If you are a startup or a small business and are thinking of using a business support company but you have no idea what sort of tasks they can help with, then this blog post is for you!
Many founders feel overwhelmed with the amount of tasks and admin involved when setting up their business (and throughout the growth stages). By hiring a business support company, some of these tasks can be handed over freeing up your time to concentrate on the key elements of the business.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it should give you a good indication on the range of support available. There may even be some you are surprised at!
1 – EMAIL MANAGEMENT
Emails are the preferred method of communication by many people and there is an expectation for responses to be timely. If someone is interested in your product or service, then the last thing you want is for their communication to be lost in the sea of emails in your inbox!
A business support company can help by managing the inbox, responding to any emails and flagging any that need your attention
2 – CALENDAR MANAGEMENT
As a founder (or as a team), your diaries may seem incredibly busy with client meetings and sales pitches. By having a business support company assist with your appointment making they can ensure that meetings are arranged factoring in travel, personal appointments and length needed for that type of request. This should then leave your days running smoother and more efficiently.
3 – HR ONBOARDING
If you are lucky enough to be hiring then it could be worth asking for assistance on the onboarding steps needed for a new hire. This can include assisting with the employee contracts, documentation and welcome packs needed before their start date.
4 – INVOICING & PAYROLL
Being paid and making payments (to suppliers and staff) is a very key element of any business but sometimes this can be pushed to the side. Ask your business support company to help manage this by them creating and chasing your invoices on your behalf. They may even be able to assist in payroll and things like employee pensions.
5 – OPERATIONAL ONBOARDING
If you are in an industry such as Service as a Software (SaaS) then you may have many operational onboarding steps in order to get a client up and running.
A business support company, like ourselves, can assist in the steps required and means that your clients have a consistent and positive customer journey from the onset.
6 – IMPLEMENTATION AND STREAMLINING OF PROCESSES
Setting up processes early on is key as it helps you work more consistently and efficiently. This will impact the way customers view your organisation. By working more efficiently, you also allow more time on sales and the elements of growth for your business.
7– “OFFICE MANAGEMENT”
This can be anything from ordering goods and stationery for the office to organising events for the team (birthdays, incentive trips, hotel and travel booking etc).
8 – ORGANISATION
When you started your business you may have found that organising your documents, Drive and emails were not high on the list but now you feel stressed whenever you need to find something! The business support team can help put everything into a logical place and order which can help you be more efficient. This should help bring your blood pressure back down.
9 – PA TASKS
This falls under the more traditional things you may first think of when considering a business support company or virtual assistant. These tasks do include some of the earlier tasks of calendar and email management but on a more individual basis of the founder rather than for the company as a whole.
Tasks could also include research such as new office space, energy or telecommunication deals.
10 – SQUAD GOALS
This is not necessarily a task you would ask for when searching for a business support company but we thought it was important to highlight companies such as ourselves are invested in your business too. We want you to succeed and for your business to grow!
We will work with you to make sure you excel at what you do.