3-in-1 that work as One!

Over the past year we have been searching high and low for a super-efficient business system we can use in TJConsulting and offer to our clients. And finally, after trying and testing, reading 100s of reviews – it’s here.

It consists of 3 parts, but don’t despair – they all work as One, efficient, online, affordable solution. And they are…. Xero, Capsule and MailChimp.

Xero is the accounting system of the 21st century. If you are not an accountant and dread “reconciliation” or “P&L” – this is the system for you. It’s very simple to use, you can access it from anywhere with an Internet connection and it’s secure.

Capsule is an online Contact Relationship Management (CRM) tool that will integrate with Xero – so you only have to enter your data once. You can track leads and conversion, manage information, analyse sales and productivity, and (yet again) it’s very simple to use!

MailChimp is used to send your newsletters, mailshots and autoresponders. Without being repetitive – it’s simple, clean, straightforward. It can send regular newsletters and schedule a series of messages. MailChimp can integrate with a large number of social media networks, Eventbrite (for event bookings) and is a top-rated social media tool (according to mashable.com).

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Some people have 100s of messages in their mailbox – unread for weeks and months. Maybe they’ve already seen them via Blackberry or iPhone. Maybe they glanced at the subject and decided it’s not relevant. Nevertheless the ever growing Inbox becomes a source of frustration and stress. Are you really keen to tackle it, if you have only got 10 minutes and it says you have 578 unread messages?

However the problem doesn’t have to become so unmanageable. All you need to do is to employ some regular mailbox hygiene and efficiency rules and follow them daily. So we are sharing our virtual assistant’s secrets with you and offering our top tips of efficient email management:

1. Use folders: you can decide on the folder structure for your company and file emails in a way that you can easily find all communications related to your IT support queries, membership in BNI or a particular client’s project.
2. If space on your server is limited – download all relevant attachments from emails to your computer and preserve only the email message. Or even better – utilise document sharing systems like Zoho (free), SendThisFile or Basecamp and just email the link to the document in the system.
3. If you are using Outlook – you can drag and drop emails into Calendar and tasks to create reminders and diary appointments and then file the message.
4. Delete system messages straight away: Outlook diary notifications or attendance confirmations are already stored somewhere else in the system, notifications from LinkedIn or other social networks are available to read as soon as you login.
5. Unsubscribe from no longer relevant newsletters or lists . This will reduce the amount of “S.P.A.M” that you receive every day.
6. Use Rules and Alerts in Outlook – for example to automatically file emails from a particular recipient to read later (that’s what I do with Business Link newsletters).
7. Use the subject line wisely – help others understand what your message is about.
8. Apply GTD time management approach to deal with each message – see Step 2 below..

About “Get Things Done” – time management system:

Step 1: Gather up every single thing that requires action on your part: unopened mail, emails, voicemails, countertop clutter, reading materials, scary catch-all cabinets you can barely open. Make a list of those tasks, projects and items.

Step 2: Process each and every item by determining a “next-action”: the very next thing you need to do, either to resolve an issue or at least keep it moving toward completion. Many items you’ll only need to file or throw away. Some hard-and-fast rules:

Step 3: Fill in your “trusted system”. Put your action steps into categories where you can review and complete them easily. Develop the combination of calendar and written contextual (e.g. to phone, to print, at home) action lists that will work best for you. Have a separate file for projects (tasks that require more than one step), “maybe” list and “waiting for others/something” list.

Step 4: Set aside time each week to review your action lists, so that no items go uncompleted, by going through Steps 1 to 3 and reviewing your lists and calendar.

Step 5: Get Things Done: consider your context, time available, priorities. Ensure that none of the 3 kinds of activities (pre-defined activities – things already in your calendar or on your lists; work as it shows up; and defining your work – planning, scheduling, making lists, setting priorities, brainstorming) overwhelms the other two. The key pitfall is letting seemingly urgent new items distract you from planning, as well as from equally important stuff that is already in your system.

So by applying 8 steps every day and by regularly reviewing your Inbox management practices you will be able to achieve the desired Result: lean Inbox, clear Objectives, completed Action lists, information at your fingertips and a lot less stress for you next time you open your emails. And don’t forget: email management is one of the core services offered by any good Virtual Assistant.

IT often gets categorised into two areas within a business, ‘urgent and not important’ or ‘important but not urgent’. The former gets done when things are going wrong and the latter is constantly put on the back burner for another day.

For those of you who have read Mr Stephen Covey’s work (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) you will know about these categories and their impact on business.
In summary, the categories are:
1) Urgent and important – must do now and can make a big positive impact
2) Urgent but not important – a fire fighting category (where IT is often placed)
3) Important and not urgent – strategic changes that can make a huge positive difference
4) Not important and not urgent – stay away as much as possible!

The ‘important but not urgent’ is where value add is as this is where all strategic and long term thinking lies.

