Ain’t that the truth (about not taking our own advice sometimes, LOL)
Thanks for your input, Kate
So sorry to hear about your job loss, Arlene. You didn’t say whether you feel that’s a blessing or not, but even through the exhaustion, I hear your spirit and optimism. That’s going to see you through a lot! Soon, we’ll be hearing about all your accomplishments.
Thanks for joining the conversation!
Hi Danielle
Thanks for the communiques. It is always so refreshing to receive inspirational messages from you.
I have still not heard from your membership division even though I emailed them a while back as I need to know if I am now an official member of VACOC. Great that your standards are high as I set myself high standards too.
I am still trying to decide if my retrenchment is a blessing or not, guess I’m trying not to think about it right now.
At least my website is now fully interactive and all my family and friends love it. It is now the foreign exchange accounts and legal stuff that I need to get out of the way with our local revenue services etc… so therein lies the challenge. I am however confident that I’ve passed my Prince2 Practitioner exam (UK will let me know in 4-6 weeks) and this I believe is going to be part of the difference between ‘scrape by’ and success.
I am looking forward to have a portfolio of A-list clients by January 2010 so the next couple of weeks to December Xmas / New Year break is flat out ‘wine & dine’ sessions.
Keep well and please let me know how else I can follow-up on VACOC membership confirmation.
Have yourself a great day further, Arlene
Good that you’re keeping busy and your spirits up!
Membership stuff is handled automatically by the forum software (as noted on the registration page, we don’t have the resources to provide personal responses so we have to depend on folks to follow the instructions provided there and in the automated messages that follow). Just refer back to the emails you received when you registered–those contain the instructions for checking into your account and finding out the status. Since they are automated, it’s possible they ended up in your spam/junk mail folder so double-check there. Otherwise, the appropriate avenue for inquiries is membership@virtualassistatnetworking.com
Hope that helps