I have worked with entrepreneurs in many fields over the past 16 years. What I’ve found most often is not only are they trying to do it all themselves but they are not using the systems and tools available (often free) to work more efficiently. So let’s look at the tools and software I use and recommend to help you be more efficient and get more done. The best thing is that none of these tools are overly expensive, and some are even free!
Why You Need the Right Tools and Systems
As an entrepreneur, you’ve set your intentions to achieve an ideal lifestyle and you’re probably working your butt off to make it happen. You’ve built your business strategy, decided how many hours a week you want to devote to your business and the method of delivery.
Now it’s time to think about adding products or services. This is where many people fail to set up the right systems and tools that will facilitate making their business run as smoothly and seamlessly as possible. Or they get ‘shiny object syndrome’ where they grab the ‘latest and greatest’ they see advertised. So why put so much thought into the systems you use? Using the right tools will:
- Cut down on costs
- Increase consistency
- Eliminate mistakes
- Give you a professional presence online
- Help you keep your mind and goals clear
- Move you steadily toward those goals
- Make the dull parts of your business—the admin stuff—go away or be more fun
When you choose the right productivity tools, you are letting technology do the ‘heavy lifting’ while cutting down on confusion. Automating repetitive tasks can simplify them, allowing you to concentrate on the most important parts of your business— product/package creation.
The good news is you don’t have to have separate systems for each specific task or function. For example, you can choose a scheduling system or software that integrates other necessary tasks or functions. The trick is to suit the system to your needs. Let’s look at a few systems now.
Client Bookings and Scheduling
If you’re a coach or in another service business, booking and scheduling clients is one of the most basic needs but it often gets taken for granted. Entrepreneurs tend to think of this as a single process: “The client makes an appointment”.
A good scheduling tool will do much more than that: It will fully automate client-business owner interactions while making it feel more personal and attentive than you can realistically be in person. The right scheduling tool will eliminate:
- Mix-ups
- Chasing after clients
- Forgetting to send reminders
- Forgetting to update your appointment book if a client re-schedules
- Forgetting to contact the right team member
It’s like having a super-efficient virtual assistant who works 24-7, providing top quality customer service while you concentrate on the things that personally fulfill you.
Features needed in a scheduling system:
- Automatic reminders
- Automatic notification of schedule changes or cancellations
- Allows clients to cancel and reschedule without having to talk to you in person
- Assign tasks to specific team members, if you have them
- Ability to set hours you are available
- Allows you to designate different appointment types
This is especially important if you don’t have simple one-hour appointment blocks. Perhaps you offer 20-minute check-ins, half-day VIP spots, complimentary consultations and so forth. Choosing a scheduler that allows clients to select the type of appointment they need (with its own specific price point) ensures that your one-on-one coaching flows smoothly from one client to the next, with exactly the right amount of time needed for each specific type of session. Other features it’s nice to have in a scheduling tool…
- Automatic intake forms for new clients
- The ability to record messages and notes
Two of the best productivity tools to help you with these functions:
- Calendly is easy and intuitive to use. It walks you through a simple set up, where you simply assign your availability, and designate whether or not these hours are regular or irregular. I
- Google Calendar You are probably already familiar with Google Calendar. It is a web browser extension that you can easily install. The beauty of Google Calendar is that it is clear, concise and integrates with other software and apps such as Calendly.
In other words, if a client makes an appointment via your scheduling link, it will instantly appear in your Google Calendar, if you’ve synced it. So you don’t have to access Calendly to see if a client appointment conflicts with a webinar you want to watch—it will all be right there on Google Calendar. You can also:
- Sync Google Calendar with your smartphone
- Share it with someone (for example, your VA)
- Change or turn off Google notifications
Project and File Management
Project management is key when you have multiple people involved in your business operations and helpful even when you’re a solo entrepreneur. Systematization and automation of recurring tasks and functions eliminates mistakes and omissions, and makes sure your projects flow smoothly with good communication. Let’s take a look at some especially useful and productive project/file management tools.
- ASANA is the work management platform teams use to stay focused on the goals, projects, and daily tasks that grow business. Asana’s strongest advantages include a simple, user-friendly interface and dashboard that allows you to easily oversee one project or many. What tools like Asana truly do is take you from using several tools for project management to one central tool and system.
- Google Docs When you first visit the Google Docs website, you’ll be offered a “tour”. Take it. You’ll quickly learn, going at your own pace through this simple slide tour, how easy it is to start a new document (or use a template), and invite team members to view, comment on or edit the document. You’ll be introduced to tools such as the file picker icon, which allows you to browse your Google Drive folders, run a simple search, and more. By the time the tour is finished, that’s all you need to know about this wonderful, free file-sharing tool.
Outsourcing
Let’s not forget about that other great focusing and automating strategy: Outsourcing recurring tasks or tasks that drain your energy and swallow your time whole. Sometimes, it’s simply easier and faster to send a task or assign a function of your business to a trusted professional who excels in that area.
Have you ever analyzed what tasks you accomplish during the day, especially on those days where you question where the day went and wished you had an extra eight hours to finish your to-do list? You know you need a lot done but where do you start? I recommend writing down all your tasks. You may need to do this over the course of a few days or a week as you go through your normal routine. Next highlight all the tasks that don’t make you money directly. These are tasks you can outsource.
Are you ready? Learn some automation shortcuts that can help streamline your administrative business tasks in my book, Systems are Sexy! 7 Steps to Harness the Power of Automation and a Team To Create Your Dream Business.