One of the big issues that small businesses face is that they get trapped in the fire fighting scenario which can stifle growth and progression. Stephen Covey’s example is that of a team of soldiers hacking successfully through a forest and one soldier says “we are in the wrong forest” and the head soldier says “who cares! We are making progress”!

Likewise a business without long term strategic thinking can leave you working very hard but not always smart.

Working smart is figuring out how to save time and money in all operational areas, including IT so that every bit of effort you make is leveraged. Business coaches say this when advising business owners to get in staff so they can leverage their time. Similarly, getting IT to maximum efficiency is like having another staff member because the IT is working harder so you don’t have to! What you are left with is time to gear your business in the direction of your choice- or perhaps to spend an extra half hour a day reading the paper if you choose to!

This is why the ‘important but not urgent’ category is really the ‘urgent and important’ in disguise!

About The PC Support Group
The PC Support Group specialises in providing high quality, cost effective IT support to small businesses and home users throughout the UK. Whether it’s a one-off IT issue or you require on-going maintenance, we can help. Our sole aim is to remove all of our clients’ worries and concerns about their computers and anything that connects to them.
Rita Hemraj, Regional Director
www.pcsupportgroup.com

There are three challenges we have to deal with during a meeting: dealing with conflict, keeping everyone energised and managing information.These are issues that can cause time spent in meetings to be much less productive.

After researching the issue for some time in order to make the business life of our clients more efficient – here’s some practical advice to lessen the impact:

• Talk privately with each of the individuals to plan an agenda that steers clear of hot topics;
• At the beginning establish rules agreed with everyone;
• Use large displays to record what is said in the meeting;
• Remain positive at all times, allow all contributions to be made.

People’s energy varies through the day. However energy levels may also be low due to the style of the meeting. Using the same approach over and over again will stifle a meeting e.g. endless presentations:

• Minimise presentations, set (and adhere to) time limits;
• Use wall charts to share information with blank spaces for people to complete information during the meeting;
• Change the format – sessions, group discussions, small group discussions, pairs, individual thinking time;
• Give people the opportunity to talk;
• Use energisers.

Managing information can be as much of a challenge as managing people. If we didn’t need to share or jointly create data and ideas there would be no need for getting people together at all. Getting this right can make a huge difference to the success of a meeting.

If you capture the information in real time during the meeting, it will make your meetings a lot more productive. Why?

• People can see that they have been heard. This encourages participation;
• All the information is visible together;
• Agreements are much more likely to stick to;
• Gives people an opportunity to speak up if there are still issues to resolve;
• Focuses the attention of a group and gives a focal point for discussion.

Think in advance of your follow up documentation. Having the right outputs produced after a meeting can do a lot to support the ongoing follow-up of actions afterwards. Assign someone to prepare minutes, record action points and track the completion.

So, to conclude – our Top tips for information management:

• Plan how you will manage the information before, during and after a meeting;
• Think about different ways you could handle the information;
• Minimise the use of PowerPoint;
• Maximise the use of wall charts;
• Use the group to help with recording the meeting.

Before anything else, ask yourself:  ‘why do we need a meeting?’ Once you’re clear about the actual reason for holding the meeting you have a great foundation on which to build up. Also don’t forget that meetings can be held online using webinars.

According to a recent poll by Monster.co.uk people you work with can be the main source of your work frustration. Messy and disorganised colleagues irritate 40% of office residents, while too much “management speak” is in  second place with 32%. And 16% are frustrated by too many meetings using up all your time.

Feeling frustrated when you have to work with messy or disorganised colleagues – who can hold you back in you work – is understandable. However, it may be that you messy pal isn’t aware of your true feelings.

Monster recommends the following tips when dealing with irritating people in your workplace:

• In an open-plan office it can be hard to escape office noise. Bring in headphones: listening to music or a self-development CD can be an effective way of reducing the background noise.
• Meetings are a necessary part of business life. However spending too much time in meetings can be detrimental to your performance and your business success – assess whether the meeting is always necessary, if you can use a teleconferencing facility or desktop sharing to achieve the same results.
• Use easy-to-understand language every time you speak or write, others in your business and those you deal with will follow suit shortly.
• Focus on employees’ strengths to achieve top performance. It will benefit the business as it will encourage higher productivity, more job satisfaction and commitment. Your colleagues will be motivated by tasks that interest them.
• Communicate with your colleagues and staff, provide honest feedback about their performance as well as relationships with other members of the team.

If you feel that your office is drowning in paper, files and assorted items – it’s time to use a professional de-clutterer. Many virtual assistants offer this service: they will come to your office for 1 or 2 full days and during this time convert it from a messy piles of papers, files and loose stationery to an organised, clear-desk environment which will enhance the productivity and motivation of your staff. Contact us now for a recommendation of a professional de-clutterer in your area.